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

Well-Fought Encounter. Each Man,  Himself A Warrior,  Was Able To

Appreciate The Value Of The Strokes And Parries. The Betting

At The Commencement Had Run High Upon Sweyn,  And Horses,

Armour,  Arms,  And Slaves Had Been Freely Wagered Upon His

Success; But As The Fight Went On The Odds Veered Round,  And

The Demeanour Of The Combatants Had As Much To Do With

This As The Skill And Strength Shown By Edmund In His Defence.

The Dane Was Flushed And Furious; His Temper Gave Way Under

The Failure Of His Assaults. The Saxon,  On The Contrary,

Fought As Calmly And Coolly As If Practicing With Blunted

Weapons; His Eyes Never Left Those Of His Adversary,  A Half

Smile Played On His Lips,  And Although Drops Of Perspiration

From His Forehead Showed How Great Were His Exertions,  His

Breathing Hardly Quickened.

Twice Sweyn Drew Back For Breath,  And Edmund Each

Time,  Instead Of Pressing Him,  Dropped The Point Of His Sword

And Waited For Him To Renew The Combat. At Present He Had

Scarce Struck A Blow,  And While His Own Shield Was Riven In

Several Places And His Helmet Dinted,  Those Of Sweyn Were

Unmarked.

At The Third Assault Sweyn Came Up Determined To End

The Conflict,  And Renewed The Attack With Greater Fury Than

Before. Three Times His Sword Descended With Tremendous

Force,  But Each Time It Met The Blade Of The Saxon; The Fourth

Time His Arm Was Raised,  Then There Was A Flash And A Sudden

Shout From The Crowd.

With A Mighty Blow Edmund Had Smitten Full On His Opponent's

Uplifted Arm,  And,  Striking It Just Above The Elbow,  The Sword

Clove Through Flesh And Bone,  And The Severed Limb,  Still Grasping

The Sword,  Fell To The Ground.

A Loud Shout Of Approval Burst From The Danes. Although The

Conqueror Was Their Enemy They Appreciated So Highly The Virtues

Of Coolness And Courage That Their Applause Was No Less Hearty

Than If The Victor Had Been A Countryman. Sweyn Had Fallen

Almost The Instant The Blow Had Been Struck. The Ring Was

At Once Broken Up,  And His Friends Ran To Him. The Norsemen

Were Adepts At The Treatment Of Wounds,  And Everything Had Been

Prepared In Case Of Emergencies.

A Bandage Was Instantly Tied Tightly Round The Upper

Part Of The Arm To Stop The Rush Of Blood,  And The Stump Was

Then Dipped Into Boiling Pitch,  And Sweyn,  Who Had Become

Almost Instantly Insensible From The Loss Of Blood,  Was Carried

To His Father's Tent. According To Custom Handsome Presents

Of Swords And Armour Were Made To Edmund By Those Who Had Won

By His Success.

It Would Have Been Considered Churlish To Refuse Them,

And Edmund Had No Thought Of Doing So,  For He Needed

Money,  And These Things In Those Days Were Equivalent To

Wealth.

"You Have Done Well And Gallantly Indeed,  My Young

Friend," Siegbert Said As,  Followed By Several Slaves Bearing

Edmund's Presents,  They Returned To The Tent. "I Am Glad You

Did Not Slay Him,  For I Think Not That He Will Die. Such A Blow

Given In Battle Would Assuredly Have Been Fatal,  But Here The

Means Of Stanching The Blood Were At Hand,  And I Trust For

Bijorn's Sake That He Will Recover; But Whether Or No He

Brought It On Himself."

On Reaching The Tent Freda Ran Out Radiant.

"I Hear That You Have Conquered," She Said,  "And I Am

Glad Indeed; It Serves Him Right,  For All Say That He Forced The

Fight Upon You."

"I Did Not Know That Your Sympathies Were So Strongly

Against Sweyn," Siegbert Said In A Somewhat Reproachful Tone.

"He Has Always Been Your Devoted Follower."

"He Has Always Been My Tyrant,  Father,  For He Has Always

Insisted On My Doing His Pleasure; But If He Had Been Ten

Times My Follower,  And Had Been A Valiant Warrior Instead Of

A Youth,  And I A Maiden Of Twenty Instead Of A Girl Of Fifteen,

I Should Still Be Glad That He Was Conquered,  Because Without

Any Reason For Quarrel He Has Sought To Slay This Saxon Youth

Who Did Us Such Great Service,  And To Whom As He Knew We Were

So Indebted."

Siegbert Smiled. "Hitherto I Have Wondered,  Daughter

Mine,  At The Reason Which Induced Sweyn To Challenge

Edmund,  But Now Methinks I Understand It. Sweyn Has,  As

His Father Has Told Me,  Youth As He Is,  Set His Heart On

Winning Your Hand When You Shall Reach The Age Of Womanhood,

And It Is Just Because Edmund Has Done You And Me Service

That He Hates Him. You Are Young,  Child,  For Your Bright Eyes

To Have Caused Bloodshed; If You Go On Like This There Will Be

No End To The Trouble I Shall Have On Your Account Before I

Get You Fairly Wedded."

Freda Coloured Hotly.

"That Is Nonsense,  Father; Another Five Years Will Be Soon

Enough To Begin To Think Of Such Things. At Any Rate," She

Said With A Laugh,  "I Am Rid Of Sweyn,  For He Can Hardly

Expect Me Ever To Love A One-Armed Man."

"There Have Been Brave Warriors," Seigbert Said,  "With

But One Arm."

"It Makes No Difference," Freda Laughed; "If He Had Fifty

Arms I Should Never Love Him."

Edmund Now Entreated Siegbert To Repay Himself From

The Presents He Had Received For The Goods He Had The Evening

Before Given To Bijorn As The Price Of His Liberty,  But This The

Jarl Would Not Hear Of. Edmund Then Begged Him To Buy

With Them,  Of Bijorn,  The Four Saxon Slaves With Whom He

Had Agreed To Attempt An Escape,  And To Expend The Rest Of

The Presents In Freeing As Many Other Saxon Prisoners As He

Could.

This Siegbert Did,  And By The Evening Edmund Had The

Satisfaction Of Finding Around Him Twelve Saxons Whose Freedom

He Had Purchased. He Remained As The Guest Of Siegbert

Until The Expedition Sailed In The Last Week Of March. Then

With The Twelve Saxons He Embarked In Siegbert's Ship,  Which,

Instead Of Keeping With The Others,  Sailed For The Mouth Of

The Thames. The Wind Was Favourable And The Passage Quick,

And Three Days After Sailing Edmund And His Companions Were

Disembarked On The Coast Of Kent. His Adieus With Siegbert

Were Hearty And Earnest.

"I Would You Had Been A Northman," The Jarl Said,  "For I

Love You As A Son,  And Methinks That When The Time Comes,

Had You Been So Inclined,  You Might Have Really Stood In That

Relation To Me,  For I Guess That My Little Freda Would Not Have

Said No Had You Asked Her Hand; But Now Our Paths Are To

Part. I Shall Never War Again With The Saxons,  For Indeed

There Is But Scant Booty To Be Gained There,  While You Are Not

Likely Again To Be Cast Upon Our Shores; But Should The Fates

Ever Throw Us Together Again,  Remember That You Have A Friend

For Life In Jarl Siegbert."

Freda,  Who Had Accompanied Her Father As Usual,  Wept

Bitterly At The Parting,  Which,  However,  She Did Not Deem To

Be As Final As It Appeared To Her Father; For The Evening Before,

As She Was Standing On The Poop With Edmund,  He Had

Said To Her,  "You Will Not Forget Me,  Freda; We Are Both Very

Young Yet; But Some Day,  When The Wars Are Over,  And England

No Longer Requires My Sword,  I Will Seek You Again."

"Is That A Promise,  Edmund?"

"Yes,  Freda,  A Solemn Promise."

"I Will Wait For You," She Said Simply,  "If It Were Till The

End Of My Life."

The Youth And Girl Ratified The Promise By A Kiss,  And

Freda,  As Through Her Tears She Watched The Boat Which

Conveyed Edmund And His Companions To Shore,  Felt Sure That

Some Day She Should See Her Saxon Hero Again.

On Landing,  Edmund Soon Learned That The Danes Were

Everywhere Masters,  And That Since The Autumn Nothing Had

Been Heard Of The King,  Who Was Supposed To Be Somewhere

In Hiding.

In Every Village Through Which They Passed They Found

Evidence Of The Mastership Of The Danes. Many Of The Houses

Were Burnt Or Destroyed,  The People Were All Dressed In The

Poorest Garb,  And Their Sad Faces And Listless Mien Told Of The

Despair Which Everywhere Prevailed. In Every Church The

Altars Had Been Thrown Down,  The Holy Emblems And Images

Destroyed,  The Monks And Priests Had Fled Across The Sea Or

Had Been Slain.

The Danish Gods,  Thor And Woden,  Had Become The Divinities

Of The Land,  And The Saxons,  In Whom Christianity

Had But Recently Supplanted The Superstitions Of Paganism,

Were Fast Returning To The Worship Of The Pagan Gods. Edmund

And His Companions Were Shocked At The Change. On Reaching

Home They Found That The Ravages Of The Danes Had Here

Been Particularly Severe,  Doubtless In Revenge For The Heavy

Loss Which Had Been Sustained By Them In Their Attack Upon

Edmund's Fortification. His Own Abode Had Been Completely

Levelled To The Ground,  And The Villages And Farm-Houses For

The Most Part Wholly Destroyed. His People Were Lying In

Rude Shelters Which They Had Raised,  But Their Condition Was

Very Much Better Than That Of The People In General.

The News Of Edmund's Return Spread Like Wildfire,  And

Excited The Most Extreme Joy Among His People,  Who Had

Long Given Him Up For Lost. He Found To His Delight That The

Dragon Had Returned Safely,  And That She Was Laid Up In Her

Old Hiding-Place. The Great Amount Of Spoil With Which She

Was Loaded Had Enabled Her Crew Largely To Assist Their Friends,

And It Was This Which Had Already Raised The Condition Of The

People Above That Of Their Neighbours. Houses Were