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

And They Resumed Their Ordinary Dresses. The Ealdorman

Attired Himself In A White Tunic With A Broad Purple

Band Round The Lower Edge,  With A Short Cloak Of Green Cloth.

This Was Fastened With A Gold Brooch At The Neck; A Necklet

Of The Same Metal And Several Gold Bracelets Completed His

Costume,  Except That He Wore A Flat Cap And Sandals. Edmund

Had A Green Tunic And Cloak Of Deep Red Colour; While Egbert

Was Dressed In Yellow With A Green Cloak--The Saxons Being

Extremely Fond Of Bright Colours.

All Wore Daggers,  Whose Sheaths Were Incrusted In Silver,

In Their Belts,  And The Ealdorman And His Kinsman Carried

Short Broad-Bladed Swords,  While Edmund Had His Boar-Spear.

Eldred Placed In The Pouch Which Hung At His Side A

Bag Containing A Number Of Silver Cubes Cut From A Long Bar

And Roughly Stamped. The Chest Was Then Buried Again In Its

Place Of Concealment Among The Bushes Near The Hut,

Edmund Placed His Bows And Arrows In The Boat--Not That In

Which Edmund Had Fished,  But The Much Larger And Heavier

Craft Which Eldred And Egbert Had Used--And Then The Party,

With The Hound,  Took Their Places In It. The Ealdorman And

Egbert Were Provided With Long Poles,  And With These They

Sent The Little Boat Rapidly Through The Water.

After Poling Their Way For Some Eight Hours They Reached

The Town Of Norwich,  To Which The Danes Had Not Yet Penetrated;

Here,  Procuring What Articles They Needed,  They Proceeded On

Their Journey To Croyland,  Making A Great Circuit

To Avoid The Danes At Thetford. The Country Was For The

Most Part Covered With Thick Forests,  Where The Wild Boar

And Deer Roamed Undisturbed By Man,  And Where Many Wolves

Still Lurked,  Although The Number In The Country Had Been

Greatly Diminished By The Energetic Measures Which King

Egbert Had Taken For The Destruction Of These Beasts. Their

Halting-Places Were For The Most Part At Religious Houses,  Which

Then Served The Purpose Of Inns For Travellers,  Being Freely

Opened To Those Whom Necessity Or Pleasure Might Cause To

Journey. Everywhere They Found The Monks In A State Of Alarm

At The Progress Of The Danes,  Who,  Wherever They Went,

Destroyed The Churches And Religious Houses,  And Slew

The Monks.

Eldred Was Everywhere Received With Marked Honour;

Being Known As A Wise And Valiant Noble,  His Opinions On The

Chances Of The Situation Were Eagerly Listened To,  And He Found

The Monks At All Their Halting-Places Prepared,  If Need Be,  To

Take Up Arms And Fight The Pagan Invaders,  As Those Of Mercia

And Wessex Had Done In The Preceding Autumn. The Travellers,

On Arriving At Croyland,  Were Warmly Welcomed.

"I Heard,  Brother," The Abbot Said,  "That You Had Bravely

Fought Against The Danes Near Thetford,  And Have Been Sorely

Anxious Since The News Came Of The Dispersal Of Your Force."

"I Have Been In Hiding," Eldred Said,  "Hoping That A General

Effort Would Be Made Against The Invaders. My Own Power

Was Broken,  Since All My Lands Are In Their Hands. The People

Of East Anglia Foolishly Seem To Suppose That,  So Long As The

Danes Remain Quiet,  The Time Has Not Come For Action. They

Will Repent Their Lethargy Some Day,  For,  As The Danes Gather

In Strength,  They Will Burst Out Over The Surrounding Country

As A Dammed-Up River Breaks Its Banks. No,  Brother,  I Regard

East Anglia As Lost So Far As Depends Upon Itself; Its Only Hope

Is In The Men Of Kent And Wessex,  Whom We Must Now Look

Upon As Our Champions,  And Who May Yet Stem The Tide Of

Invasion And Drive Back The Danes. This Abbey Of Yours Stands

In A Perilous Position,  Being Not Far Removed From The

Humber,  Where So Many Of The Danes Find Entrance To

England."

"It Is Not Without Danger,  Eldred,  But The Men Of The

Fens Are Numerous,  Hardy And Brave,  And Will Offer A Tough

Resistance To Any Who May Venture To March Hitherward,  And

If,  As I Hope,  You Will Stay With Us,  And Will Undertake Their

Command,  We May Yet For A Long Time Keep The Danes From

Our Doors."

For Some Weeks The Time Passed Quietly. Edmund Spent

Most Of His Time In Hunting,  Being Generally Accompanied By

Egbert. The Saxon Was An Exceedingly Tall And Powerful

Man,  Slow And Scanty Of Speech,  Who Had Earned For Himself

The Title Of Egbert The Silent. He Was Devoted To His Kinsmen

And Regarded Himself As Special Guardian Of Edmund. He

Had Instructed Him In The Use Of Arms,  And Always Accompanied

Him When He Went Out To Hunt The Boar,  Standing Ever

By His Side To Aid Him To Receive The Rush Of The Wounded And

Furious Beasts; And More Than Once,  When Edmund Had Been

Borne Down By Their Onslaughts,  And Would Have Been Severely

Wounded,  If Not Killed,  A Sweeping Blow Of Egbert's

Sword Had Rid Him Of His Assailant.

Sometimes Edmund Made Excursions In The Fens,  Where

With Nets And Snares He Caught The Fish Which Swarmed In

The Sluggish Waters; Or,  Having Covered His Boat With A Leafy

Bower Until It Resembled A Floating Bush,  Drifted Close To The

Flocks Of Wild-Fowl,  And With His Bow And Arrows Obtained

Many A Plump Wild Duck. Smaller Birds Were Caught In Snares

Or Traps,  Or With Bird-Lime Smeared On Twigs. Eldred Seldom

Joined His Son In His Hunting Excursions,  As He Was Busied

With His Brother The Abbot In Concerting The Measures Of

Defence And In Organizing A Band Of Messengers,  Who,  On

The First Warning Of Danger,  Could Be Despatched Throughout

The Fens To Call In The Fisher Population To The Defence Of The

Abbey.

It Was On The 18th Of September,  870,  That A Messenger

Arrived At The Abbey And Craved Instant Speech With The Prior.

The Latter,  Who Was Closeted With His Brother,  Ordered The

Man To Be Admitted.

"I Come," He Said,  "From Algar The Ealdorman. He Bids

Me Tell You That A Great Danish Host Has Landed From The

Humber At Lindsay. The Rich Monastery Of Bardenay Has

Been Pillaged And Burned. Algar Is Assembling All The

Inhabitants Of The Marsh Lands To Give Them Battle,  And He Prays

You To Send What Help You Can Spare,  For Assuredly They Will

March Hither Should He Be Defeated."

March Hither Should He Be Defeated."

"Return To The Ealdorman," The Abbot Said; "Tell Him That

Every Lay Brother And Monk Who Can Bear Arms Shall March

Hence To Join Him Under The Command Of Lay Brother Toley,

Whose Deeds Of Arms Against The Danes In Mercia Are Well

Known To Him. My Brother Here,  Eldred,  Will Head All The

Inhabitants Of The Marshes Of This Neighbourhood. With These

And The Brothers Of The Abbey,  In All,  As I Reckon,  Nigh Four

Hundred Men,  He Will To-Morrow March To Join Algar."

Messengers Were At Once Sent Off Through The Surrounding

Country Bidding Every Man Assemble On The Morrow

Morning At Croyland,  And Soon After Daybreak They Began To

Arrive. Some Were Armed With Swords,  Some With Long Sickles,

Used In Cutting Rushes,  Tied To Poles,  Some Had Fastened

Long Pieces Of Iron To Oars To Serve As Pikes. They Were A

Rough And Somewhat Ragged Throng,  But Eldred Saw With

Satisfaction That They Were A Hard And Sturdy Set Of Men,

Accustomed To Fatigue And Likely To Stand Firm In The Hour

Of Battle.

Most Of Them Carried Shields Made Of Platted Osiers Covered

With Skin. The Armoury Of The Abbey Was Well Supplied,

And Swords And Axes Were Distributed Among The Worst Armed

Of The Fenmen. Then,  With But Little Order Or Regularity,  But

With Firm And Cheerful Countenances,  As Men Determined To

Win Or Die,  The Band Moved Off Under Eldred's Command,

Followed By The Contingent Of The Abbey,  Eighty Strong,  Under

Lay Brother Toley.

A Sturdy Band Were These Monks,  Well Fed And Vigorous.

They Knew That They Had No Mercy To Expect From The Danes,

And,  Regarding Them As Pagans And Enemies Of Their Religion

As Well As Of Their Country,  Could Be Trusted To Do Their

Utmost. Late That Evening They Joined Algar At The Place They

Had Appointed,  And Found That A Large Number Of The People

Of The Marshes Had Gathered Round His Banner.

The Danes Had Not Moved As Yet From Bardenay,  And

Algar Determined To Wait For Another Day Or Two Before

Advancing,  In Order To Give Time To Others Farther From

The Scene Of Action To Arrive.

The Next Day Came The Contingents From Several Other

Priories And Abbeys,  And The Sight Of The Considerable Force

Gathered Together Gave Heart And Confidence To All. Algar,

Eldred,  And The Other Leaders,  Morcar,  Osgot,  And Harding,

Moved About Among The Host,  Encouraging Them With Cheering

Words,  Warning Them To Be In No Way Intimidated By The

Fierce Appearance Of The Danes,  But To Hold Steadfast And

Firm In The Ranks,  And To Yield No Foot Of Ground To The

Onslaught Of The Enemy. Many Priests Had Accompanied The

Contingents From The Religious Houses,  And These Added Their

Exhortations To Those Of The Leaders,  Telling The Men That God

Exhortations To Those Of The Leaders,  Telling The Men That God

Would Assuredly Fight On Their Side Against The Heathen,  And

Bidding Each Man Remember That Defeat Meant The Destruction

Of Their Churches And Altars,  The Overthrow Of Their Whole

Religion,  And The Restored Worship Of The Pagan Gods.

Edmund Went About Among The Gathering Taking Great

Interest In The Wild Scene,  For These Marsh Men Differed Much

In Their Appearance From The Settled Inhabitants Of His Father's

Lands. The Scenes In The Camp Were