The Savannah morning news., 1902-12-27

From the London Standard.
One of the quaintest developments
of medieval warfare was revived in
Brittany the other day when party
of peasants, defending a Roman Cath
Ollie school which the government had
ordered to be closed. used hives of
bees as missiles against the troops.
The idea seems to have originated in
our own island of Great Britain, when
somewhere about 90S A. D.. a host of
Danes and Norwegians, coming from
Ireland, laid siege to Chester. The
English in this city appealed in vain
TO their overload. Ethelred of Mercia
and his heroic wife Ethelfeda. the
daughter Of Alfred the Great. Ethel
red, sick of mortal illness. could do
nothing: and Ethelfieda herself could
only offer good advice. Under Hinga-
mdnd, their leader. the Danes set up
hurdles beneath the city walls, and,
mus protected, began to undermine
the Notifications. When the English
hurled down rocks upon their heads,
the invaders strengthened their hur-
dies by massive posts. The English re-
taliated by pouring down boiling mead
and water. and when the Danes, in
reply, covered their hurdles with hides,
the English, as last resort, gather
ed all the beehives of the city. and
flung them down upon their foes. This
maneuver was successful.
Defeat of the Danes.
THE Danes" says the old Irish
chronicle, were prevented from NOV
ing their hands or their legs owing to
me number of bees that stung them,
and, in despair, they abandoned the
siege. The next use of beehives in me-
olaeval warfare occurs some thirty
Years later, in the days when Otto the
great was laying the foundation of the
Gefman empire. in the lifetime of his
hrst wife, the English Edith, who, sin
sularly enough, was herself the niece
Oh Ethelfeda of Mercia mentioned
ABOVE, and granddaughter of our Eng
Hsn Alfred the Great. Somewhere
@aoout $40 A. d. Ghiselbert, Duke of
Lorraine, revolted against King Otto,
VINO was powerless to crush him till
assisted by one of Ghiselbert's own fol-
"Wers, Immo, the Ulysses of the age,
VINO had incurred his lords anger by
eIdftlly obtaining possession of herd
VI swine. Ghiselbert. in wrath, laid
siege to the stronghold in which his
Vdssal lay; but was foiled by Immo's
rary chronicler. SIS reported to have
objected a large number of beehives,
ana to have flung them out against
we Dukes horsemen. AS the bees
aushed out. singing the horses into
"uch madness that their riders could
sol control them. Immo, looking forth
rom the walls. ordered his men to
make sally" The stratagem was sue
tIs'slul In Germany as it had been in
England thirty years earlier and Chi
inert. discounted raised the siege,
we laring that II Immo had only been
,1tihful he could easily have conquered
I,' lorraine. but. with Immo opposed 20
I, NJ could not be victorious, even
hud 'N
a hundred aud nflv years later
tilng the first Crusade. the use Of
,'hlNes ~ warfare had permeated to
fhst When Count Raymond OF
'Niolse laid HieEe 20 the Faracen
i'nshoid 81 Marrah. some fifty
I's ifon Antioch. The contemporary
'hfiefi haymond'E 0Wn cha plian,
hoN. ar tho Christians moved 10
srHiine ladders 90 fhe walls. the
'Nliumfaans rfpaifed their 81 sling
non their military engines
rf ar1 qHtfTsis Hna fre nnf
Hnf hrfhiksa wlfh their bees
hatssEe sggeeais d development