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

Board,  And Then,  Amidst The Enthusiastic Cheers Of The

Inhabitants,  Who Thronged The Walls And Shore,  The Oars Were Got

Out And The Dragon Proceeded At The Top Of Her Speed Up The

River.

On The Way Edmund Questioned The Dane,  And Found

That Siegbert Had Been Wounded In The Last Assault Upon Paris.

He Had Not Been Present At The First Part Of The Siege,  Having

But Recently Arrived From Norway. His Daughter Freda Had

Accompanied Him. "Yes," She Was Still Unmarried,  Although

Many Valiant Northmen Had Sought Her Hand,  Chief Among

Them The Brave Leader Sweyn "Of The Left Hand;" But There

Had Been A Fray On The Previous Night In Siegbert's Camp,

And It Was Said--But For That He Could Not Vouch--That Freda

Had Been Carried Off.

The News Filled Edmund With Anxiety. Ever Since The

Day He Left Her On Her Father's Galley His Thoughts Had Turned

Often To The Danish Maiden,  And The Resolution To Carry Out

His Promise And Some Day Seek Her Again Had Never For A

Moment Wavered. He Had Seen Many Fair Young Saxons,  And

Could Have Chosen A Bride Where He Would Among These,  For

Few Saxons Girls Would Have Turned A Deaf Ear To The Wooing

Of One Who Was At Once Of High Rank,  A Prime Favourite With

The King,  And Regarded By His Countrymen As One Of The Bravest

Of The Saxon Champions; But The Dark-Haired Freda,  Who

United The Fearlessness And Independence Of A Woman With

The Frankness And Gaiety Of A Child,  Had Won His Heart.

It Was True She Was A Dane And A Pagan; But Her Father

Was His Friend,  And Would,  He Felt Sure,  Offer No Objections On

The Ground Of The Enmity Of The Races. Since Guthorn And

His People Had Embraced Christianity,  The Enmity Between

The Races,  In England At Least,  Was Rapidly Declining. As To

Her Religion,  Edmund Doubted Not That She Would,  Under His

Guidance And Teaching,  Soon Cast Away The Blood-Stained Gods

Of The Northmen And Accept Christianity.

In The Five Years Of Strife And Warfare Which Had Elapsed

Since He Saw Her Edmund Had Often Pictured Their Next Meeting.

He Had Not Doubted That She Would Remain True To Him.

Few As Were The Words Which Had Been Spoken,  He Knew That

When She Said,  "I Will Wait For You Even Till I Die," She Had

Meant It,  And That She Was Not One To Change. He Had Even

Been Purposing,  On His Return To England,  To Ask King Alfred

To Arrange Through Guthorn For A Safe Pass For Him To Go To

Norway. To Hear,  Then,  That She Had Been Carried Off From

Her Father's Side Was A Terrible Blow,  And In His Anxiety To

Arrive At Siegbert's Tent Edmund Urged The Rowers To Their

Fullest Exertions.

It Was Three Hours After Leaving Paris When The Dane

Pointed To A Village At A Short Distance From The River And

Told Him That Siegbert Was Lying There. The Dragon Was Steered

To Shore,  And Edmund Leaping Out Followed The Dane With

Rapid Footsteps To The Village. The Wounded Jarl Was Lying

Upon A Heap Of Straw.

"Is It Really You,  Edmund?" He Exclaimed As The Young

Saxon Entered. "Glad Am I Indeed That My Messenger Did

Not Arrive Too Late. I Heard Of You When We First Landed--

How The Danes,  When They Sailed Up The Seine,  Had Seen A

Saxon Galley Of Strange Shape Which Had Rowed Rapidly Up

The River; How The Galley Herself Had Never Again Been Seen;

But How A Young Saxon With His Band Had Performed Wonders

In The Defence Of Paris,  And Had Burned Well-Nigh Half

The Danish Fleet.

"They Said That The Leader Was Named Edmund,  For They

Had Heard The Name Shouted In Battle; And Especially When

He,  With One Other Alone,  Escaped From The Burning Tower

And Swam The River. So I Was Sure That It Was You. Then,  A

Week Back,  My Men Told Me Of A Strange Ship Which Had Passed

Down The River To Paris,  And I Doubted Not That It Was Your

Dragon,  Which Had Been Hidden Somewhere During The Siege.

I Thought Then Of Sending To Tell You That I Was Lying Here

Wounded; But Freda,  Who Had Always Been Talking Of You,

Suddenly Turned Coy And Said That You Might Have Forgotten

Us,  And If You Wanted Us You Would Come To Us In Norway."

"But Where Is Freda?" Edmund,  Who Had Been Listening

Impatiently,  Exclaimed. "One Of Your Men Told Me That She

Had Been Carried Off. Is It True?"

 "Alas! It Is True," Siegbert Replied; "And That Is Why I

Sent For You. I Have Never Been Good Friends With Bijorn

Since The Wounding Of His Son,  But After A Time The Matter

Blew Over. Sweyn,  Who Though But With One Arm,  And That

The Left,  Has Grown Into A Valiant Warrior,  Is Now,  Bijorn

Being Dead,  One Of Our Boldest Vikings. A Year Since He Became

A Declared Suitor For Freda's Hand. In This,  Indeed,  He Is Not

Alone,  Seeing That She Has Grown Up One Of Our Fairest Maidens,

And Many Are The Valorous Deeds That Have Been Done To

Win A Smile From Her; But She Has Refused All Suitors,  Sweyn

With The Others. He Took His Refusal In Bad Part,  And Even

Ventured To Vow She Should Be His Whether She Willed It Or

Not. Of Course I Took The Matter Up And Forbade All Further

Intimacy,  And We Had Not Met Again Till The Other Day Before

Paris. We Had High Words There,  But I Thought No More Of It.

A Few Days Afterwards I Was Struck By A Crossbow Bolt In The

Leg. It Smashed My Knee,  And I Shall Never Be Able To Use My

Leg Again. I Well-Nigh Died Of Fever And Vexation,  But Freda

Nursed Me Through It. She Had Me Carried On A Litter Here To

Be Away From The Noise And Revelry Of The Camp. Last Night

There Was A Sudden Outcry. Some Of My Men Who Sprang To

Arms Were Smitten Down,  And The Assailants Burst In Here And

Tore Freda,  Shrieking,  Away. Their Leader Was Sweyn Of The

Left Hand. As I Lay Tossing Here,  Mad With The Misfortune

Which Ties Me To My Couch,  I Thought Of You. I Said,  'If Any

Can Follow And Recapture Freda It Is Edmund.' The Danes

Had For The Most Part Moved Away,  And There Were Few Would

Care To Risk A Quarrel With Sweyn In A Matter Which Concerned

Them Not Closely; But I Felt That I Could Rely Upon You,  And

That You Would Spare No Pains To Rescue My Child."

"That Will I Not!" Edmund Exclaimed; "But Tell Me First

What You Think Are His Plans. Which Way Has He Gone,  And

What Force Has He With Him?"

"The Band He Commands Are Six Shiploads,  Each Numbering

Fifty Men. What His Plans May Be I Know Not,  But

Many Of The Danes,  I Know,  Purposed,  When The War Was

Finished Here,  To Move East Through Burgundy. Some Intended

To Build Boats On The Banks Of The Rhine And Sail

Down On That River,  Others Intended To Journey Further And To

Descend By The Elbe. I Know Not Which Course Sweyn May

Adopt. The Country Between This And The Rhine Swarms With

Danes. I Do Not Suppose That Sweyn Will Join Any Other Party.

Having Freda With Him,  He Will Prefer Keeping Apart; But In

Any Case It Would Not Be Safe For You To Journey With Your

Band,  Who Would Assuredly Become Embroiled With The First

Party Of Danes They Met; And Even If They Be As Brave As

Yourself They Would Be Defeated By Such Superior Numbers."

"You Do Not Think That Sweyn Will Venture To Use Violence

To Force Freda To Become His Wife?"

"I Think He Will Hardly Venture Upon That," Siegbert Said,

"However Violent And Headstrong He May Be. To Carry Off A

Maiden For A Wife Is Accounted No Very Evil Deed,  For The

Maiden Is Generally Not Unwilling; But To Force Her By Violence

To Become His Wife Would Be A Deed So Contrary To Our

Usages That It Would Bring Upon Him The Anger Of The Whole

Nation. Knowing Sweyn's Disposition,  I Believe That Were There

No Other Way,  He Would Not Hesitate Even At This,  But Might

Take Ship And Carry Her To Some Distant Land; But He Would

Not Do This Until All Other Means Fail. He Will Strive To Tire Her

Out,  And So Bring Her In Her Despair To Consent To Wed Him."

Edmund Was Silent For Three Or Four Minutes; Then He

Said: "I Must Consult My Kinsman Egbert. I Will Return And

Tell You What I Purpose Doing."

On Leaving The Cottage Edmund Found Egbert Walking

Up And Down Outside Awaiting The Result Of The Interview. He

Had Been Present When The Dane Had Told Of Freda's Abduction,

And Knew How Sore A Blow It Was To The Young Ealdorman,

For Edmund Had Made No Secret To Him Of His Intention Some

Day To Wed The Danish Jarl's Daughter. Edmund In A Few Words

Related To Him The Substance Of Siegbert's Narrative,  And Ended

By Saying: "Now,  Egbert,  What Is Best To Be Done?"

"'Tis Of No Use Asking Me,  Edmund; You Know Well Enough

That It Is You That Always Decide And I Agree. I Have A

Hand To Strike,  But No Head To Plan. Tell Me Only What You

Wish,  And You May Be Sure That I Will Do My Best To Execute

It."

"Of Course We Must Follow," Edmund Said; "Of That There

Is No Question. The Only Doubt Is As To The Force We Must

Take. What Siegbert Said Is True. The Danish Bands Are So

Numerous To The East That We Should Be Sure To Fall In With

Some Of Them,  And Fight As We Might,  Should Be Destroyed;

And Yet With A Smaller Number How Could We Hope To Rescue

Freda From Sweyn's Hands?"

Edmund Walked Up And Down For Some Time.

"I Think," He Went On At Last,  "The Best Plan Will Be To Take

A Party Of But Four At Most. I Must Choose Those Who Will Be

Able To Pass Best As Danes. With So Small A Number I May

Traverse The Country Unobserved. I Will Take With Me Two Of

Siegbert's Men,  Who,  When We Get Nigh