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

Of Orders Somewhat Resembling Those Of Modern Drill.

King Alfred Had Once,  In Speaking To Him,  Described The

Manner In Which The Thebans,  A People Of Northern Greece,

Had Fought,  Placing Their Troops In The Form Of A Wedge. The

Formation He Now Taught His Men. From Morning To Night

They Were Practised At Rallying From Pursuit Or Flight,  Or

Changing From A Line Into The Form Of A Wedge. Each Man Had

His Appointed Place Both In The Line And Wedge. Those Who

Formed The Outside Line Of This Formation Were Armed With

Large Shields Which Covered Them From Chin To Foot,  And With

Short Spears; Those In The Inner Lines Carried No Shields,  But

Bore Spears Of Increasing Length,  So That Four Lines Of Spears

Projected From The Wedge To Nearly The Same Distance. Inside

The Four Lines Were Twenty Men Armed With Shields,  Bows,

And Arrows. The Sides Of The Wedge Were Of Equal Length,  So

That They Could March Either Way.

Egbert's Place Was At The Apex Of The Wedge Intended

Generally For Attack. He Carried No Spear,  Nor Did Those At

The Other Corners,  As They Would Be Covered By Those Beside

And Behind Them; He Was Armed With A Huge Battle-Axe. The

Other Leaders Were Also Chosen For Great Personal Strength.

Edmund's Place Was On Horseback In The Middle Of The Wedge,

Whence He Could Overlook The Whole And Direct Their Movements.

In Three Weeks The Men Could Perform Their Simple

Movements To Perfection,  And At A Sound From Edmund's

Horn Would Run In As When Scattered In Pursuit Or Flight,

Or Could Form From Line Into The Wedge,  Without The Least

Confusion,  Every Man Occupying His Assigned Place.

The Men Were Delighted With Their New Exercises,  And

Felt Confident That The Weight Of The Solid Mass Thickly

Bristling With Spears Would Break Through The Danish Line

Without Difficulty,  Or Could Draw Off From The Field In Perfect

Order And Safety In Case Of A Defeat,  However Numerous Their

Foes. The Two Front Lines Were To Thrust With Their Pikes,  The

Others Keeping Their Long Spears Immovable To Form A Solid

Hedge. Each Man Carried A Short Heavy Sword To Use In Case,

By Any Fatality,  The Wedge Should Get Broken Up.

When Assured That His Band Were Perfect In Their New

Exercise Edmund Marched And Joined The King. He Found

On His Arrival That The Summons To Arms Had Been Everywhere

Disregarded. Many Men Had Indeed Come In,  But These

Were In No Way Sufficient To Form A Force Which Would Enable

Him To Take The Field Against The Danes.

Edmund Therefore Solicited And Obtained Permission To

March With His Band To Endeavour To Check The Plundering

Bands Of Danes,  Who Were Already Committing Devastations

Throughout The Country.

"Be Not Rash,  Edmund," The Monarch Said,  "You Have

But A Handful Of Men,  And I Should Grieve Indeed Did Aught

Of Harm Befall You. If You Can Fall Upon Small Parties Of

Plunderers And Destroy Them You Will Do Good Service,  Not

Only By Compelling Them To Keep Together But By Raising The

Spirits Of The Saxons; But Avoid Conflict With Parties Likely To

Defeat You."

"You Shall Hear Of Us Soon,  I Promise You," Edmund Replied,

"And I Trust That The News Will Be Good."

The Little Party Set Out Towards The Border,  And Before

Long Met Numbers Of Fugitives,  Weeping Women Carrying Children,

Old Men And Boys,  Making Their Way From The Neighbourhood Of

The Danes. The Men Had For The Most Part Driven Their

Herds Into The Woods,  Where They Were Prepared To Defend Them

As Best They Could Against Roving Parties. They Learned That

Haffa,  A Danish Jarl,  With About 600 Followers,  Was Plundering

And Ravaging The Country About Twelve Miles Away. The Force

Was A Formidable One,  But After Consultation With Egbert,

Edmund Determined To Advance,  Deeming That He Might Find

The Danes Scattered And Cut Off Some Of Their Parties.

As They Neared The Country Of Which The Danes Were In

Possession The Smoke Of Burning Villages And Homesteads

Was Seen Rising Heavily In The Air. Edmund Halted For The

Night In A Wood About A Mile Distant From A Blazing Farm,

And The Band Lay Down For Some Hours.

Before Daybreak Three Or Four Of The Swiftest-Footed Of

The Men Were Sent Out To Reconnoitre. They Learned,  From

Badly Wounded Men Whom They Found Lying Near The Burning

Farms,  That The Danes Had Been Plundering In Parties Of

Twenty Or Thirty,  But That The Main Body Under Haffa Lay Five

Miles Away At The Village Of Bristowe.

A Consultation Was Held,  And It Was Agreed That The Party

Should Remain Hidden In The Wood During The Day,  And That

Upon The Following Night They Should Fall Upon The Danes,

Trusting To The Surprise To Inflict Much Damage Upon Them,

And To Be Able To Draw Off Before The Enemy Could Recover

Sufficiently To Rally And Attack Them.

Accordingly About Nine O'clock In The Evening They

Started,  And Marching Rapidly Approached Bristowe An Hour

And A Half Later. They Could See Great Fires Blazing,  And Round

Them The Danes Were Carousing After Their Forays Of The Day.

Great Numbers Of Cattle Were Penned Up Near The Village.

Edmund And Egbert Having Halted Their Men Stole Forward

Until Close To The Village In Order To Learn The Nature Of

The Ground And The Position Of The Danes. Upon Their Return

They Waited Until The Fires Burned Low And The Sound Of

Shouting And Singing Decreased. It Was Useless To Wait Longer,

For They Knew That Many Of The Danes Would,  According To

Their Custom,  Keep Up Their Revelry All Night. Crawling Along

The Ground The Band Made For The Great Pen Where Were

Herded The Cattle Which The Danes Had Driven In From The

Surrounding Country,  And Over Which Several Guards Had Been

Placed. Before Starting Egbert Assigned To Each Man The

Special Duties Which He Was To Fulfil.

The Saxons Crept Up Quite Close To The Danish Guards

Unobserved. To Each Of These Three Or Four Bowmen Had

Been Told Off,  And They,  On Nearing The Sentries Lay Prone On

The Ground With Bows Bent And Arrows Fixed Until A Whistle

From Edmund Gave The Signal. Then The Arrows Were Loosed,

And The Distance Being So Short The Danish Sentries Were All

Slain. Then A Party Of Men Removed The Side Of The Pen

Facing The Village; The Rest Mingled With The Cattle,  And Soon

With The Points Of Their Spears Goaded Them Into Flight. In A

Mass The Herd Thundered Down Upon The Village,  The Saxons

Keeping Closely Behind Them And Adding To Their Terror By

Goading The Hindermost.

The Danes,  Astonished At The Sudden Thunder Of Hoofs

Bearing Down Upon Them,  Leaped To Their Feet And

Endeavoured To Turn The Course Of The Herd,  Which They

Deemed To Have Accidentally Broken Loose,  By Loud Shouts

And By Rattling Their Swords Against Their Shields. The Oxen,

However,  Were Too Terrified By Those In Their Rear To Check

Their Course,  And Charged Impetuously Down Upon The Danes.

Numbers Of These Were Hurled To The Ground And

Trampled Under Foot,  And The Wildest Confusion Reigned In

The Camp. This Was Increased When,  As The Herds Swept Along,

A Number Of Active Men With Spear And Sword Fell Suddenly

Upon Them. Scores Were Cut Down Or Run Through Before

They Could Prepare For Defence,  Or Recover From Their

Surprise At The Novel Method Of Attack.

At Last,  As The Thunder Of The Herd Died Away In The Distance,

And They Became Aware Of The Comparative Fewness Of

Their Foes,  They Began To Rally And Make Head Against Their

Assailants. No Sooner Was This The Case Than The Note Of A

Horn Was Heard,  And As If By Magic Their Assailants Instantly

Darted Away Into The Night,  Leaving The Superstitious Danes

In Some Doubt Whether The Whole Attack Upon Them Had Not

Been Of A Supernatural Nature.

Long Before They Recovered Themselves,  And Were Ready

For Pursuit,  The Saxons Were Far Away,  No Less Than 200 Of The

Danes Having Been Slain Or Trampled To Death,  While Of

Edmund's Band Not One Had Received So Much As A Wound.

The Saxons Regained The Wood In The Highest State Of

Exultation At Their Success,  And More Confident Than Before

In Themselves And Their Leader.

"I Am Convinced," Edmund Said,  "That This Is The True

Way To Fight The Danes,  To Harry And Attack Them By Night

Assaults Until They Dare Not Break Up Into Parties,  And Become

So Worn Out By Constant Alarms That They Will Be Glad To

Leave A Country Where Plunder And Booty Are Only To Be Earned

At So Great A Cost."

Knowing That Haffa's Band Would For Some Time Be Thoroughly

On The Alert Edmund Moved His Party To Another Portion Of

The Country,  Where He Inflicted A Blow,  Almost As Heavy

As He Had Dealt Haffa,  Upon Sigbert,  Another Of The Danish

Jarls. Three Or Four More Very Successful Night Attacks Were

Made,  And Then The Danes,  By This Time Thoroughly Alarmed,

Obtained From Some Saxon Country People Whom They Took

Prisoners News As To The Strength Of Edmund's Band.

Furious At The Heavy Losses Which Had Been Inflicted

Upon Them By So Small A Number,  They Determined To Unite

In Crushing Them. By Threats Of Instant Death,  And By The

Offers Of A High Reward,  They Succeeded In Persuading Two

Saxon Prisoners To Act As Spies,  And One Day These Brought In

To Haffa The News That The Band Had That Morning,  After

Striking A Successful Blow At The Danes Ten Miles Away,

Entered At Daybreak A