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

Against The African Pirates. They Are Fast And Roomy,  And

Have Plenty Of Accommodation For The Crews. One Of Them

Well Manned And Handled Should Be A Match For Six At Least

Of The Danish Galleys,  Which Are Much Lower In The Water And

Smaller In All Ways. But It Will Cost A Good Deal Of Money To

Build Such A Ship."

"I Will Devote All The Revenues Of My Land To It Until It Is

Finished," Edmund Said. "I Will Place A Hundred Serfs At Your

Service,  And Will Leave It To You To Hire As Many Craftsmen As

May Be Needed. I Intend To Build Her In A Quiet Place In A

Deep Wood On The River Parrot,  So That She May Escape The

Eyes Of The Danes."

"I Shall Require Seasoned Timber," The Shipwright Urged.

"That Will I Buy," Edmund Replied,  As You Shall Direct,

And Can Have It Brought Up The River To The Spot."

"Being So Large And Heavy," The Shipwright Said,  "She Will

Be Difficult To Launch. Methinks It Were Best To Dig A Hole Or

Dock At Some Little Distance From The River; Then When She Is

Finished A Way Can Be Cut To The River Wide Enough For Her To

Pass Out. When The Water Is Turned In It Will Float Her Up

Level To The Surface,  And As She Will Not Draw More Than Two

Feet Of Water The Cut Need Not Be More Than Three Feet Deep."

"That Will Be The Best Plan By Far," Edmund Agreed,  "For

You Can Make The Hole So Deep That You Can Build Her Entirely

Below The Level Of The Ground. Then We Can,  If Needs Be,  Fill

Up The Hole Altogether With Bushes,  And Cover Her Up,  So That

She Would Not Be Seen By A Danish Galley Rowing Up The River,

Or Even By Any Of The Enemy Who Might Enter The Wood,  Unless

They Made Special Search For Her; And There She Could Lie

Until I Chose To Embark."

The Shipwright At Once Set To Work To Draw Out His Plans,

And A Week Later Sent To Edmund A Messenger With An Account

Of The Quantity And Size Of Wood He Should Require.

This Was Purchased At Once. Edmund And Egbert With Their

Serfs Journeyed To The Spot They Had Chosen,  And Were Met

There By The Shipwright,  Who Brought With Him Twenty Craftsmen

From Exeter. The Wood Was Brought Up The River,  And

While The Craftsmen Began To Cut It Up Into Fitting Sizes,  The

Serfs Applied Themselves To Dig The Deep Dock In Which The

Vessel Was To Be Built.

The Construction Of The Ship Went On Steadily. King

Alfred,  Who Was Himself Building Several War Vessels

Of Ordinary Size,  Took Great Interest In Edmund's Craft

And Paid Several Visits To It While It Was In Progress.

"It Will Be A Fine Ship," He Said One Day As The Vessel Was

Approaching Completion,  "And Much Larger Than Any In These

Seas. It Reminds Me,  Edmund,  Not Indeed In Size Or Shape,

But In Its Purpose,  Of The Ark Which Noah Built Before The

Deluge Which Covered The Whole Earth. He Built It,  As You

Know,  To Escape With His Family From Destruction. You,  Too,

Are Building Against The Time When The Deluge Of Danish

Invasion Will Sweep Over This Land,  And I Trust That Your

Success Will Equal That Of The Patriarch."

"I Shall Be Better Off Than Noah Was," Edmund Said,  "For

He Had Nothing To Do,  Save To Shut Up His Windows And Wait

Till The Floods Abated,  While I Shall Go Out And Seek My

Enemies On The Sea."

The Respite Purchased By The King From The Danes Was

But A Short One. In The Autumn Of 875 Their Bands Were

Again Swarming Around The Borders Of Wessex,  And Constant

Again Swarming Around The Borders Of Wessex,  And Constant

Irruptions Took Place. Edmund Received A Summons To Gather

His Tenants,  But He Found That These No Longer Replied

Willingly To The Call. Several Of His Chief Men Met Him And

Represented To Him The General Feeling Which Prevailed.

"The Men Say," Their Spokesman Explained,  "That It Is

Useless To Fight Against The Danes. In 872 There Were Ten

Pitched Battles,  And Vast Numbers Of The Danes Were Slain,

And Vast Numbers Also Of Saxons. The Danes Are Already Far

More Numerous Than Before,  For Fresh Hordes Continue To

Arrive On The Shores,  And More Than Fill Up The Places Of Those

Who Are Killed; But The Places Of The Saxons Are Empty,  And

Our Fighting Force Is Far Smaller Than It Was Last Year. If We

Again Go Out And Again Fight Many Battles,  Even If We Are

Victorious,  Which We Can Hardly Hope To Be,  The Same Thing

Will Happen. Many Thousands Will Be Slain,  And The Following

Year We Shall In Vain Try To Put An Army In The Field Which Can

Match That Of The Danes,  Who Will Again Have Filled Up Their

Ranks,  And Be As Numerous As Ever. So Long As We Continue To

Fight,  So Long The Danes Will Slay,  Burn,  And Destroy

Wheresoever They March,  Until There Will Remain Of Us But A

Few Fugitives Hidden In The Woods. We Should Be Far Better

Off Did We Cease To Resist,  And The Danes Become Our Masters,

As They Have Become The Masters Of Northumbria,  Mercia,

And Anglia.

"There,  It Is True,  They Have Plundered The Churches And

Thanes' Houses And Have Stolen All That Is Worth Carrying Away;

But When They Have Taken All That There Is To Take They Leave

The People Alone,  And Unmolested,  To Till The Ground And To

Gain Their Livelihood. They Do Not Slay For The Pleasure Of

Slaying,  And Grievous As Is The Condition Of The Angles They

And Their Wives And Children Are Free From Massacre And Are

Allowed To Gain Their Livings. The West Saxons Have Showed

That They Are No Cowards; They Have Defeated The Northmen

Over And Over Again When Far Outnumbering Them. It Is No

Dishonour To Yield Now When All The Rest Of England Has

Yielded,  And When Further Fighting Will Only Bring Ruin Upon

Ourselves,  Our Wives,  And Children."

Edmund Could Find No Reply To This Argument. He Knew

That Even The King Despaired Of Ultimately Resisting The Danish

Invasion,  And After Listening To All That The Thanes Had To

Say He Retired With Egbert Apart.

"What Say You,  Egbert? There Is Reason In The Arguments

That They Use. You And I Have Neither Wives Nor Children,

And We Risk Only Our Own Lives; But I Can Well Understand

That Those Who Have So Much To Lose Are Chary Of Further

Effort. What Say You?"

"I Do Not Think It Will Be Fair To Press Them Further,"

Egbert Answered; "But Methinks That We Might Raise A Band

Consisting Of All The Youths And Unmarried Men In The Earldom.

These We Might Train Carefully And Keep Always Together,

Seeing That The Lands Will Still Be Cultivated And All

Able To Pay Their Assessment,  And May Even Add To It,  Since

You Exempt Them From Service. Such A Band We Could Train

And Practise Until We Could Rely Upon Them To Defeat A Far

Larger Force Of The Enemy,  And They Would Be Available For

Our Crew When We Take To The Ship."

"I Think The Idea Is A Very Good One,  Egbert; We Will Propose

It To The Thanes." The Proposition Was Accordingly Made

That All Married Men Should Be Exempt From Service,  But

That The Youths Above The Age Of Sixteen And The Unmarried

Men Should Be Formed Into A Band And Kept Permanently

Under Arms. Landowners Who Lost The Services Of Sons Or

Freemen Working For Them Should Pay The Same Assessment

Only As Before,  But Those Who Did Not Contribute Men To The

Levy Should Pay An Additional Assessment. Edmund Said He

Would Pay The Men Composing The Band The Same Wages They

Would Earn In The Field,  And Would Undertake All Their

Expenses. "So Long As The King Continues The Struggle,"

He Said,  "It Is Our Duty To Aid Him,  Nor Can We Escape From

The Dangers And Perils Of Invasion. Should The Danes Come

Near Us All Must Perforce Fight,  But So Long As They Continue

At A Distance Things Can Go On Here As If We Had Peace

In The Land."

The Proposal Was,  After Some Discussion,  Agreed To,  And

The News Caused Gladness And Contentment Throughout The

Earldom. The Younger Men Who Had Been Included In The

Levy Were Quite Satisfied With The Arrangement. The Spirit Of

The West Saxons Was Still High,  And Those Without Wives And

Families Who Would Suffer By Their Absence Or Be Ruined By

Their Death Were Eager To Continue The Contest. The Proposal

That They Should Be Paid As When At Work Was Considered

Perfectly Satisfactory.

The Men Of Sherborne Had Under Their Young Leader

Gained Great Credit By Their Steadiness And Valour In The

Battles Four Years Before,  And They Looked Forward To Fresh

Victories Over The Invader. The Result Was That Ninety Young

Men Assembled For Service. Edmund Had Sent Off A Messenger To

The King Saying That The People Were Utterly Weary Of War And

Refused To Take Up Arms,  But That He Was Gathering A Band Of

Young Men With Whom He Would Ere Long Join Him; But He

Prayed For A Short Delay In Order That He Might Get Them Into

A Condition To Be Useful On The Day Of Battle.

After Consultation With