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

Those Rocks."

"He Would Indeed," Egbert Replied. "I Wish Now That We

Had Boldly Engaged The Four Danish Ships. Far Better Would

It Have Been For Us To Have Died Fighting For England On Her

Decks Than To Have Perished Here."

The Time Passed Slowly. Every Minute The Dragon Was

Swept Nearer And Nearer Towards The Rocks.

"She Will Just Make That Headland," The Master Sailor Said,

"And That Is All. Once Round It We Had Best Turn Her Head To

The Rocks. If The Cliffs Rise As Here Sheer From The Water,  The

Moment She Strikes Will Be The Last For All Of Us; But If The

Rocks Are,  As In Some Places,  Piled High At The Foot Of The

Cliffs,  A Few May Possibly Manage To Leap From Her Forecastle

As She Strikes And To Clamber Up."

Scarce A Word Was Spoken On Board The Dragon As She

Came Abreast Of The Headland. It Was But A Few Hundred Yards

Away. The Roar Of The Seas As They Struck Its Base Sounded

High Above The Din Of The Storm. Great Sheets Of Foam Were

Thrown Up To A Vast Height,  And The Turmoil Of The Water From

The Reflux Of The Waves Was So Great That The Dragon Was Tossed

Upon It Like A Cock-Boat,  And Each Man Had To Grasp At Shroud

Or Bulwark To Retain His Footing.

Suddenly A Cheer Burst From End To End Of The Ship.

Beyond The Headland A Great Gap Was Visible A Quarter Of A

Mile Wide,  As If The Cliffs Had Been Rent In Sunder By Some

Tremendous Convulsion,  And A Fiord Was Seen Stretching Away

In The Bosom Of The Hills As Far As The Eye Could Reach. The

Dragon's Head Was Turned,  And Soon She Was Flying Before The

Wind Up The Inlet. A Mile Farther And The Fiord Widened To A

Lake Some Two Miles Across Between Steep Hills Clothed From

Foot To Summit With Trees.

Its Course Was Winding And They Were Soon Sheltered

From The Gale And Were Gliding Quietly Over Comparatively

Tranquil Water. Ten Miles Up The Anchor Was Let Go In A

Sheltered Inlet,  And Edmund Summoned The Whole Crew To

Return Thanks To God For Their Marvellous Escape.

The Dragon Had Suffered Severely In Her Conflict With

The Elements,  Her Large Sails Had Been Split Or Blown Away,

The Bulwarks At Her Waist Had Been Shattered,  And Considerable

Damage Done To Her Gear And Fittings. Four-And-Twenty

Hours Were Allowed To The Men For Rest After Their Labours,

And Then All Hands Were Set To Work To Refit.

The Next Morning Edmund Said To His Kinsman:

"I Will Take Two Of The Men And Go Ashore To Hunt; There

Should Be Wild Boar And Deer In These Forests,  And All Would

Be Glad Of Some Fresh Meat."

"Be Careful,  Edmund; Remember You Are In The Country

Of Our Enemies,  For Without Doubt This Land To Which We Have

Been Blown Is Norway; And Although We Can See No Signs Of

Habitations There May Well Be Villages Somewhere Among These

Hills."

"I Will Be Careful," Edmund Said,  Laughing; "And If I Do

Not Return In Two Days Do You Set Sail Without Me. I Should

Like To Discover The Abode Of Some Northern Jarl; It Would

Indeed Be A Grand Retaliation To Give Them A Taste Of The

Sufferings They Have Inflicted Upon Us."

"That Would Be Good Work," Egbert Said; "Nevertheless I

Own That At Present I Am Anxious To Be At Sea Again."

"Two Days Will Be Sufficient To Refit," Edmund Said,  "And

Then We Will Spread Our Wings. Good-Bye,  Egbert,  I Will Be

Back By Sunset,  And I Hope With A Deer Or Two."

Selecting A Couple Of Followers,  Both Skilled With The Bow,

And All Being Armed With Spears,  Edmund Leapt Ashore,  For

The Water Was Deep Up To The Rocks,  And The Dragon Had Been

Moored Alongside For The Convenience Of Taking On Board

The Wood For The Repairs.

Although Those On Board The Dragon Guessed It Not,  Many

Eyes Were Watching Them. A Small Fishing Village Lay At The

Edge Of The Fiord A Mile Or Two Beyond The Inlet In Which The

Ship Was Moored. Hidden As They Were Among The Trees The

Huts Had Not Been Noticed By The Saxons,  But The Strange

Ship Had Been Seen By Some Of Those In The Village,  And The

Fishermen At Once Pronounced That Whencesoever She Might

Have Come She Was Assuredly No Northman's Ship. Messengers

Had Immediately Been Sent To The Villages Among The

Hills. These Were Widely Scattered,  And It Was Not Until The

Day After The Ship's Arrival That A Force Was Collected Which

Was Deemed Sufficient To Attack It. Already,  As Edmund Leapt

Ashore,  The Norsemen Were Making Their Way Quietly Through

The Forest Towards The Dragon.

Edmund Had Advanced But A Few Hundred Yards Up The

Hillside When A Large Party Of Norsemen Suddenly Sprang Upon

Him. Two Saxon Arrows Flew True To Their Marks,  Then The

Danes Rushed Upon Them. So Far No Words Had Been Spoken,

But Edmund Placed To His Lips The Whistle With Which He Gave

Orders On Board The Ship And Blew A Long Shrill Note,  And

Then Shouted At The Top Of His Voice:

"The Danes! The Danes! Push Off!"

The Instant Afterwards He Was Attacked. He And His Men

Fought Bravely,  But In A Few Seconds The Latter Were Cut Down

And Edmund Was Levelled To The Ground By A Tremendous

Blow From A Club.

A Minute Later The Din Of Battle Rose By The Water's Side;

Edmund's Whistle And Shout Had Been Heard,  And The Saxons

On Shore Sprang On Board And Seized Their Spears And Bows

Just As The Danes Poured Down Through The Trees. For A Time

The Saxons Defended The Ship Against The Desperate Attempts

Of The Danes To Gain Footing On Her; But Seeing The Number

Of Its Assailants,  And Being Certain That Edmund Was Killed Or

Captured,  Egbert Ordered The Ropes To Be Cut,  And The Dragon

Was Thrust Away From The Rocks. The Oars Were Then Got Out

And She Rowed Out Of Bow-Shot From The Shore. Then Egbert

Held A Consultation With The Leading Men Among The Saxons.

All On Board Were Filled With Grief At The Loss Of Their

Young Leader,  But They Felt That Nothing Could Be Done For

Him,  And It Would Be But Courting Danger To Remain Longer In

The Fiord. Since So Large A Force Had Been Collected In The

Forest News Might Have Been Sent To The Ports,  And At Any

Moment They Might See A Fleet Of The Northmen's Galleys

Barring Their Retreat; Therefore With Bitter Grief And

Lamentation The Dragon's Sails Were Hoisted And She Made

Her Way To Sea.

"My Only Consolation Is," Egbert Said,  "That If The Brave

Lad Is Not Killed At Once He May Yet Find His Way Back To

England. He Is Ready Of Wit And Full Of Invention That,  If Any

Can Possibly Extricate Themselves From Such A Strait,  It Is

Assuredly He; But I Fear That He Fell In The First Onslaught.

Brave Lad,  Even In The Moment Of His Own Peril He Thought First

Of Us. Had It Not Been For His Timely Warning We Should Have

Been Taken Unawares,  And Many Must Have Been Killed Even

If The Dragon Herself Escaped Capture."

The Storm Had Entirely Abated,  And The Waters Sparkled

Brightly In The Cold January Sun As The Dragon Sailed Out

Between The Two Headlands Into The Sea. Very Different Were

The Feelings Of The Crew To Those Which Had Animated Them

When,  Two Days Before,  They Had Passed Through The Channel;

Then Every Heart Beat With Joy And Thankfulness; Now The

Deepest Depression And Grief Reigned On Board.

Edmund Was Adored By His Followers. His Kindness As

Their Ealdorman,  His Skill And Bravery As A Leader,  His

Cheerfulness And Brightness Under Every Danger And Peril Had

Immensely Endeared Him To Their Hearts,  And Each Man Felt

That He Had Sustained An Irretrievable Loss,  And That With Their

Chief The Spirit Which Had Animated The Dragon And Directed

Their Enterprises Was Gone.

Egbert Was A Valiant Warrior,  And Was An Admirable Second

To An Enterprising Leader; But He Was Altogether Without

Initiative,  And,  Except When Excited By Danger,  Was Dull And

Silent. Although All Esteemed Him And Honoured Him For His

Strength And Bravery,  They Felt That He Would Be A Poor

Substitute Indeed For The Leader They Had Lost.

When Edmund Recovered His Senses He Found That

He Was Being Carried Along On A Rough Litter Through

The Forest. It Was Some Little Time Before He Realized

His Position And Recalled The Circumstances Of The Attack.

After The Dragon Had Moved Safely Out Into The Fiord,

Its Assailants Had Returned To The Spot Where They Had Attacked

The Three Saxons Who Had Landed. Two Of Them Were Without

Life,  But They Found That The Third,  Who,  From His

Habiliments Was Evidently Of Higher Rank,  And Whom They

Judged,  Although Still But A Youth,  To Be The Commander Of

The Saxon Party,  Had Only Been Stunned By The Blow Of The

Club Which Had Felled Him.

It Was At Once Resolved To Carry Him To The Jarl Of The

District,  Who Would Assuredly Wish To Learn From Him The

Meaning Of The Coming Of The Strange Ship. That The Dragon

Was A Saxon Vessel The Northmen Were Sure. Many Of Them

Had Been On Expeditions Across The Seas,  And Knew The Saxons

Both From Their Dress And Manner Of Wearing Their Hair,

But The Ship Was Unlike Anything They Had Seen Before,  And It

Seemed Above All Things Strange That When,  As They Understood,

England Had Been Completely Conquered,  Saxon Warships Should

Be Entering A Northern Fiord.

For Many Hours Edmund Was Carried Through The Forest.

He Wondered To Himself Whether He Would Be Slain On His Arrival

Or Kept As A Slave,  For The Norse And Saxon Tongues

Were So Similar That He Was Perfectly Able To Understand The

Language Of His Captors. A Party Of Twelve Men Accompanied

Him,  Four Of Whom Bore The Litter,  And Were Relieved At Intervals

By The Others. After Some Hours The Feeling Of Giddiness

And Weakness Passed Off,  And On The Men Stopping To Change

Bearers He Expressed His Readiness To Walk.

Hitherto He Had Lain With His Eyes Closed,  As He Thought

It Better To Remain As He Was Until He Felt Perfectly Able To

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