In the Shadow of the Wall Read Online Free PDF

no idea how long he had taken but it could not have been long. By the time he reached the point on the Wall above where the men of Broch Tava were gathered, the first men using the human climbing frame had just reached the parapet. Further along, some enterprising men had tied their cloaks together into a very crude rope. Somehow, they had managed to throw it up, looping it over a crenellation so that both ends fell to the ground. One brave man was clambering up the makeshift rope, fervently praying that none of the knots would unravel.
    Brude fastened his own rope firmly round the nearest crenellation. He dropped the loose end over the Wall. Peering down, he saw his father catch it, pull to test it, then begin to climb. Only then did Brude turn to look around at his new surroundings.
    The sun was up now, revealing the land stretched out beyond the Wall, much the same as the land on the north side except for the road that ran, straight and true, parallel to the itself. Beyond the road was another wall, of turf this time, near the height of two men. Beyond that was a ditch, then another turf wall.
    A sudden yell of triumph reached his ears. He span to see the Selgovae surging through the gateway. Some of their men had obviously fought their way down inside the tower and opened the gates. In moments, they were through the small tower, fanning out across the open space, charging over the narrow roadway that spanned the walled ditch, then heading south and east in search of plunder. To the west, the Damnonii, fewer of them, were running to join the Selgovae, pushing and jostling to get across the ditch before heading south, clearly intent on climbing the hills beyond the Wall.
    Brude felt embarrassed that only the Boresti were still trying to cross the Wall. He waved the first men towards the watchtower. “There’s a way down in there,” he told them. Grinning gleefully, they set off at a run. Just then, his father reached the top of the rope. Brude laid down his spear to help him climb over the parapet. He got a hug and a slap on the back. “Well done, lad!” his father said.
    Now the warriors below were running for the open gateway as an easier route through the Wall rather than over it. Colm climbed Brude’s rope, grinning like a madman as he clambered over to stand on the walkway. Clapping him on the back, Brude’s father said, “Come on the two of you, we’ll get left behind if we stay here. Let’s go down.”
    Brude silently thought that the Boresti had already been left behind but he followed as they hurried to the watchtower, able to walk three abreast on the top of the Wall. Brude was amazed at the incredible feat of construction. He could scarcely conceive of how much effort and skill it must have taken to build such an astonishing fortification, but he seemed to be in a minority; everyone else was in too much of a hurry to pay much attention to the Roman engineering.
    They went through the open door, into the gloom of the watchtower where they immediately came across two bodies. One was a warrior of the Selgovae, lying crumpled at the foot of the stairs which led to the upper level of the tower. The other was a Roman soldier who lay on his back, a jagged wound on his neck, staring up at them with blank, unseeing eyes. Brude tried to ignore the corpses but he was struck by the armour the Roman wore, protecting his upper body. He paused to take a closer look, touching the metal plates which inter-linked, each one attached separately on to the leather shirt beneath. Brude’s father thumped him on the shoulder, telling him to leave the corpse. “It’s been well plundered by now,” he said, thinking Brude was trying to find some coins or jewellery. To Brude, the armour was worth more than any gold or gems and he was considering trying to strip it from the body so that he could keep it for himself. Such a prize would be almost priceless. He reckoned the Roman must have been a wealthy man. His father, though, did