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

Those Ships. The Danes Know That We Have No Boats,  And Will

Not Fear An Attack. We Must Not Do It Until An Hour Or Two

Before Morning,  When,  After Spending The Early Hours Of The

Night As Usual In Feasting And Drinking,  They Will Sleep Heavily.

Just Before We Are Ready To Begin A Small Party Can Unmoor

Two Or Three Of The Boats By The Bank And Push Them Out,

One To The Outside Of Each Tier Of Six Vessels,  So That We May

Have A Means Of Retreat Across The River. When That Is Done

We Will Make A Rush On Board The Ships,  Cut Down Any Danes

We May Find There,  And Set Fire To All The Vessels. We Must

Hold The Gangways To The Shore Until The Flames Get Well Alight,

And Then Take To The Boats And Return."

"I Think The Plan Is A Good One,  Edmund,  And May Well

Be Carried Out Without Great Loss. There Are Plenty Of Empty

Wine Skins At Present In Paris. I Will At Once Set About Collecting

A Hundred Of Them. We Will Fasten To Each A Stout Cord So

As To Form A Loop To Go Over The Head And Shoulders,  Then We

Had Best Attach Them All Together By One Long Cord,  By Which

Means We Shall Float In A Body."

"Fortunately The Night Is Very Dark And I Think That We

Shall Succeed. Say Nothing About It,  Egbert,  And Tell The Men

To Keep Silent. The Good People Of Paris Shall Know Nothing

Of The Matter Until They See The Flames Dancing Round The

Towers Which They Hold In So Much Dread."

The Saxons Received With Satisfaction The News Of The

Intended Expedition. They Had Been Disappointed At Being

Kept Back From Taking Any Part In The Fighting During The

Two Days' Attack Upon The Tower,  And Longed For An Opportunity

To Inflict A Blow Upon Their Hated Enemy The Danes. The

Wine Skins Were Fitted Up With Ropes As Egbert Had Suggested,

And Soon After Nightfall The Party,  Armed With Spear And

Sword,  And Carrying Each His Float,  Sallied Out From The Gates,

As Edmund Was By This Time So Well Known Among The Citizens

That The Gate Was Opened Without Demur On His Order.

They Crept Along The Foot Of The Wall Until They Reached

The Lower Extremity Of The Island. Across The River Innumerable

Fires Blazed High,  And The Songs And Shouts Of The Danes

Rose Loud In The Air. Numbers Of Figures Could Be Seen Moving

About Or Standing Near The Fires,  The Tents Of The Chiefs

Were Visible Some Distance Back,  But The Number Of These As

Well As Of The Fires Was Much Less Than It Had Been On The First

Arrival Of The Northmen,  Owing To The Numbers Who Had Gone

To The Camp Round St. Germain.

The Night Was Very Dark And A Light Rain Was Falling.

Before Taking To The Water Edmund Bade His Men Strip Off

The Greater Portion Of Their Clothes And Fasten Them In A

Bundle On Their Heads,  As It Would Be Some Time After They

Landed Before They Could Advance Upon The Camp,  And The

Cold And Dripping Garments Would Tend To Lessen Their Spirits

And Courage.

When All Was Ready They Stepped Into The Water,  And

Keeping In A Body,  Drifted Down The Stream. The Wine Skins

Floated Them Well Above The Water,  The Stream Was Running

Strong,  And The Lights Of The Danish Fires Were Soon Left

Behind.

In Half An Hour Edmund And Egbert Deemed That They

Were Now Far Beyond A Point Where They Might Chance Upon

Any Danish Stragglers. The Word Was Therefore Given,  And All

Made For The Bank. The Stream Had Already Drifted Them In

That Direction,  And They Soon Reached The Shore. Here The

Skins Which Had Proved So Useful Were Left Behind,  And Putting

On Their Dry Clothes,  They Felt Comparatively Comfortable.

Edmund Ordered Them To Lay Down Their Spears And Swords

By Their Sides,  And To Swing Their Arms Violently. This

They Continued To Do Until They Were Nearly Breathless,  By

Which Time The Blood Was Coursing Warmly In Their Veins.

They Were Now In December,  And The Water Was Extremely Cold,

And Egbert Congratulated Edmund Upon Having Made The Men Strip,

For Had They Been Compelled To Remain In Their Wet Garments

While Waiting For The Danish Fires To Die Down,  They Would

Scarce Have Been In A Fit State To Fight When The Moment

For So Doing Had Arrived.

Three Hours Elapsed Before The Glare Of The Distant Fires

Began To Subside,  Another Half Hour Passed,  And Then The

Band Were Formed Up And Moved Along On The Bank Of The

River.

When Within Half A Mile Of The Danish Camp Edmund And Egbert

Left The Band And Advanced Alone. They Were Pretty Confident

That They Should Find But Few Of The Danes Near The Bank

Of The River,  For The Arrows From The Walls Of Paris Carried

Some Distance Beyond It,  And The Northmen Consequently Encamped

Some Hundred Yards Away. They Had To Pick Their Way Carefully,

For The Ships Were Moored Along The Bank,  Their Ropes Being

Fastened To Great Stakes Driven Into The Ground.

There Were Lights On Board The Vessels,  Many Of The Crews

Remaining On Board. They Made Their Way Along Until They

Reached The Spot They Aimed At. Here Lay The Three Sets Of

Vessels,  Each Six Deep; Their Masts Had Been Removed,  And

The Great Towers Rose High Into The Darkness Above The

Platforms Extending Over Their Decks.

The Planks Forming The Gangways Up Which The Towers

Had Been Moved Had Been Taken Away,  Save One Which Gave

Access To Each Tier,  And Edmund Doubted Not That It Was

Intended That They Should The Next Morning Move Across The

River In Tow Of The Numerous Row-Boats. The Two Saxons Did

Not Attempt To Go On Board,  As They Had Now Found Out All

They Wanted,  And Might Mar All By Disturbing Some Sleeper

Upon The Platform. They Accordingly Returned To The Spot

Where The Band Were Awaiting Them.

"I Propose,  Egbert," Edmund Said,  "That As We Go Along

We Cut The Mooring-Ropes Of All The Vessels. We Must Do It

Quietly So As Not To Excite Any Alarm,  And They Will Know Nothing

Of It Until They Find Themselves Drifting Down The River In

A Mass. Then There Will Be Great Jostling And Carrying Away

Of Bowsprits And Bulwarks,  And The Confusion And Shouting

Which Will Arise Will Tend To Confuse The Danes And To Distract

Their Attention From Us."

Egbert Agreed To The Proposal,  And As Soon As They

Reached The First Ships The Saxons Began Their Work,  Sawing

With Their Knives And Daggers Through The Ropes. The Vessels

Lay Four Or Five Deep And There Were Many Cables To Cut,  But

The Keen Knives Of The Saxons Made Short Work Of These.

Before Beginning Their Work They Had Spread Along The Bank,

Leaving Only Two Men Abreast Of Each Ship,  So That In The

Course Of Two Or Three Minutes The Cables For The Length Of

Forty Ships Were Severed,  And These And Their Consorts Beyond

Them Began To Drift Out Into The Stream.

The Saxons Ran Quickly On Ahead And Repeated The Work

Until The Whole Of The Vessels Below Those Forming The Platform

For The Towers Were Adrift In The Stream; But By This Time

Those In The Ships At The Lower End Of The Tiers Had Taken The

Alarm,  And Shouts Of Wonder And Anger Rose On The Air. The

Nine Saxons Told Off For The Purpose Leaped Into Three Small

Boats And Rowed Out Into The Stream,  While The Rest Of The

Band,  Divided Into Three Parties,  Dashed Across The Planks On

To The Platforms. The Danes Here Had Already Been Alarmed

By The Uproar From The Vessels Adrift,  And Although Unable To

See What Was Passing Judged That Something Was Wrong,  And

Had Called To Their Comrades Sleeping In The Holds To Come

Up.

Some Of These Bearing Torches Came Up On Deck Just As

The Saxons,  Pouring Across The Planks Which Connected The

Ships With The Shore,  Fell Upon Them. Taken Utterly By Surprise,

The Danes Could Offer No Effective Resistance. The Saxons,

Charging With Levelled Spears,  Drove Those Above Headlong

Into The Water; Then,  Having Made Themselves Masters

Of The Platforms,  They Dashed Below And Despatched The Danes

They Found There. The Torches Were Now Applied To The Contents

Of The Holds. These Were For The Most Part Crammed

With The Booty Which The Norsemen Had Gained At Havre,

Rouen,  And Other Places,  And The Flames Speedily Shot Up.

By This Time The Danes