The Dragon And The Raven: Or The Days Of King Alfred(Fiscle Part-3) by G. A. Henty (e book reading free TXT) 📕

Danes Had Been Slain,  Sidroc,  One Of Their Jarls,  Being Among

The Fallen.

Three Days Later The Royal Army Arrived In Sight Of Reading,

Being Joined On Their March By Aethelwulf And His Men.

The Danes Had Thrown Up A Great Rampart Between The

Thames And The Kennet,  And Many Were Still At Work On This

Fortification. These Were Speedily Slain By The Saxons,  But

Their Success Was A Short One. The Main Body Of The Invaders

Swarmed Out From The City And A Desperate Engagement Took

Place.

The Saxons Fought Valiantly,  Led By The King And Prince

Alfred; But Being Wholly Undisciplined And Unaccustomed To

War They Were Unable To Withstand The Onslaught Of The Danes,

Who Fought In Better Order,  Keeping Together In Ranks: After

Four Hours' Hard Fighting The Saxons Were Compelled To Fall

Back.

They Rallied Again A Few Miles From Reading. Ethelred

And Alfred Went Among Them Bidding Them Be Of Good Cheer,

For That Another Time,  When They Fought In Better Order,  They

Would Gain The Victory; And That Their Loss Had Not Been Greater

Than The Danes,  Only That Unhappily The Valiant Ealdorman

Aethelwulf Had Been Slain. Fresh Messengers Were Sent

Throughout The Country Bidding All The Men Of Wessex To

Rally Round Their King,  And On The Fourth Morning After The

Defeat Ethelred Found Himself At The Head Of Larger Forces

Than Had Fought With Him In The Last Battle.

The Danes Had Moved Out From Reading And Had Taken

Post At Ashdown,  And As The Saxon Army Approached They

Were Seen To Be Divided Into Two Bodies,  One Of Which Was

Commanded By Their Two Kings And The Other By Two Jarls.

The Saxons Therefore Made A Similar Division Of Their Army,

The King Commanding One Division And Prince Alfred The

Other.

Edmund With The Men Of Sherborne Was In The Division

Of Alfred. The Danes Advanced To The Attack And Fell With

Fury Upon Them. It Had Been Arranged That This Division

Should Not Advance To The Attack Until That Commanded By

The King Was Also Put In Motion. For Some Time Alfred And

His Men Supported The Assaults Of The Danes,  And Then,  Being

Hardly Pressed,  The Prince Sent A Messenger To His Brother

To Urge That A Movement Should Be Made. The Saxons Were

Impatient At Standing On The Defensive,  And Alfred Saw That

He Must Either Allow Them To Charge The Enemy Or Must Retreat.

Presently The Messenger Returned Saying That The King

Was In His Tent Hearing Mass,  And That He Had Given Orders

That No Man Should Move Or Any Should Disturb Him Until

Mass Was Concluded. Alfred Hesitated No Longer; He Formed

His Men Into A Solid Body,  And Then,  Raising His Battle Cry,

Rushed Upon The Danes. The Battle Was A Furious One. The

Danes Were Upon Higher Ground,  Their Standard Being Planted

By The Side Of A Single Thorn-Tree Which Grew On The Slopes Of

The Hill. Towards This Alfred With His Men Fought Their Way.

The Lesson Of The Previous Battle Had Not Been Lost,  The

Saxons Kept Together In A Solid Body Which Made Its Way With

Irresistible Weight Through The Ranks Of The Danes. Still The

Latter Closed In On All Sides,  And The Fight Was Doubtful Until

The King,  Having Finished His Devotions,  Led His Division Into

The Battle. For A Long Time A Desperate Strife Continued And

Great Numbers On Both Sides Were Killed; But The Saxons,

Animated At Once By Love Of Their Country And Hatred Of The

Invaders And By Humiliation At Their Previous Defeat,  Fought

With Such Fury That The Danes Began To Give Way. Then The

Saxons Pressed Them Still More Hotly,  And The Invaders

Presently Lost Heart And Fled In Confusion,  Pursued In All

Directions By The Exulting Saxons.

The Danish King Bergsecg And Five Jarls,  The Two Sidrocs,

Osbearn,  Frene,  And Hareld,  Were Slain,  And Many Thousands

Of Their Followers. Great Spoil Of Arms And Armour Fell Into

The Hands Of The Victors.

Edmund Had Fought Bravely In The Battle 

Edmund Had Fought Bravely In The Battle At The Head Of

His Men. Egbert Had Kept Beside Him,  And Twice,  When The

Lad Had Been Smitten To His Knees By The Enemy,  Covered Him

With His Shield And Beat Off The Foe.

"You Are Over-Young For Such A Fight As This,  Edmund,"

He Said When The Danes Had Taken To Flight. "You Will Need

Another Four Or Five Years Over Your Head Before You Can Stand

In Battle Against These Fierce Northmen. They Break Down

Your Guard By Sheer Weight; But You Bore Yourself Gallantly,

And I Doubt Not Will Yet Be As Famous A Warrior As Was Your

Brave Father."

Edmund Did Not Join In The Pursuit,  Being Too Much

Bruised And Exhausted To Do So; But Egbert With The Men Of

Sherborne Followed The Flying Danes Until Nightfall.

"You Have Done Well,  My Young Ealdorman," Prince

Alfred Said To The Lad After The Battle. "I Have Been Wishing

Much That You Could Be With Me During The Past Month,  But

I Heard That You Were Building A Strong Fort And Deemed It

Better To Let You Continue Your Work Undisturbed. When It Is

Finished I Trust That I Shall Have You Often Near Me; But I Fear

That For A Time We Shall Have But Little Space For Peaceful

Pursuits,  For The Danes Are Coming,  As I Hear,  In Great Troops

Westward,  And We Shall Have Many Battles To Fight Ere We Clear

The Land Of The Them."

In Those Days A Defeat,  However Severe,  Had Not The Same

Decisive Effect As It Has In Modern Warfare. There Were No

Cannons To Lose,  No Great Stores To Fall Into The Hands Of The

Victors. The Army Was Simply Dispersed,  And Its Component

Parts Reassembled In The Course Of A Day Or Two,  Ready,  When

Reinforcements Arrived,  To Renew The Fight. Thus,  Decisive As

Was The Victory Of Ashdown,  Prince Alfred Saw That Many

Such Victories Must Be Won,  And A Prolonged And Exhausting

Struggle Carried On Before The Tide Of Invasion Would Be

Finally Hurled Back From Wessex. The Next Few Days Were Spent

In Making A Fair Distribution Of The Spoil And Arms Among

The Conquerors. Some Of The Thanes Then Returned Home

With Their People; But The Remainder,  On The King's Entreaty,

Agreed To March With Him Against The Danes,  Who After The

Battle Had Fallen Back To Basing,  Where They Had Been Joined

By Others Coming From The Coast. The Royal Army Advanced

Against Them,  And Fourteen Days After The Battle Of Ashdown

The Struggle Was Renewed. The Fight Lasted For Many Hours,

But Towards Nightfall The Saxons Were Compelled To Retreat,

Moving Off The Field,  However,  In Good Order,  So That No Spoil

Fell Into The Hands Of The Danes.

This Check Was A Great Disappointment To The Saxons,

Who After Their Late Victory Had Hoped That They Should

Speedily Clear The Kingdom Of The Danes. These,  Indeed,  Taught

Prudence By The Manner In Which The West Saxons Had Fought,

For A While Refrained From Plundering Excursions. Two

Months Later The Saxons Were Again Called To Arms. Somerled,

A Danish Chieftain,  Had Again Advanced To Reading,  And Had

Captured And Burned The Town. The King Marched Against

Him,  And The Two Armies Met At Merton. Here Another

Desperate Battle Took Place.

During The First Part Of The Day The Saxons Were Victorious

Over Both The Divisions Of The Danish Army,  But In The

Afternoon The Latter Received Some Reinforcements And

Renewed The Fight. The Saxons,  Believing That The Victory Had

Been Won,  Had Fallen Into Disorder And Were Finally Driven

From The Field. Great Numbers Were Slain On Both Sides.

Bishop Edmund And Many Saxon Nobles Were Killed,  And

King Ethelred So Severely Wounded That He Expired A Few Days

Later,  April 23rd,  871,  Having Reigned For Five Years. He Was

Buried At Wimbourne Minster,  And Prince Alfred Ascended

The Throne.

Ethelred Was Much Regretted By His People,  But The Accession

Of Alfred Increased Their Hopes Of Battling Successfully

Against The Danes. Although Wise And Brave,  King

Ethelred Had Been Scarcely The Monarch For A Warlike People

In Troubled Times. Religious Exercises Occupied Too Large A

Share Of His Thoughts. His Rule Was Kindly Rather Than Strong,

And His Authority Was But Weak Over His Nobles. From Prince

Alfred The Saxons Hoped Better Things. From His Boyhood

He Had Been Regarded With Special Interest And Affection By

The People,  As His Father Had Led Them To Regard Him As Their

Future King.

The Fact That He Had Been Personally Consecrated By

The Pope Appeared To Invest Him With A Special Authority.

His Immense Superiority In Learning Over All His People Greatly

Impressed Them. Though Gentle He Was Firm And Resolute,

Prompt In Action,  Daring In The Field. Thus,  Then,  Although

The People Regretted King Ethelred,  There Was A General Feeling

Of Hope And Joy When Alfred Took His Place On The Throne.

He Had Succeeded To The Crown But A Month When The Danes

Again Advanced In Great Numbers. The Want Of Success Which

Had Attended Them In The Last Two Battles Had Damped The

Spirit Of The People,  And It Was With A Very Small Force Only

That Alfred Was Able To Advance Against Them.

The Armies Met Near Wilton,  Where The Danes In Vastly

Superior Numbers Were Posted On A Hill. King Alfred Led His

Forces Forward And Fell Upon The Danes,  And So Bravely Did

The Saxons Fight That For Some Time The Day Went Favourably

For Them. Gradually The Danes Were Driven From Their Post

Of Vantage,  And After Some Hours' Fighting Turned To Fly; But,

As At Merton And Kesteven,  The Impetuosity Of The Saxons

Proved Their Ruin. Breaking Their Compact Ranks They Scattered

In Pursuit Of The Danes,  And These,  Seeing How Small

Was The Number Of Their Pursuers,  Rallied And Turned Upon