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

Gradually Rebuilt,  Animals Had Been Brought From Districts

Which Had Been Less Ravaged By The Danes,  And Something

Approaching Comfort Was Being Rapidly Restored.

Upon The Day After Edmund's Return Egbert Arrived.

Feeling Sure Of Edmund's Death He Had Taken No Steps Towards

Rebuilding The House,  But Was Living A Wild Life In The

Woods,  When The News Reached Him That Edmund Had Reappeared.

His Own Large Share Of The Booty With That Of Edmund

He Had Buried,  With The Portion Set Aside For The King,  In The

Wood Near The Spot Where The Dragon Was Laid Up.

They Had Passed Up The Parrot At Night Unobserved By

The Danes,  And After Taking The Masts Out Of The Dragon,  And

Dismantling Her,  They Had Laid Her Up In The Hole Near The

River Where She Was Built. There Was Little Fear Of Her Discovery

There,  For The Danes Were For The Most Part Gathered In Winter

Quarters At The Great Camp Near Chippenham.

Egbert's Delight At The Reappearance Of Edmund Was Unbounded,

For He Loved Him As A Son,  And It Was A Long Time Before

Their Joy At The Meeting Was Sufficiently Calmed Down To

Enable Them To Tell Each Other The Events Which Had Happened

Since They Parted Three Months Before. Egbert's Narrative

Was Indeed Brief. He Had Remained Two Or Three Days

Off The Coast Of Norway In The Lingering Hope That Edmund

Might In Some Way Have Escaped Death,  And Might Yet Come

Off And Join Him. At The End Of A Week This Hope Had Faded,

And He Sailed For England. Being Winter,  But Few Danish Galleys

Were At Sea,  And He Had Encountered None From The Time

He Set Sail Until He Arrived Off The Coast At The Mouth Of The

Parrot.

He Had Entered The River At Night So As To Be Unseen By

Any In The Village At Its Mouth,  And Had,  After The Dragon Was

Laid Up,  Passed His Time In The Forest. Edmund's Narration

Was Much More Lengthy,  And Egbert Was Surprised Indeed To

Find That His Kinsman Owed His Freedom To The Jarl Whose

Vessel They Had Captured At The Mouth Of The Humber.

Edmund Spent A Month On His Lands,  Moving About Among

His Vassals And Dwelling In Their Abodes. He Inspired Them

By His Words With Fresh Spirit And Confidence,

Telling Them That This State Of Things Could Not Last,

And That He Was Going To Join The King,  Who Doubtless Would

Soon Call Them To Take Part In A Fresh Effort To Drive Out Their

Cruel Oppressors. Edmund Found That Although None Knew

With Certainty The Hiding-Place Of King Alfred,  It Was Generally

Reported That He Had Taken Refuge In The Low Lands Of

Somersetshire,  And Athelney Was Specially Named As The Place

Which He Had Made His Abode.

"It Is A Good Omen," Edmund Said,  "For Athelney Lies

Close To The Parrot,  Where My Good Ship The Dragon Is Laid

Away."

After Visiting All The Villages In His Earldom Edmund

Started With Egbert And Four Young Men,  Whom He Might Use

As Messengers,  For The Reported Hiding-Place Of The King. First

They Visited The Dragon,  And Found Her Lying Undisturbed;

Then They Followed The River Down Till They Reached The Great

Swamps Which Extended For A Considerable Distance Near Its

Mouth. After Much Wandering They Came Upon The Hut Of A

Fisherman. The Man On Hearing The Footsteps Came To His

Door With A Bent Bow. When He Saw That The New-Comers

Were Saxons He Lowered The Arrow Which Was Already Fitted

To The String.

"Can You Tell Us," Edmund Said,  "Which Is The Way To

Athelney? We Know That It Is An Island Amidst These Morasses,

But We Are Strangers To The Locality And Cannot Find It."

"And You Might Search For Weeks," The Man Said,  "Without

Finding It,  So Thickly Is It Surrounded By Deep Swamps

And Woods. But What Want Ye There?"

"Men Say," Edmund Replied,  "That King Alfred Is Hidden

There. We Are Faithful Followers Of His. I Am Ealdorman

Edmund Of Sherborne,  And Have Good News For The King."

"If Ye Are Indeed The Ealdorman Of Sherborne,  Of Whose

Bravery I Have Heard Much,  I Will Right Willingly Lead You To

Athelney If You Will,  But No King Will You Find There. There

Are A Few Fugitives From The Danes Scattered Here And There

In These Marshes,  But None,  So Far As I Know,  Of Any Rank Or

Station. However,  I Will Lead You Thither Should You Still Wish

To Go."

Edmund Expressed His Desire To Visit The Island Even If

The King Were Not There. The Man At Once Drew Out A Small

Boat From A Hiding-Place Near His Hut. It Would Hold Four At

Most. Edmund And Egbert Stepped In With One Of Their Followers,

Charging The Others To Remain At The Hut Until They

Received Further Instructions. The Fisherman With A Long Pole

Took His Place In The Bow Of The Boat And Pushed Off. For

Some Hours They Made Their Way Through The Labyrinth Of

Sluggish And Narrow Channels Of The Morass. It Was A Gloomy

Journey. The Leafless Trees Frequently Met Overhead; The Long

Rushes In The Wetter Parts Of The Swamp Rustled As The Cold

Breezes Swept Across Them,  And A Slight Coating Of Snow Which

Had Fallen The Previous Night Added To The Dreary Aspect Of

The Scene. At Last They Came Upon Sharply Rising Ground.

"This Is Athelney," The Fisherman Said,  "A Good Hiding-Place

Truly; For,  As You See,  It Rises High Over The Surrounding

Country,  Which Is Always Swampy From The Waters Of The Parrot

And Theme,  And At High Tides The Salt Water Of The Sea Fills

All These Waterways,  And The Trees Rise From A Broad Sheet Of

Sea. No Dane Has Ever Yet Set Foot Among These Marshes; And

Were There But Provisions To Keep Them Alive,  A Safe Refuge

Might Be Found On This Island For Hundreds Of Fugitives. Will

You Be Returning To-Night?"

"That I Cannot Tell You," Edmund Replied; "But At Any

Rate I Will Hire You And Your Boat To Remain At My Service For

A Week,  And Will Pay You A Far Higher Price Than You Can Obtain

By Your Fishing."

The Fisherman Readily Agreed,  And Edmund And His

Companions Made Their Way Into The Heart Of The Island. It

Was Of Some Extent,  And Rose Above The Tree-Tops Of The

Surrounding Country. Presently They Came To A Cottage.

A Man Came Out.

"What Do You Seek?" He Asked.

"You Have Fugitives In Refuge Here," Edmund Said. "Know

You If Among Them Is Our Good King Alfred?" The Man Looked

Astonished.

"A Pretty Place To Seek For A King!" He Replied. "There

Are A Few Saxons In Hiding Here. Some Live By Fishing,  Some

Chop Wood; But For The Most Part They Are An Idle And

Thriftless Lot,  And Methinks Have Fled Hither Rather To Escape

From Honest Work Or To Avoid The Penalties Of Crimes Than For Any

Other Reason."

"How May We Find Them?" Edmund Asked.

"They Are Scattered Over The Island. There Are Eight Or

Ten Dwellers Here Like Myself,  And Several Of Them Have One

Or More Of These Fellows With Them; Others Have Built Huts For

Themselves And Shift As They Can; But It Is A Hard Shift,  I Reckon,

And Beech-Nuts And Acorns,  Eked Out With An Occasional Fish

Caught In The Streams,  Is All They Have To Live Upon. I Wonder

That They Do Not Go Back To Honest Work Among Their Kinsfolk."

"Ah!" Edmund Said,  "You Do Not Know Here How Cruel

Are The Ravages Of The Danes; Our Homes Are Broken Up And

Our Villages Destroyed,  And Every Forest In The Land Is Peopled

With Fugitive Saxons. Did You Know That You Would Speak

Less Harshly Of Those Here. At Any Rate The Man I Seek Is Young

And Fair-Looking,  And Would,  I Should Think"--And He Smiled

As He Remembered Alfred's Studious Habits--"Be One Of The

Most Shiftless Of Those Here."

"There Is Such A One," The Man Replied,  "And Several Times

Friends Of His Have Been Hither To See Him. He Dwells At My

Next Neighbour's,  Who Is Often Driven Well-Nigh Out Of Her

Mind--For She Is A Dame With A Shrewish Tongue And Sharp

Temper--By His Inattention. She Only Asks Of Him That He Will

Cut Wood And Keep An Eye Over Her Pigs,  Which Wander In The

Forest,  In Return For His Food; And Yet,  Simple As Are His Duties,

He Is For Ever Forgetting Them. I Warrant Me,  The Dame Would

Not So Long Have Put Up With Him Had He Not Been So Fair And

Helpless. However Bad-Tempered A Woman May Be,  She Has

Always A Tender Corner In Her Heart For This Sort Of Fellow.

There,  You Can Take This Path Through The Trees And Follow It

On; It Will Take You Straight To Her Cottage."

The Description Given By The Man Tallied So Accurately

With That Of The King That Edmund Felt Confident That He Was

On The Right Track. The Fact,  Too,  That From Time To Time Men

Had Come To See This Person Added To The Probability Of His

Being The King. Presently They Came Upon The Hut. A Number