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

Understanding Nothing Of The Meaning Of The Signal Or Of

The Swift Movement Of The Saxons,  For A Minute Lowered Their

Weapons In Surprise.

Before They Again Rushed Forward The Formation Was

Complete,  And In A Close Body With Levelled Spears The Saxons

Advanced,  Egbert As Usual Leading The Way,  With Edmund And

The King In The Centre.

In Vain The Danes Strove To Resist The Onset; In Spite Of

Their Superior Numbers They Were Driven Back Step By Step

Until Crowded In A Close Mass At One End.

Still The Saxon Line Of Spears Pressed On. Many Of The

Danes Leapt Into The Sea,  Others Were Pushed Over Or Run

Through,  And In A Few Minutes Not A Northman Remained

Alive In The Captured Vessel.

In The Meantime The Battle Was Raging In Other Parts.

Two Of The Small Vessels Were Engaged With One Of The Danes

At Close Quarters,  While The Other Ships Hung Around The

Remaining Danish Vessels And Kept Up Volleys Of Arrows And

Javelins Upon Them.

The Dragon At Once Went To The Assistance Of The Two

Saxon Ships,  Whose Crews Were Almost Overpowered By The

Northmen. Laying The Ship Alongside,  Edmund Boarded The

Danes. The Northmen Rushed Back From The Decks Of The

Saxon Ship To Defend Their Own Vessel; And The Saxons,

Regaining Courage,  At Once Rallied And Followed Them. The

Combat Was Short But Desperate. Attacked On Three Sides,

The Danes Were Speedily Overcome And Were Slaughtered To A

Man.

An Attack Was Next Made Upon The Two Remaining Vessels.

These Resisted For Some Time,  But They Were Overwhelmed

By The Missiles From The Saxon Flotilla; And The Greater

Portion Of Their Crews Being Killed Or Wounded,  Their

Commanders Prayed For Mercy,  Which Was Granted Them By Alfred;

And With The Four Captured Vessels The Fleet Returned To

England.

On Reaching Port Alfred Begged Edmund To Continue

For A While With The Dragon,  To Cruise Along The Coasts And To

Stop The Depredations Of The Danes; And For Some Weeks The

Dragon Kept The Seas. She Met With Considerable Success,

Capturing Many Danish Galleys. Some Of These Contained

Rich Spoil,  Which Had Been Gathered In France,  For Cruising

In The Seas Off Dover Edmund Intercepted Many Of The Danish

Vessels On Their Homeward Way From Raids Up The Seine,

Garonne,  And Other French Rivers.

One Day In The Excitement Of A Long Pursuit Of A Danish

Galley,  Which Finally Succeeded In Making Her Escape,  Edmund

Had Paid Less Attention Than Usual To The Weather,  And,  On

Giving Up The Chase As Hopeless,  Perceived That The Sky Had

Become Greatly Overcast,  While The Wind Was Rising Rapidly.

"We Are In For A Storm From The North,  Egbert," He Said,

"And We Must Make For The Mouth Of The Thames For Shelter."

The Sails Were Lowered,  And The Dragon's Head Turned

West. Before Two Hours Had Passed The Sea Had Risen So Greatly

That It Was No Longer Possible To Row.

"What Had We Best Do?" Edmund Asked The Chief Of The

Sailors. "Think You That We Can Make Dover And Shelter

Under The Cliffs There?"

"I Fear That We Cannot Do So," The Sailor Replied,  "For There

Are Terrible Sands And Shallows Off The Kentish Coast Between

The Mouth Of The Thames And Dover,  And The Wind Blows So

Strongly That We Can Do Nought But Run Before It."

"Then Let Us Do So," Edmund Replied; "Anything Is Better

Than Being Tossed At The Mercy Of The Waves."

A Sail Was Hoisted,  And The Dragon Flew Along Before The

Wind. The Storm Increased In Fury,  And For Some Hours The

Vessel Ran Before It. She Was But A Short Distance From The

French Coast,  And As The Wind Veered Round More To The West

Her Danger Became Great.

"I Fear We Shall Be Cast Ashore," Edmund Said To The Sailor.

"Fortunately," The Man Answered,  "We Are But A Mile Or

Two From The Mouth Of The Seine,  And There We Can Run In

And Take Shelter."

It Was An Anxious Time Until They Reached The Mouth Of

The River,  For They Were Continually Drifting Nearer And Nearer

To The Coast. However,  They Cleared The Point In Safety,  And,

Turning Her Head,  Ran Up The River And Soon Anchored Under

The Walls Of Havre. As She Came To An Anchor Armed Men

Were Seen Crowding The Walls.

"They Take Us For Danes," Egbert Said. "We Had Best

Hoist The Dragon,  And They Will Then Know That We Are A Saxon

Ship."

Soon After The Flag Was Hoisted The Gates Of The Town

Were Seen To Open,  And An Officer And Some Men Issued Out.

These Launched A Boat And Rowed Out To The Ship. The Officer

Mounted To The Deck. He Was Evidently In Considerable

Fear,  But As He Saw The Saxons Standing About Unarmed He

Was Reassured. "Is This Really A Saxon Ship," He Asked,  "As Its

Flag Testifies?"

"It Is So," Edmund Replied; "It Is My Vessel,  And I Am An

Ealdorman Of King Alfred. We Have Been Chasing The Danish

Pirates,  But This Storm Having Arisen,  We Were Blown Down

The French Coast And Forced To Seek Shelter Here."

"The Governor Bids You Welcome," The Officer Said,  "And

Bade Me Invite You To Land."

"That Will I Gladly; The More So Since My Ship Has Suffered

Some Damage In The Gale,  Her Bulwarks Having Been

Partly Shattered; And It Will Need A Stay Of A Few Days Here To

Repair Her For Sea. Will You Tell The Governor That In A Short

Time I Will Land With My Kinsman Egbert And Accept

His Hospitality?"

An Hour Later Edmund And Egbert Landed And Were At

Once Conducted To The Governor,  Who Welcomed Them Cordially.

They Found There Many Whom They Had Known At The

Court Of King Alfred. The Wealthier Men,  The Bishops And

Thanes,  Had For The Most Part Journeyed To Paris Or To Other

Towns In The Interior To Escape The Dreaded Northmen; But

There Were Many Detained At Havre From Want Of Funds To

Journey Farther.

"It Is A Sad Pity," The Governor Said As They Talked Over

The Troubled State Of Western Europe,  "That Your English King

And Our Frankish Monarch Did Not Make Common Cause

Against These Sea Robbers. They Are The Enemies Of Mankind.

Not Only Do They Ravage All Our Coasts,  But They Have Entered

The Mediterranean,  And Have Plundered And Ravaged The

Coasts Of Provence And Italy,  Laying Towns Under Ransom,

Burning And Destroying."

"I Would That I Could Meet Some Of Their Ships On Their

Way Back From Italy," Edmund Said. "I Warrant That We Should

Obtain A Rare Booty,  With Gems Of Art Such As Would Delight

King Alfred,  But Are Thrown Away On These Barbarians; But I

Agree With You That 'Tis Shameful That The Coasts Of All Europe

Should Be Overrun With These Pirates."

"Yes," The Governor Replied,  "If Every Country In

Christendom Would Unite Against Their Common Foe,  And Send

A Quota Of Ships And Men,  We Would Drive The Black Raven

From The Seas,  And Might Even Land On The Danish Shores

And Give Them A Taste Of The Suffering They Have Inflicted

Elsewhere. As It Is,  All Seem Paralysed. Local Efforts Are

Made To Resist Them; But Their Numbers Are Too Great To Be

Thus Withstood. I Wonder That The Pope Does Not Call

Christendom To Arms Against These Pagan Robbers,  Who Not

Only Destroy Towns And Villages,  But Level To The Ground The

Holy Shrines,  And Slay The Ministers Of God On The Altars."

On The Following Morning Edmund,  Who Had Returned

To His Ship To Sleep,  Was Aroused By Loud Shouts On

Deck. Hurrying From His Cabin He Saw A Vast Fleet Of Ships

Approaching The Mouth Of The River. They Were Of All

Sizes--From Great Sailing Ships To Rowing Galleys. It Needed

But A Glance At Them To Assure Him That They Were The Dreaded

Ships Of The Northmen,  For The Black Raven Floated At Many

Of The Mast-Heads.

From The Town The Sounds Of Horns And Great Shoutings

Could Be Heard,  Showing That There Too The Approaching Fleet

Had Just Been Discerned As The Morning Fog Lifted From The

Sea. Edmund Held A Hurried Consultation With His Kinsman.

It Was Now Too Late To Gain The Sea,  For The Danish Ships Had

Already Reached The Mouth Of The River. To Attempt To Escape

By Fighting Would Be Madness,  And They Hesitated Only

Whether To Run The Ship Ashore,  And,  Leaving Her There,  Enter

The Town And Share In Its Defence,  Or To Proceed Up The River

With All Speed To Rouen,  Or Even To Paris.

The Latter Course Was Decided Upon,  For The Danish Ships

Would Contain So Vast A Number Of Men That There Was Little

Hope That