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

"At Present You Have No Great Need Of Laws," Edmund

Replied,  "Seeing That You Lead A Wandering Life; But When The

Time Shall Come--And It Must Come To You As It Has Come To

Other Nations--When You Will Settle Down As A Rich And

Peaceful Community,  Then Laws Will Become Necessary."

Well," Bijorn Said,  "Right Glad Am I That I Live Before

Such Times Have Come. So Far As I Can See The Settling Down

You Speak Of,  And The Abandonment Of The Ancient Gods Has

Done No Great Good Either To You Saxons Or To The Franks.

Both Of You Were In The Old Time Valiant People,  While Now

You Are Unable To Withstand Our Arms. You Gather Goods,

And We Carry Them Off; You Build Cities,  And We Destroy Them;

You Cultivate The Land,  And We Sweep Off The Crops. It Seems

To Me That We Have The Best Of It."

"It Seems So At Present," Edmund Said,  "But It Will Not

Last. Already In Northumbria And In East Anglia The Danes,

Seeing That There Is No More Plunder To Be Had,  Are Settling

Down And Adopting The Customs Of The Saxons,  And So Will It

Be In Mercia And Wessex If You Keep Your Hold Of Them,  And

So Will It Be In Other Places. The Change Is But Beginning,

But It Seems To Me Certain To Come; So I Have Heard King

Alfred Say."

"And Does He Think," Sweyn Said Scoffingly,  Speaking

Almost For The First Time,  "That We Shall Abandon The Worship

Of Our Gods And Take To That Of Your Christ?"

"He Thinks So And Hopes So," Edmund Replied Quietly.

"So Long As Men's Lives Are Spent Wholly In War They May Worship

Gods Like Yours,  But When Once Settled In Peaceful Pursuits

They Will Assuredly Recognize The Beauty And Holiness Of

The Life Of Christ. Pardon Me," He Said,  Turning To Siegbert,

"If It Seems To You That I,  Being Still Young,  Speak With

Over-Boldness,  But I Am Telling You What King Alfred Says,

And All Men Recognize His Wisdom And Goodness."

"I Know Not Of Your Religion Myself," Siegbert Replied,

"But I Will Own Willingly That Though Its Teachings May Be

Peaceful,  It Makes Not Cowards Of Those Who Believe In It.

I Have Seen Over And Over Again Old Men And Young Men Die

On The Altars Of Their Churches As Fearlessly And Calmly As A

Viking Should Do When His Time Comes. No Northman Fears

Death,  For He Knows That A Joyous Time Awaits Him; But I Am

Bound To Say That Your Christians Meet Death To The Full As

Calmly. Well,  Each His Own Way,  I Say,  And For Aught I Know

There May Be A Christian Heaven As Well As The Halls Of Odin,

And All May Be Rewarded In Their Own Way For Their Deeds."

Bijorn And His Party Now Rose To Take Leave. "I Will Come

Across To Your Tent In The Morning," Siegbert Said,  "And We

Can Then Discuss What Payment I Shall Make You For This Young

Saxon. I Fear Not That You Will Prove Over Hard To Your Old

Comrade."

After Bijorn Had Departed Siegbert Assigned To Edmund

A Place In His Tent As An Honoured Guest. Slaves Brought In

Bundles Of Rushes For The Beds. Freda Retired To A Small Tent

Which Had Been Erected For Her Adjoining The Larger One,  And

The Jarl And Edmund Lay Down On Their Piles Of Rushes At The

Upper End Of The Tent. Siegbert's Companions And Followers

Stretched Themselves Along The Sides,  The Slaves Lay Down

Without,  And In A Few Minutes Silence Reigned In The Tent.

"I Was Thinking Much Of What You Said Last Night," Freda

Said At Breakfast. "How Is It That You,  Whose Religion Is As

You Say A Peaceful One,  Can Yet Have Performed So Many

Deeds Of Valour And Bloodshed?"

"I Am Fighting For My Home,  My Country,  And My Religion,"

Edmund Said. "Christianity Does Not Forbid Men To

Defend Themselves; For,  Did It Do So,  A Band Of Pagans Might

Ravage All The Christian Countries In The World. I Fight Not

Because I Love It. I Hate Bloodshed,  And Would Rather Die

Than Plunder And Slay Peaceful And Unoffending People. You

Have Been In England And Have Seen The Misery Which War

Has Caused There. Such Misery Assuredly I Would Inflict On

None. I Fight Only To Defend Myself And My Country Men And

Women. Did Your People Leave Our Land I Would Gladly Never

Draw Sword Again."

"But What Would You Do With Yourself?" Freda Asked In

Tones Of Surprise. "How Would You Pass Your Time If There

Were No Fighting?"

"I Should Have Plenty To Do," Edmund Said Smiling; "I

Have My People To Look After. I Have To See To Their Welfare;

To Help Those Who Need It; To Settle Disputes; To Rebuild The

Churches And Houses Which Have Been Destroyed. There Would

Be No Difficulty In Spending My Time."

"But How Could A Man Show Himself To Be A Hero," The

Danish Girl Asked,  "If There Were No Fighting?"

"There Would Be No Occasion For Heroes," Edmund Said,

"At Least Of Heroes In The Sense You Mean--That Is,  Of Men

Famous Principally For The Number They Have Slain,  And The

Destruction And Misery They Have Caused. Our Religion Teaches

Us That Mere Courage Is Not The Highest Virtue. It Is One

Possessed As Much By Animals As By Men. Higher Virtues Than

This Are Kindness,  Charity,  Unselfishness,  And A Desire To

Benefit Our Fellow-Creatures. These Virtues Make A Man A Truer

Hero Than The Bravest Viking Who Ever Sailed The Seas. Even

You,  Freda,  Worshipper Of Odin As You Are,  Must See That It Is

A Higher And A Better Life To Do Good To Your Fellow-Creatures

Than To Do Evil."

"It Sounds So," The Girl Said Hesitatingly; "But The Idea Is

So New To Me That I Must Think It Over Before I Can Come To

Any Conclusion."

Freda Then Went About Her Occupations,  And Edmund,

Knowing That Siegbert Would Not Return For Some Time,  As He

Was Going With Bijorn To A Council Which Was To Be Held Early

In The Day,  Strolled Down To Look At The Galleys Ranged Along

On The Beach. These Varied Greatly In Form And Character.

Some Of The Sailing Ships Were Large And Clumsy,  But The Galleys

For Rowing Were Lightly And Gracefully Built. They Were

Low In The Water,  Rising To A Lofty Bow,  Which Sometimes Turned

Over Like The Neck Of A Swan,  At Other Times Terminated In A

Sharp Iron Prow,  Formed For Running Down A Hostile Boat.

Some Of Them Were Of Great Length,  With Seats For Twenty

Rowers On Either Side,  While All Were Provided With Sails As

Well As Oars. When The Hour For Dinner Approached He Returned

To Siegbert's Tent. The Jarl Had Not Yet Come Back From

The Council. When He Did So Edmund Perceived At Once That He

Was Flushed And Angry.

"What Has Disturbed You,  Father?" Freda Asked,  As On

Hearing His Voice She Entered The Tent. "Has Aught Gone Wrong

At The Council?"

"Yes," The Jarl Replied,  "Much Has Gone Wrong. Bijorn

And I Had Not Concluded Our Bargain When We Went To The

Council. We Had,  Indeed,  No Difficulty About The Terms,  But

We Had Not Clasped Hands Over Them,  As I Was Going Back To

His Tent After The Council Was Over. At The Council The

Expedition Against France Was Discussed,  And It Was Proposed

That We Should Consult The Gods As To The Chances Of The

Adventure. Then The Jarl Eric Rose And Proposed That It Should Be

Done In The Usual Way By A Conflict Between A Dane And A

Captive. This Was Of Course Agreed To.

"He Then Said That He Understood That There Was In The

Camp A Young Saxon Of Distinguished Valour,  And That He

Proposed That Sweyn,  The Son Of Bijorn,  Should Fight With

Him. Sweyn Had Expressed To Him His Willingness To Do So

Should The Council Agree. I Rose At Once And Said That The

Saxon Was No Longer A Captive,  Since I Had Ransomed Him

Because He Had Once Done Me A Service; But Upon Being

Pressed I Was Forced To Admit That The Bargain Had Not Been

Concluded. I Must Acquit Bijorn Of Any Share In The Matter,

For It Came Upon Him As Much By Surprise As It Did Upon Me.

It Seems That It Is All Sweyn's Doing. He Must Have Taken The

Step As Having A Private Grudge Against You. Have You Had

Any Quarrel With Him?"

"No," Edmund Replied. "He Has Ever Shown Himself

Haughty And Domineering,  But We Have Come To No Quarrel."

"At Any Rate He Wants To Kill You," Siegbert Said. "I