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

And The Men Who Escaped From The House Spread The Alarm.

The Fight Lasted But Three Or Four Minutes,  For The Danes,

Scattered Through The House,  And In Many Cases Still Stupid

From The Effects Of The Previous Night's Debauch,  Were Unable

To Gather And Make Any Collective Resistance. The Two Jarls

Fought In A Manner Worthy Of Their Renown,  But The Saxon

Spears Proved More Than A Match For Their Swords,  And They

Died Fighting Bravely Till The Last. Between Saxon And Dane

There Was No Thought Of Quarter; None Asked For Mercy On

Either Side,  For None Would Be Granted. The Sea Rovers Never

Spared An Armed Man Who Fell Into Their Hands,  And The Saxons

Were Infuriated By The Sufferings Which The Invaders Had

Inflicted Upon Them,  And Had No More Pity Upon Their Foes

Than If They Had Been Wild Animals. Besides The Jarls Some

Thirty Of Their Minor Leaders Were In The House,  And But Five

Or Six Of Them Escaped. It Was Well For The Danes That The

Detachment Which Lay There Was Not Their Principal Body,

Which Was Still A Few Miles In The Rear,  For Had It Been So Two

Of Their Kings And Six Jarls,  All Men Of Famed Valour,  Would

Have Been Slain. The Instant The Work Was Done The Saxons

Rejoined Those Assembled At The Entrance.

Already The Danes Were Thronging Up,  But At Present In

Confusion And Disorder,  Coming Rather To See What Was The

Matter Than To Fight,  And Hardly Believing That The Saxons

Could Have Had The Audacity To Attack Them. In An Instant The

Saxons Fell Into Their Usual Formation,  And Overturning And

Cutting Down Those Who Happened To Be In Their Path,  Burst

Through The Straggling Danes,  And At A Trot Proceeded Across

The Country.

It Was Still Quite Dark,  And It Was Some Time Before The

Danes Became Thoroughly Aware Of What Had Happened; Then

Missing The Voices Of Their Leaders,  Some Of Them Rushed Into

The House,  And The News That The Two Jarls And Their

Companions Had Been Slain Roused Them To Fury. At Once They

Set Off In Pursuit Of The Saxons In A Tumultuous Throng;

But The Band Had Already A Considerable Start,  And Had The

Advantage Of Knowing Every Foot Of The Country,  Of Which

The Danes Were Ignorant. When Once Fairly Through The Enemy,

Edmund Had Given The Word And The Formation Had Broken Up,  So

That Each Man Could Run Freely And Without Jostling His

Comrades. Thus They Were Enabled To Proceed At A Rapid Pace,

And Reached The Fort Just As Day Was Breaking,  Without Having

Been Discovered Or Overtaken By The Danes.

The News Of This Successful Exploit Raised The Spirits Of

The Garrison Of The Fort. The Danes Swarmed Nearly Up To

The Walls,  But Seeing How Formidable Was The Position,  And

Being Without Leaders,  They Fell Back Without Making An

Attack,  Some Of The More Impetuous Having Fallen From The

Arrows Of The Bowmen.

About Mid-Day A Solid Mass Of The Enemy Were Seen Approaching,

And The Banners With The Black Raven On A Blood-Red Field

Showed That It Contained Leaders Of Importance,  And

Was,  In Fact,  The Main Body Of The Danes. It Was An Imposing

Sight As It Marched Towards The Fort,  With The Fluttering

Banners,  The Sun Shining Upon The Brass Helmets And Shields Of

The Chiefs,  And The Spear-Heads And Swords Of The Footmen.

Here And There Parties Of Horsemen Galloped About The Plain.

"Their Number Has Not Been Exaggerated," Egbert Said

To Edmund,  "There Must Be Ten Thousand Of Them. There Are

Full Twice As Many As Attacked Us On The Field Of Kesteven."

The Sight Of The Great Array Struck Terror Into The Minds

Of A Great Part Of The Defenders Of The Fort; But The Confident

Bearing Of Their Young Ealdorman And The Thought Of The

Strength Of Their Walls Reassured Them. The Danes Halted At

A Distance Of About A Quarter Of A Mile From The Walls,  And

Three Or Four Of Their Chiefs Rode Forward. These By The

Splendour Of Their Helmets,  Shields,  And Trappings Were Clearly

Men Of Great Importance. They Halted Just Out Of Bowshot

Distance,  And One Of Them,  Raising His Voice,  Shouted:

"Dogs Of Saxons,  Had You Laid Down Your Arms,  And Made

Submission To Me,  I Would Have Spared You; But For The Deed

Which You Did Last Night,  And The Slaying Of My Brave Jarls,  I

Swear That I Will Have Revenge Upon You,  And,  By The God

Wodin,  I Vow That Not One Within Your Walls,  Man,  Woman,  Or

Child,  Shall Be Spared. This Is The Oath Of King Uffa."

"It Were Well,  King Uffa," Edmund Shouted Back,  "To Take

No Rash Oaths; Before You Talk Of Slaying You Have Got To

Capture,  And You Will Need All The Aid Of Your False Gods Before

You Take This Fort. As To Mercy,  We Should As Soon Ask It Of

Wolves. We Have God And Our Good Swords To Protect Us,  And

We Fear Not Your Host Were It Three Times As Strong As It Is."

The Saxons Raised A Great Shout,  And The Danish King

Rode Back To His Troops. The Lesson Which Had Been Given

Them Of The Enterprise Of The Saxons Was Not Lost,  For The

Danes At Once Began To Form A Camp,  Raising An Earthen Bank

Which They Crowned With Stakes And Bushes As A Defence

Against Sudden Attacks. This Work Occupied Them Two Days,

And During This Time No Blow Was Struck On Either Side,  As

The Danes Posted A Strong Body Of Men Each Night To Prevent

The Saxons From Sallying Out. On The Third Day The Work Was

Finished,  And The Danish Kings With Their Jarls Made A Circuit

Round The Walls,  Evidently To Select The Place For Attack.

The Time Had Passed Quietly In The Fort. In One Corner

The Priests Had Erected An Altar,  And Here Mass Was Said Three

Times A Day. The Priests Went Among The Soldiers Exhorting

Them To Resist To The Last,  Confessing Them,  And Giving Them

Absolution.

The Pains Which The Danes Had Taken In The Preparation Of

Their Camp Was A Proof Of Their Determination To Capture

The Fort,  However Long The Operation Might Be. It Showed,

Too,  That They Recognized The Difficulty Of The Task,  For Had

They Believed That The Capture Could Be Easily Effected They

Would At Once Upon Their Arrival Have Advanced To The Attack.

"To-Morrow Morning Early," Egbert Said,  "I Expect That

They Will Assault Us. In The First Place Probably They Will

Endeavour To Carry The Fort By A General Attack; If They Fail In

This They Will Set To Construct Engines With Which To Batter

The Wall."

At Daybreak The Following Morning The Danes Issued

From Their Camp. Having Formed Up In Regular Order,  They

Advanced Towards The Castle. They Divided Into Four Bands;

Three Of These Wheeled Round To Opposite Sides Of The Fort,

The Fourth,  Which Was As Large As The Other Three Together,

Advanced Towards The Entrance. The Saxons All Took The Posts

Previously Assigned To Them On The Walls. Edmund Strengthened

The Force On The Side Where The Gate Was By Posting

There In Addition The Whole Of His Band. Altogether There

Were Nearly 350 Fighting Men Within The Walls,  Of Whom The

Greater Part Had Fought Against The Danes In The Battles Of

The Previous Year. The Attack Commenced Simultaneously

On All Sides By A Discharge Of Arrows By The Archers Of Both

Parties. The Saxons,  Sheltered Behind The Parapet On The

Walls,  Suffered But Slightly; But Their Missiles Did

Considerable Execution Among The Masses Of The Danes. These,

However,  Did Not Pause To Continue The Conflict At A Distance,

But Uttering Their Battle-Cry Rushed Forward.

Edmund And Egbert Had But Little Fear Of The Attack On

The Other Faces Of The Fort Proving Successful; The Chief

Assault Was Against The Gate,  And It Was Here That The Real

Danger Existed.

The Main Body Of The Danes Covered Themselves With

Their Shields And Rushed Forward With The Greatest

Determination,  Pouring Through The Gap In The Outer Bank

In A Solid Mass,  And Then Turned Along The Fosse Towards

The Inner Gate. Closely Packed Together,  With Their Shields

Above Their Heads Forming A Sort Of Testudo Or Roof Which

Protected Them Against The Saxons' Arrows,  They Pressed

Forward In Spite Of The Shower Of Missiles With Which The

Saxons On The Walls Assailed Them. Arrows,  Darts,  And Great

Stones Were Showered Down Upon Them,  The Latter Breaking

Down The Shields,  And Affording The Archers An Opportunity

Of Pouring In Their Arrows.

Numbers Fell,  But The Column Swept Along Until It Gained

The Gate. Here Those In Front Began An Attack Upon The

Massive Beams With Their Axes,  And When They Had Somewhat

Weakened It,  Battered It With Heavy Beams Of Timber Until It

Was Completely Splintered. While This Was Going On The Saxons

Had Continued To Shoot Without Intermission,  And The

Danish Dead Were Heaped Thickly Around The Gate. The Danish

Archers,  Assisted By Their Comrades,  Had Scrambled Up On

To The Outer Bank And Kept Up A Heavy Fire On The Defenders

Of The Wall. The Saxons Sheltered Their Heads And Shoulders

Which Were Above The Parapet With Their Shields; And Between

These,  As Through Loopholes,  Their Archers Shot At The Danes.

Edmund And Egbert Had Debated Much On The Previous Days

Whether They Would Pile Stones Behind The Gate,  But

Had Finally Agreed Not To Do So. They Argued That Although

For A Time The Stones Would Impede The Progress Of The Danes,

These Would,  If They Shattered The Door,  Sooner Or Later Pull

Down The Stones Or Climb Over Them; And It Was Better To

Have A Smooth And Level Place For Defence Inside. They Had,

However,  Raised A Bank Of