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

Edmund Observed That For Some Reason Sweyn Was Looking

Forward Anxiously To This Meeting,  And His Sisters More

Than Once Joked Him About His Anxiety.

"Pooh! Pooh!" The Jarl Said One Day In Answer To Such

An Observation. "Sweyn Is But A Lad Yet. I Know What You Are

Driving At,  And That Sweyn Is Smitten With The Charms Of My

Old Companion's Daughter,  The Pretty Freda; I Noted It When

We Were In Camp Together; But It Will Be Fully Another Ten

Years Yet Before Sweyn Can Think Of Marrying. He Has Got To

Win For Himself The Name Of A Great Warrior Before A Jarl's

Daughter Of Proper Spirit Would So Much As Think Of Him.

When He Has The Spoils Of France To Lay At Her Feet It Will Be

Time Enough."

Sweyn Made No Reply,  But Edmund Saw That He Was Far

From Pleased At His Father's Words,  And A Look Of Surly

Determination On His Face Showed The Young Saxon That He Would

Go His Own Way In The Matter If It Lay In His Power.

After Ten Days' Travelling The Party Arrived At The

Rendezvous. Here Drawn Up On The Shore Were A Vast Number Of

Galleys Of All Sizes,  For The Greater Part Of Those Who Had

Assembled Had Journeyed By Sea. Great Numbers Of Huts Of

Boughs And Many Tents Constructed Of Sails Had Been Erected.

Edmund And The Other Slaves,  These Being Either Saxon Or

Franks Captured In War,  Soon Erected Bowers For The Jarl And

His Family.

Edmund Had Been Looking Forward To The Meeting With

Much Anxiety,  For He Had Judged That Some Mode Of Escape

Might There Open To Him. Among The Saxon Slaves Were Several

Young Men Of Strength And Vigour,  And Edmund Had

Confided To Them His Project Of Stealing A Boat And Sailing

Away In It,  And They,  Knowing That He Had Experience In

Navigation,  Had Readily Consented To Join Him In Making An

Effort For Freedom.

The Jarl And His Family Were Warmly Welcomed By Many

Of Their Companions In Arms,  And The Day After Their Arrival

Bijorn Told Edmund To Accompany Him To A Banquet At Which

He And His Family Were To Be Present. At Four In The Afternoon

They Set Out And Presently Arrived At A Large Tent.

Edmund Waited Without Until The Attendants Carried In The

Dishes,  When He Entered With Them And Prepared To Take His

Place Behind His Master's Seat. From A Few Words Which Had

Passed Between Sweyn And His Sisters Edmund Doubted Not

That The Companion With Whom Bijorn Was Going To Dine Was

The Father Of The Maiden About Whom They Had Joked Him.

He Was Not Surprised When On Entering He Saw Sweyn Talking

Earnestly With A Damsel Somewhat Apart From The Rest.

The Entrance Of The Viands Was The Signal For All To Take

Their Places At The Table. There Were In All Sixteen In Number,

And As Nearly Half Were Women The Meeting Was Evidently Of

A Family Character,  As Upon Occasions Of Importance Or When

Serious Discussions Were To Take Place Men Alone Sat Down.

As Edmund Advanced To Take His Place,  His Eye Fell Upon The

Jarl Who Seated Himself At The Head Of The Table,  And As He Did

So He Gave A Slight Start Of Surprise,  For He At Once Recognized

In Him The Northman Siegbert,  Whose Ship He Had Stopped

At The Mouth Of The Humber. From Him His Eye Glanced At

The Girl By Whose Side Sweyn Was On The Point Of Seating

Himself,  And Recognized In Her The Maiden Who Had Besought

Her Father's Life. The Dinner Commenced And Proceeded For

Some Little Time,  When Edmund Saw The Girl Looking Fixedly

At Him.

"Who Is That Who Is Standing Behind Your Father's Chair?"

She Asked Sweyn.

"A Saxon Slave," He Answered. "His Vessel Was Well-Nigh

Wrecked On Our Coast. Our People Captured Him And Slew

Some Of His Followers,  And The Ship Speedily Took To Flight."

"Father," The Girl Said In A Clear Voice,  Which At Once

Attracted The Attention Of All,  "Unless My Eyes Deceive Me The

Young Saxon Standing Behind Jarl Bijorn Is He Whose Ship

Captured Us As We Left England,  And Who Suffered No Harm To

Be Done To Us."

The Northman Turned In His Chair.

"It Is He,  Freda,  Surely Enough,  Though How He Comes To

Be A Slave Here To My Comrade Bijorn I Know Not. Bijorn,  My

Friend,  I Owe This Youth A Deep Debt Of Gratitude; He Had My

Life And The Life And Honour Of Freda In His Hands,  And He

Spared Both,  And,  Slave Though He May Be Of Yours At Present,

Yet I Hail Him As My Friend. Tell Me How Came He In Your

Hands? He Is Edmund,  The Valiant Young Saxon Who Smote

Us More Than Once So Heavily Down In Wessex."

"I Know It," Bijorn Replied,  "And Will Tell You How He Came

Into My Hands,  And In Truth He Was Captured By Accident And

Not By Any Valour Of My Arm." The Jarl Then Related The

Circumstances Under Which Edmund Had Been Captured,  And

The Narrow Escape He Had Had Of Being Offered As A Sacrifice

To Odin. And Siegbert Then Told His Guests At Length The

Incidents Of His Capture By The Dragon.

"He Let Me Go Free And Without A Ransom," He Concluded,

"And That Part Of My Obligation I Should Be Glad To Repay,

Though For His Gentleness To Freda I Must Still Remain His

Debtor. What Say You,  Bijorn,  Will You Sell Him To Me? Name

Your Price In Horses,  Arms,  And Armour,  And Whatever It Be I

Will Pay It To You."

"In Truth,  Siegbert," Bijorn Said,  "I Like Not To Part With

The Lad; But Since You Are So Urgent,  And Seeing That You

Cannot Otherwise Discharge The Obligation Under Which,  As You

Say,  He Has Laid You,  I Cannot Refuse Your Prayer. As To The

Price,  We Will Arrange That Anon."

"Then It Is Settled," Siegbert Said. "You Are A Free Man,

Ealdorman Edmund," And He Held Out His Hand To The Youth.

"Now Seat Yourself At The Table With My Guests; There Are None

Here But May Feel Honoured At Dining With One Of King

Alfred's Bravest Thanes."

The Transformation In Edmund's Position Was Sudden

Indeed; A Moment Since He Was A Slave,  And Although He Had

Determined Upon Making An Effort For Freedom,  He Had

Known That The Chances Of Escape Were Small,  As Swift Galleys

Would Have Been Sent Off In Pursuit,  And It Was Probable That

He Would Have Been Speedily Overtaken And Brought Back.

Now He Was Free,  And Would Doubtless Be Allowed To Return

Home With The First Party Who Sailed Thither.

Siegbert At Once Tried To Make Edmund Feel At Home,

Addressing Much Of His Conversation To Him. Bijorn,  Too,

Spoke In A Friendly Manner With Him,  But Sweyn Was Silent

And Sullen; He Was Clearly Ill-Pleased At This Change Of Fortune

Which Had Turned His Father's Slave Into A Fellow-Guest And

Equal. His Annoyance Was Greatly Heightened By The Fact That

It Was Freda Who Had Recognized The Young Saxon,  And The

Pleasure Which Her Face Evinced When Her Father Proposed

To Purchase Him From Bijorn Angered Him Still More. In His

Heart He Cursed The Horse Whose Welcoming Neigh Had In The

First Instance Saved Edmund's Life,  And The Trial By Augury

Which Had Confirmed The First Omen. After The Banquet Was

Over Siegbert Requested Edmund To Relate His Various

Adventures.

The Telling Of Tales Of Daring Was One Of The Favourite

Amusements Of The Danes; Siegbert And His Friends Quaffed

Great Bumpers Of Mead; And The Ladies Sat Apart Listening

While Edmund Told His Story.

"You Have A Brave Record,  Indeed," Siegbert Said When

He Had Finished,  "For One So Young; And Fond As Are Our Youths

Of Adventure There Is Not One Of Them Of Your Age Who Has

Accomplished A Tithe Of What You Have Done. Why,  Freda,  If

This Youth Were But One Of Us He Would Have The Hearts Of All

The Norse Maidens At His Feet. In The Eyes Of A Danish Girl,  As

Of A Dane,  Valour Is The Highest Of Recommendations."

"I Don't Know,  Father," Freda Said,  Colouring At Being

Thus Addressed,  "That We Should Be As Bold As That,  Although

Assuredly It Is But Right That A Maiden Should Esteem Valour

Highly. It Is To Her Husband She Has To Look For Protection,

And She Shares In The Honour And Spoil Which He Gains By His

Valiant Deeds,  So You Have Always Taught Me."

"And Rightly Too,  Girl. Next To Being A Great Hero,  The

Greatest Honour Is To Be The Wife Of One. I Pledge You,

Ealdorman Edmund,  And Should Be Right Proud Were You A

Son Of Mine. You Have Told Your Story Modestly,  For Many Of

The Battles And Adventures Of Which You Have Spoken Are

Known To Me By Report,  And Fame Has Given You A Larger Share

In The Successes Than You Claim For Yourself. 'Tis A Pity You

Were Not Born A Northman,  For There Is Little For You To Do In

Saxon England Now."

"I Do Not Despair Yet," Edmund Replied. "Things Have

Gone Badly With Us,  But The Last Blow Is Not Struck Yet. You

Will Hear Of King Alfred In The Spring,  Unless I Am Mistaken."

"But They Say Your King Alfred Is Half A Monk,  And That

He Loves Reading Books More Than Handling The Sword,  Though,

To Do Him Justice,  He Has Shown Himself A Brave Warrior,  And

Has Given Us Far More Trouble Than All The Other Saxon Kings

Together."

"King Alfred Fights Bravely," Edmund Said,  "Because He

Is Fighting For His Country And People; But It Is True That He

Loves Not War Nor Strife. He Reads Much And Thinks More,

And Should He Ever Come To His Kingdom Again He Will Assuredly

Be One Of The Wisest And Best Monarchs Who Has Ever Sat

On A Throne. He Has Talked To Me Much Of The Things Which

He Has At Heart,  And I Know He Intends To Draw Up Wise Laws

For The Ruling Of His People."

"We Love Not Greatly Being Ruled,  We Northmen," Bijorn

Said,  "But For Each To Go His Own Way As He Wills,  Provided

Only He Inflicts No Ill Upon His Neighbour. We Come And We

Go Each As It Pleases Him. Our Fleets Traverse The Sea And

Bring Home Plunder And Booty. What Need We Of