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

Day On Which The Parisians Were Accustomed To Go In Solemn

Procession To The Church Of St. Germain. The Northmen,

Knowing This,  In Mockery Filled A Wagon With Grain And Organized

A Mock Procession. The Bullocks Who Drew The Chariot

Suddenly Became Lame; Numbers Of Other Bullocks Were Attached,

But Although Goaded By Spears Their United Efforts

Were Unable To Drag The Wagon An Inch,  And The Danes Were

Obliged At Last To Abandon Their Intention.

The Same Day St. Germain Is Reported To Have Further

Shown His Power. One Of The Northmen,  Condemned For

Some Offence To Be Executed,  Fled To The Church For Refuge,

And Was There Slain By His Countrymen; But All Who Took Part

In The Deed At Once Fell Dead. The Northmen,  Struck By These

Miracles,  Placed A Certain Number As Guard Over The Church

To Prevent Any From Touching Aught That It Contained. One

Of These Men,  A Dane Of Great Stature,  Spread His Bed In The

Church And Slept There; But To The Astonishment Of His Comrades

He Was Found In The Morning To Have Shrunk To The Size

Of A New-Born Infant,  At Which Stature He Remained For The

Rest Of His Life.

A Miracle Of An Opposite Kind Was At The Same Time Performed

In The Town. A Valiant Warrior Had From The Effects

Of Fever Fallen Into An Extreme Weakness,  And Was Devoured

With Grief At The Thought That He Should No Longer Be Able To

Take Share In The Defence Of The Town. To Him St. Germain

Appeared At Night And Told Him That His Prayers Had Been

Heard,  And That His Strength Should Be Restored To Him. On

Awakening In The Morning He Found That He Was As Vigorous

And As Robust As Ever.

Another Day When The Soldiers Were Carrying The Banner

Of The Saint Round The Walls Of The Town,  Followed By The

Citizens Chanting Hymns,  One Of The Bearers Of The Holy Relics,

Named Gozbert,  Was Struck By A Stone From A Catapult.

The Man Who Had Fired It Fell Dead,  While Gozbert Continued

His Promenade In No Way Injured By The Blow. The Abbe D'abbon

Vouches For These Miracles On The Part Of St. Germain

In Defence Of His Faithful City.

Although For A Time The Northmen Abstained From Grand Assaults,

Continued Skirmishes Took Place. Sometimes Parties Landed Beneath

The Walls,  And Strove To Carry Off The Cattle Which The Besieged

Turned Out To Gather A Little Fresh Food There. Sometimes The

Citizens,  Led By Eudes Or Ebble,  Would Take Boat And Cross,  And

Endeavour To Cut Off Small Parties Of The Enemy. They Had

Now Sufficient Boats At Their Disposal For Expeditions Of This

Kind; For,  In Their Last Defeat,  The Danes Had In Their Haste

Left Several Boats Behind Them. Of One Of The Largest Of These

Edmund Took Possession,  And Going Out In Her At Night,  Several

Times Succeeded In Capturing Danish Vessels,  Sometimes

While They Were Rowing Along The River Unsuspicious That Any

Foes Were Near,  Sometimes By Boarding Them As They Lay

Alongside The Bank.

As The Vessels So Captured Were Too Large To Be Dragged

Ashore,  And Could Have Been Easily Recaptured By The Danes,

They Were,  After Being Emptied Of Their Contents,  Always

Burned. The Plague Continued Its Ravages,  And The City Became

Straitened For Provisions. Count Eudes Therefore Determined

To Go To King Charles To Urge Him To Hurry To The

Succour Of The Town. Almost All The Chiefs Of The Defence

Had Fallen Victims To The Pest,  Or Had Been Killed In Battle

With The Danes,  And The Count At His Departure Committed

The Defence Of The City To The Abbe Ebble And Edmund. He

Then Crossed The Stream At Night,  And Made His Way

Successfully Through The Danes.

The Abbe And Edmund Vied With Each Other In Keeping

Up The Spirits Of The Garrison With Successful Little Forays

With The Danes,  Frequently Crossing The River To The One Bank

Or The Other,  Sometimes With Parties Of Only Five Or Six Men,

And Falling Upon Similar Bodies Of The Enemy. Several Times

They Pounced Upon Small Herds Of The Enemy's Cattle,  And

Driving Them Into The River,  Directed Them In Their Boats Across

The Stream.

In The Commencement Of July Eudes Appeared On The

Slopes On Mont Martre With Three Battalions Of Soldiers. The

Enemy,  Who Were For The Most Part On The Other Side Of The

Seine,  Crossed The River. A Desperate Battle Ensued. A Portion

Of The Garrison Crossed In Boats To The Assistance Of Their

Friends,  Edmund Leading Over His Band Of Saxons. With These

He Fell Upon The Rear Of The Danes Engaged In Fighting With

The Force Under The Count,  And The Northmen,  Attacked On

Both Sides,  Gave Way And Took To Flight. They Were Hotly

Pursued By The Franks.

The Reinforcements Entered Paris Triumphantly By The

Bridge,  Which Had Long Since Been Repaired. But The Siege

Was Not Yet Over. When The News Of The Victory Of Eudes

Spread,  The Danes Again Drew Together From All Parts,  And

Crossing The River,  Attacked The City On Every Side. The

Onslaught Was More Furious Than Any Which Had Preceded It.

The Danes Had Provided Themselves With Large Numbers Of

Mangonels And Catapults. Every Man Capable Of Bearing Arms

Was Upon The Walls; But So Furious Was The Attack,  So Vast The

Number Of The Assailants,  So Prodigious Were The Clouds Of

Missiles Which They Rained Upon The Walls,  That The Besieged

Almost Lost Heart.

The Relics Of St. Genevieve Were Taken Round The Walls.

In Several Places The Danes Had Formed Breaches In The Walls,

And Although The Besieged Still Struggled,  Hope Had Well-Nigh

Left Them,  And Abject Terror Reigned In The City. Women Ran

About The Streets Screaming,  And Crying That The End Was At

Hand. The Church Bells Tolled Dismally,  And The Shouts Of The

Exultant Danes Rose Higher And Higher. Again A General Cry

Rose To St. Germain To Come To The Aid Of The Town. Just At

This Moment Edmund And Egbert,  Who Had Till Now Held The

Saxons In Reserve,  Feeling That A Desperate Effort Must Be

Made,  Formed Up Their Band,  And Advancing To The Principal

Breach,  Passed Through The Ranks Of The Disheartened Franks,

And With Levelled Pikes Charged Headlong Down Into The Crowd

Of Danes. The Latter,  Already Exhausted By Their Efforts,  Were

At Once Borne Back Before The Serried Pikes Of Their Fresh

Assailants. In Vain Their Chiefs At That Point Tried To Rally Them;

Nothing Could Withstand The Impetus Of The Saxon Attack.

Astonished At Seeing The Tide Of Battle Swept Away From

The Breach,  The French Believed That St. Germain Had Wrought

A Miracle In Their Favour,  And Taking Heart Poured Out In The

Rear Of The Saxons. The News Of The Miracle Spread Rapidly.

Through The Breaches,  And From Every Gate,  They Poured Out

Suddenly Upon The Danes,  Who,  Struck With Consternation At

This Sudden Onslaught By A Foe Whom They Had Already Regarded

As Beaten,  Hesitated,  And Soon Took To Flight. Vast

Numbers Were Cut Down Before They Could Reach Their Vessels.

A Great Portion Fled Towards The Bridge And Endeavoured

To Cross There; But Their Numbers Impeded Them,  And The

Saxons And Franks,  Falling Upon Their Rear,  Effected A

Terrible Slaughter.

Two Days After The Battle A Force Of Six Hundred Franks

Arrived From The Emperor Charles. The Danes Sought To

Oppose Their Entrance To The City,  But Were Defeated With A

Loss Of Three Thousand Men. The Siege Was Now Virtually

Over,  And In A Short Time The Emperor Himself With A Great

Army Arrived. It Was Now November,  And After Some Negotiations

The Danes Agreed Upon The Receipt Of Seven Hundred

Pounds Of Silver To Retire To Burgundy And To Leave The

Country At The Beginning Of March.

Having Wasted Burgundy,  However,  They Again Returned

To Paris. Consternation Seized The Capital When The Fleet Of

The Northmen Was Seen Approaching. A Treaty Was,  However,

Made,  For The Wind Had Fallen Just When The Danish Fleet,

Which Had But Lately Arrived And Was Descending The River,

Was Abreast Of Paris. As Soon As The Wind Became Favourable

The Northmen Broke The Truce,  Slew A Number Of Franks Who

Had Mingled Among Them,  And Passed Up The Marne.

In The Meantime Emperor Charles Had Died And Count

Eudes Had Been Chosen His Successor. When The Danes Again

Advanced Against Paris He Speedily Sent Reinforcements. The

Town Had Already Repulsed An Attack. Eudes Himself On

St. John's Day Was Advancing With 1000 Men-At-Arms When He

Was Attacked By 10,000 Mounted Danes And 9000 Footmen.

The Combat Was Desperate But The Franks Were Victorious.

Eudes,  However,  Had Other Difficulties. Burgundy And

Aquitaine Revolted,  And In Order To Secure Peace To The Kingdom

He Made A Treaty With The Danes,  Giving Over To Them

The Province Of Normandy.

Edmund And Egbert Had No Part In The Second Siege Of

Paris. As Soon As The Place Was Relieved By The Emperor

Charles They Prepared To Depart. Taking Boats They Ascended

The River,  And To Their Joy Found The Dragon Safe In The

Hiding Place Where She Had Been Lying For Nearly A Year. She Was

Brought Out Into The Stream And Floated Down To Paris,  Where

By The Order Of Count Eudes She Was Thoroughly Repaired

And Redecorated.

The Franks,  Convinced That Next Only To The Assistance

Of St. Germain They Owed The Safety Of Their City To The Valour

Of The Saxons,  Loaded Them With Presents; And These,  With

The Gifts Which They Had Previously Received After The

Destruction Of The Three Towers,  And The Sums For Which The Booty

Captured From The Danes Had Been Sold,  Made Up A Great

Treasure.

Upon The Day Before They Had Arranged To Sail A Danish

Boat Was Seen Rowing Down The Stream. It Approached The

Dragon And The Helmsman Asked:

"Is This Ship The Dragon? And Has It For A Captain Edmund

The Saxon?"

"I Am Edmund," He Replied,  "And This Is The Dragon. What

Would You With Me?"

"I Am Sent By The Jarl Siegbert,  Who Lies Wounded Near,

To Beg That You Will Come To Him Immediately,  As He Is In A

Sore Strait And Needs Your Assistance."

"I Will Come At Once," Edmund Said. "Put One Of Your

Men On Board To Show Me Where He Is,  For I Shall Be There

Before You."

Edmund's Horn Sounded The Signal,  And Messengers Were

Sent To The Town To Order The Crew At Once To Repair On Board

The Dragon. Edmund Landed And Took Leave Of The Frankish

Leaders.