The barge, now clear, swung with the
current stern foremost; the sailors got to their oars, and gradually
drew their craft away from the shore. A little farther from the landing,
those on deck, looking upstream, enjoyed an uninterrupted view of the
magnificent conflagration. The huge stone Castle seemed to glow white
hot. The roof had fallen in, and a seething furnace reddened the
midnight sky. Like a flaming torch the great tower roared to the
heavens. The whole hilltop resembled the crater of an active volcano.
Timber floors and wooden partitions, long seasoned, proved excellent
material for the incendiaries, and even the stones were crumbling away,
falling into the gulf of fire, sending up a dazzling eruption of sparks,
as section after section tumbled into this earthly Hades.
The long barge floated placidly down a river resembling molten gold. The
boat was in disarray, covered with bales of cloth not yet lowered into
the hold, cluttered here and there with swords, battle-axes, and spears.
In the various positions where they had been flung lay the helpless men,
some on their faces, some on their backs.
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