to fire at the thatch of the dwelling house, as well as on the out-offices, with the intent of setting them in flames; and after several attempts, they ultimately succeeded in igniting the thatch of a detached cow-house, which stood out from the other buildings, and the wind, unfortunately happening to blow from that quarter to the other offices, carried the fire to them, by which they were soon in a blaze.  In the meantime, they procured two sledges from a neighboring forge, with which they assaulted the yard door, which they soon broke in.  Now there was a dead pause on the part of the assailants—­for they knew very well, that to pass on the threshold of this door was certain death.  However, the pressure from the rear was so great, that suddenly several men were involuntarily pushed in through the doorway.  And now the work of death commenced, for no sooner had the first batch been pressed in, than there was such a well-directed shower of bullets poured out on them from four well-charged blunderbusses, as levelled every man of them with the earth.  A moment’s pause ensued, and the door was again filled with new aspirants for “fame in the cannon’s mouth,” who, however, fared as badly as the preceding batch.  During this time the assailing party had been busy with crowbars and other instruments, in making several breaches in the yard walls.  At length they succeeded in opening entrances in three different places at the same time, and thus in a few minutes several hundred men were precipitated into the yard.  And now commenced the work of death in earnest.  The assailants were shot down in scores, while the upper windows of the house, from which the deadly firing was so ably kept up, received fifty discharges to the one that issued from them.  The house was immediately surrounded, and guards of chosen faithful men were placed at its doors and lower windows, with strict orders to let no one, especially the “old fox,” escape, with the exception only of the women.

To add to the dreadful condition of the Bolands, the assailants had now succeeded in igniting the thatch of the dwelling-house, and it was immediately in a blaze.  The Bolands and their tutor, ably served by their mother and sisters, still continued to deal death and destruction on the parties outside, without being yet fatigued or disabled.  But at length the upper floor became too hot, and the old man, with his wife and daughters, retreated to the lower floor.  The brothers and the tutor, however, remained above, but doing less execution, because, when the assailants saw the house on fire, they retreated outside the yard wall, excepting the guard who were placed round the house, and these stood so close to the walls that the party above had not power of injuring them, without fully exposing their own persons at the windows.