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

Bending The Yielding Osiers Aside,  He Drew Out The Ducks

One By One,  Wrung Their Necks,  And Passing Their Heads

Through His Girdle,  Made His Way Again To The Coracle. Then

He Scattered Another Handful Or Two Of Grain On The Water,

Sparingly Near The Mouth Of The Creek,  But More Thickly At

The Entrance To The Trap,  And Then Paddled Back Again By The

Way He Had Come.

Almost Noiselessly As He Dipped The Paddle In The Water,

The Hound's Quick Ear Had Caught The Sound,  And He Was Standing

At The Edge Of The Swamp,  Wagging His Tail In Dignified

Welcome As His Master Stepped On To Dry Land.

"There,  Wolf,  What Do You Think Of That? A Good Score

Of Eels And Fish And Three Fine Wild Ducks. That Means Bones

For You With Your Meal To-Night--Not To Satisfy Your Hunger,

You Know,  For They Would Not Be Of Much Use In That Way,  But

To Give A Flavour To Your Supper. Now Let Us Make The Fire Up

And Pluck The Birds,  For I Warrant Me That Father And Egbert,

If They Return This Evening,  Will Be Sharp-Set. There Are The

Cakes To Bake Too,  So You See There Is Work For The Next Hour

Or Two."

The Sun Had Set Now,  And The Flames,  Dancing Up As The

Boy Threw An Armful Of Dry Wood On The Fire,  Gave The Hut A

More Cheerful Appearance. For Some Time The Lad Busied

Himself With Preparation For Supper. The Three Ducks Were

Plucked In Readiness For Putting Over The Fire Should They Be

Required; Cakes Of Coarse Rye-Flour Were Made And Placed In

The Red Ashes Of The Fire; And Then The Lad Threw Himself Down

By The Side Of The Dog.

"No,  Wolf,  It Is No Use Your Looking At Those Ducks. I Am

Not Going To Roast Them If No One Comes; I Have Got Half A One

Left From Dinner." After Sitting Quiet For Half An Hour The Dog

Suddenly Raised Himself Into A Sitting Position,  With Ears Erect

And Muzzle Pointed Towards The Door; Then He Gave A Low

Whine,  And His Tail Began To Beat The Ground Rapidly.

"What! Do You Hear Them,  Old Fellow?" The Boy Said,

Leaping To His Feet. "I Wish My Ears Were As Sharp As Yours Are,

Wolf; There Would Be No Fear Then Of Being Caught Asleep.

Come On,  Old Boy,  Let Us Go And Meet Them."

It Was Some Minutes After He Reached The Edge Of The

Swamp Before The Boy Could Hear The Sounds Which The Quick

Ears Of The Hound Had Detected. Then He Heard A Faint Splashing

Noise,  And A Minute Or Two Later Two Figures Were Seen Wading

Through The Water.

"Welcome Back,  Father," The Lad Cried. "I Was Beginning

To Be Anxious About You,  For Here We Are At The End Of The

Fourth Day."

"I Did Not Name Any Hour,  Edmund," The Boy's Father

Said,  As He Stepped From The Water,  "But I Own That I Did Not

Reckon Upon Being So Late; But In Truth Egbert And I Missed

Our Way In The Windings Of These Swamps,  And Should Not

Have Been Back To-Night Had We Not Luckily Fallen Upon A Man

Fishing,  Who Was Able To Put Us Right. You Have Got Some

Supper,  I Hope,  For Egbert And I Are As Hungry As Wolves,  For

We Have Had Nothing Since We Started Before Sunrise."

"I Have Plenty To Eat,  Father; But You Will Have To Wait Till

It Is Cooked,  For It Was No Use Putting It Over The Fire Until I

Knew That You Would Return; But There Is A Good Fire,  And You

Will Not Have To Wait Long. And How Has It Fared With You,

And What Is The News?"

"The News Is Bad,  Edmund. The Danes Are Ever Receiving

Reinforcements From Mercia,  And Scarce A Day Passes But

Fresh Bands Arrive At Thetford,  And I Fear That Ere Long East

Anglia,  Like Northumbria,  Will Fall Into Their Clutches. Nay,

Unless We Soon Make Head Against Them They Will Come To

Occupy All The Island,  Just As Did Our Forefathers."

"That Were Shame Indeed," Edmund Exclaimed. "We

Know That The People Conquered By Our Ancestors Were

Unwarlike And Cowardly; But It Would Be Shame Indeed Were

We Saxons So To Be Overcome By The Danes,  Seeing Moreover

That We Have The Help Of God,  Being Christians,  While The

Danes Are Pagans And Idolaters."

"Nevertheless,  My Son,  For The Last Five Years These Heathen

Have Been Masters Of Northumbria,  Have Wasted The

Whole Country,  And Have Plundered And Destroyed The

Churches And Monasteries. At Present They Have But Made A

Beginning Here In East Anglia; But If They Continue To Flock

In They Will Soon Overrun The Whole Country,  Instead Of Having,

As At Present,  A Mere Foothold Near The Rivers Except For

Those Who Have Come Down To Thetford. We Have Been Among

The First Sufferers,  Seeing That Our Lands Lie Round Thetford,

And Hitherto I Have Hoped That There Would Be A General Rising

Against These Invaders; But The King Is Indolent And Unwarlike,

And I See That He Will Not Arouse Himself And Call

His Ealdormen And Thanes Together For A United Effort Until It

Is Too Late. Already From The North The Danes Are Flocking

Down Into Mercia,  And Although The Advent Of The West Saxons

To The Aid Of The King Of Mercia Forced Them To Retreat

For A While,  I Doubt Not That They Will Soon Pour Down Again."

"'Tis A Pity,  Father,  That The Saxons Are Not All Under One

Leading; Then We Might Surely Defend England Against The

Danes. If The People Did But Rise And Fall Upon Each Band Of

Northmen As They Arrived They Would Get No Footing Among Us."

"Yes," The Father Replied,  "It Is The Unhappy Divisions

Between The Saxon Kingdoms Which Have Enabled The Danes

To Get So Firm A Footing In The Land. Our Only Hope Now Lies

In The West Saxons. Until Lately They Were At Feud With Mercia;

But The Royal Families Are Now Related By Marriage,  Seeing

That The King Of Mercia Is Wedded To A West Saxon Princess,

And That Alfred,  The West Saxon King's Brother And Heir To

The Throne,  Has Lately Espoused One Of The Royal Blood Of

Mercia. The Fact That They Marched At The Call Of The King Of

Mercia And Drove The Danes From Nottingham Shows That

The West Saxon Princes Are Alive To The Common Danger Of

The Country,  And If They Are But Joined Heartily By Our People

Of East Anglia And The Mercians,  They May Yet Succeed In

Checking The Progress Of These Heathen. And Now,  Edmund,

As We See No Hope Of Any General Effort To Drive The Danes

Off Our Coasts,  'Tis Useless For Us To Lurk Here Longer.

I Propose To-Morrow,  Then,  To Journey North Into Lincolnshire,

To The Abbey Of Croyland,  Where,  As You Know,  My Brother

Theodore Is The Abbot; There We Can Rest In Peace For A Time,

And Watch The Progress Of Events. If We Hear That The People

Of These Parts Are Aroused From Their Lethargy,  We Will Come

Back And Fight For Our Home And Lands; If Not,  I Will No Longer

Stay In East Anglia,  Which I See Is Destined To Fall Piecemeal

Into The Hands Of The Danes; But We Will Journey Down To

Somerset,  And I Will Pray King Ethelbert To Assign Me Lands

There,  And To Take Me As His Thane."

While They Had Been Thus Talking Egbert Had Been Broiling

The Eels And Wild Ducks Over The Fire. He Was A Freeman,

And A Distant Relation Of Edmund's Father,  Eldred,  Who Was

An Ealdorman In West Norfolk,  His Lands Lying Beyond

Thetford,  And Upon Whom,  Therefore,  The First Brunt Of The

Danish Invasion From Mercia Had Fallen. He Had Made A

Stout Resistance,  And Assembling His People Had Given Battle

To The Invaders. These,  However,  Were Too Strong And Numerous,

And His Force Having Been Scattered And Dispersed,  He

Had Sought Refuge With Egbert And His Son In The Fen Country.

Here He Had Remained For Two Months In Hopes That Some

General Effort Would Be Made To Drive Back The Danes; But

Being Now Convinced That At Present The Angles Were Too

Disunited To Join In A Common Effort,  He Determined To

Retire For A While From The Scene.

"I Suppose,  Father," Edmund Said,  "You Will Leave Your

Treasures Buried Here?"

"Yes," His Father Replied; "We Have No Means Of Transporting

Them,  And We Can At Ally Time Return And Fetch Them.

We Must Dig Up The Big Chest And Take Such Garments As We

May Need,  And The Personal Ornaments Of Our Rank; But The

Rest,  With The Gold And Silver Vessels,  Can Remain Here Till We

Need Them."

Gold And Silver Vessels Seem Little In Accordance With

The Primitive Mode Of Life Prevailing In The Ninth Century.

The Saxon Civilization Was Indeed A Mixed One. Their Mode

Of Life Was Primitive,  Their Dwellings,  With The Exception Of

The Religious Houses And The Abodes Of A Few Of The Great

Nobles,  Simple In The Extreme; But They Possessed Vessels Of

Gold And Silver,  Armlets,  Necklaces,  And Ornaments Of The Same

Metals,  Rich And Brightly Coloured Dresses,  And Elaborate Bed

Furniture While Their Tables And Household Utensils Were Of

The Roughest Kind,  And Their Floors Strewn With Rushes. When

They Invaded And Conquered England They Found Existing The

Civilization Introduced By The Romans,  Which Was Far In Advance

Of Their Own; Much Of This They Adopted. The Introduction Of

Christianity Further Advanced Them In The Scale.

The Prelates And Monks From Rome Brought With Them

A High Degree Of Civilization,  And This To No Small Extent The

Saxons Imitated And Borrowed. The Church Was Held In Much

Honour,  Great Wealth And Possessions Were Bestowed Upon It,

And The Bishops And Abbots Possessed Large Temporal As Well

As Spiritual Power,  And Bore