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

The Risk Was So Great That Edmund Determined To Make

An Effort To Rouse The Country Against The Danes,  And To Fall

Upon Them In Their Encampment; But The Task Would He Knew

Be A Hard One,  For The Dread Of The Danes Was So Great That

Only In Large Towns Was Any Resistance To Them Ever Offered.

However He Determined To Try,  For If The Northmen Succeeded

In Getting To The Sea The Pursuit Would Indeed Be A Long One,

And Many Weeks And Even Months Might Elapse Before He

Could Again Come Up To Them.

On The Following Day The Rest Of The Party Arrived,  And

Leaving The Forest Edmund Proceeded With Them Through The

Country,  Visiting Every Village,  And Endeavouring To Rouse The

People To Attack The Danes,  But The News That The Dreaded

Marauders Were So Near Excited Terror Only. The Assurances

Of Edmund That There Was Much Rich Plunder In Their Camp

Which Would Become The Property Of Those Who Destroyed

Them,  Excited But A Feeble Interest. The Only Point In The

Narrative Which Excited Their Contentment Was The News That

The Danes Were Building Ships And Were Going To Make Their

Way Down To The Sea.

"In Heaven's Name Let Them Go!" Was The Cry; "Who Would

Interfere With The Flight Of A Savage Beast? If They Are Going

Down The River They Will Scarcely Land To Scatter And Plunder

The Country,  And He Would Be Mad Indeed Who Would Seek

Them When They Are Disposed To Let Us Alone."

Finding His Efforts Vain In The Country Near The Forest

Edmund Went Down The River To The Town Of Liege,  Which

Stood On Its Banks. When It Became Known That A Band Of

Northmen Was On The Upper River,  And Was Likely To Pass Down,

The Alarm Spread Quickly Through The Town,  And A Council Of

The Principal Inhabitants Was Summoned. Before These

Edmund Told His Story,  And Suggested That The Fighting Men

Of The Town Should March Up The River And Fall Upon The

Danes In Their Camp.

"It Is But Two Days' March--The Northmen Will Be Unsuspicious

Of Danger,  And Taken By Surprise May Be Easily Defeated."

The Proposition,  However,  Was Received With Absolute Derision.

"You Must Be Mad To Propose Such A Thing,  Young Saxon,

If Saxon Indeed You Are,  But For Aught We Know You May Be A

Northman Sent By Them To Draw Us Into An Ambush. No; We

Will Prepare For Their Coming. We Will Man Our Walls And

Stand On The Defensive,  And If There Be,  As You Say,  But Three

Hundred Of Them,  We Can Defend Ourselves Successfully; And

We May Hope That,  Seeing Our Strength,  And That We Are Prepared

For Their Coming,  The Northmen Will Pass By Without

Molesting Us; But As For Moving Outside Our Walls,  It Would Be

Worse Than Folly Even To Think Of Such A Thing."

After This Rebuff Edmund Concluded That He Could Hope

For No Assistance From The Inhabitants Of The Country,  But

Must Depend Upon Himself And The Dragon Alone. He At Once

Despatched Two Of His Men,  A Dane And A Saxon,  With Orders

To Journey As Rapidly As Possible To The Rendezvous,  Where

The Dragon Was To Be Found At The Mouth Of The Rhine,  And To

Beg Egbert To Move Round With All Speed To The Maas.

Having Done This,  He Purchased A Small And Very Fast

Rowing-Skiff At Liege,  And Taking His Place In This With His

Four Remaining Followers,  He Rowed Up The River. It Took Them

Three Days Before They Reached The Edge Of The Forest. On

Reaching Their Former Hiding-Place,  They Landed. The Bushes

Were Carefully Drawn Aside,  And The Boat Hauled Up Until

Completely Screened From Sight Of The River,  And Edmund And

The Dane At Once Started For The Encampment Of The

Northmen.

They Had Been Ten Days Absent,  And In That Time Great

Progress Had Been Made With The Galleys. They Looked Indeed

Completely Finished As They Stood High And Lofty On The

River Bank. The Planks Were All In Their Places; The Long Rows

Of Benches For The Rowers Were Fastened In; The Poop And

Forecastle Were Finished And Decked. A Number Of Long

Straight Poles Lay Alongside Ready To Be Fashioned Into Oars;

And Edmund Thought That In Another Two Or Three Days The

Galleys Would Be Ready For Launching. They Were Long And

Low In The Waist,  And Were Evidently Built For Great Speed.

Edmund Did Not Think That They Were Intended To Sail,  Except

Perhaps Occasionally When The Wind Was Favourable,  As An

Aid To The Rowers. Each Would Carry A Hundred And Fifty

Men,  And There Were Thirty Seats,  So That Sixty Would Row At

Once.

"They Are Fine Galleys," The Dane Whispered. "Sweyn

Has A Good Eye For A Boat."

"Yes," Edmund Said,  "They Look As If They Will Be Very

Fast. With Oars Alone They Would Leave The Dragon Behind,

But With Sails And Oars We Should Overhaul Them In A Wind. I

Wish It Had Been Otherwise,  For If,  When They Reach The Mouth

Of The River,  There Is No Wind,  They May Give The Dragon The

Slip. Ah!" He Exclaimed,  "There Is Freda."

As He Spoke A Tall Maiden Came Out From The Small Hut.

The Distance Was Too Great For Edmund To Distinguish Her

Features,  But He Doubted Not From The Style Of Her Garments

That It Was Siegbert's Daughter. There Were Other Women

Moving About The Camp,  For The Danes Were Generally Accompanied

By Their Wives On Their Expeditions; But There Was

Something In The Carriage And Mien Of The Figure At The Door

Of The Hut Which Distinguished It From The Rest. She Did Not

Move Far Away,  But Stood Watching The Men At Work On The

Ships And The Scene Around. Presently A Tall Figure Strode

Down From The Vessels Towards Her.

"There Is Sweyn!" Edmund Exclaimed,  Seeing That The

Warrior Possessed But One Arm.

"Ah! You Know Him By Sight Then?" The Dane Said.

"I Should Do So," Edmund Answered Grimly,  "Seeing That

It Was I Who Smote Off That Right Arm Of His. I Regret Now

That I Did Not Strike At His Head Instead."

The Dane Looked With Admiration And Surprise At His

Leader. He Had Heard Of The Fight Between The Saxon Champion

And Sweyn,  Which Had Cost The Latter His Right Arm,  But

Until Now He Had Been Ignorant Of Edmund's Identity With

Sweyn's Conqueror.

Freda Did Not Seek To Avoid Her Captor,  But Remained

Standing Quietly Until He Approached. For Some Time They

Conversed; Then She Turned And Left Him And Re-Entered Her

Hut. Sweyn Stood Looking After Her,  And Then With An Angry

Stamp Of The Foot Returned To The Galleys.

I Would Give Much To Be Able To Warn Her That I Am

Present And Will Follow Her Until I Rescue Her From Sweyn,"

Edmund Said. "Once At Sea And On Her Way South She May

Well Despair Of Escape,  And May Consent,  From Sheer

Hopelessness,  To Become His Wife. Were It Not That Her Hut Is

So Strongly Guarded At Night I Would Try To Approach It,  But As

This Cannot Be Done I Must Take My Chance In The Day. To-Morrow

I Will Dress Myself In Your Garments And Will Hide In

The Wood As Near As I Can To The Hut; Then If She Come Out To

Take The Air I Will Walk Boldly Out And Speak With Her. I See No

Other Way Of Doing It."

On The Following Morning,  Attired In The Dane's Clothes

And Helmet,  Edmund Took His Place Near The Edge Of The

Wood. It Was Not Until Late In The Afternoon That Freda Made

Her Appearance. The Moment Was Propitious; Almost All The

Men Were At Work On The Ships And Their Oars. The Women

Were Cooking The Evening Meal,  And There Was No One Near

Freda,  With The Exception Of The Two Armed Danes Who Sat

On The Trunk Of A Fallen Tree On Guard,  A Short Distance Away.

Edmund Issued Boldly From The Wood,  And,  Waiting Till Freda's

Steps,  As She Passed Backwards And Forwards,  Took Her To The

Farthest Point From The Guards,  He Approached Her.

"Freda," He Said,  "Do Not Start Or Betray Surprise,  For You

Are Watched."

At The Sound Of His Voice The Girl Had Paused In Her

Steps,  And Exclaimed In A Low Voice,  "Edmund!" And Then,

Obeying His Words,  Stood Motionless.

"I Am Near You,  Dear,  And Will Watch Over You. I Have Not

Strength To Carry You Away; But My Ship Will Be At The Mouth

Of The River As You Pass Out. Hang A White Cloth From The

Window Of Your Cabin In The Poop As A Signal. If We Fail To

Rescue You There We Will Follow You Wheresoever You May Go,

Even To Italy,  Where I Hear You Are Bound. So Keep Up A Brave

Heart. I Have Seen Your Father,  And He Has Sent Me To Save

You. See,  The Guards Are Approaching,  I Must Go."

Edmund Then Made For The Forest. "Stop There!" The

Guards Cried. "Who Are You,  And Whence Do You Come?"

Edmund Made No Answer,  But,  Quickening His Steps,

Passed Among The Trees,  And Was Soon Beyond Pursuit. This,

Indeed,  The Danes Did Not Attempt. They Had Been Surprised

At Seeing,  As They Supposed,  One Of Their Party Addressing

Freda,  For Sweyn's Orders That None Should Speak With Her

Were Precise. He Had Given This Command Because He Feared,

That By The Promise Of Rich Rewards She Might Tempt Some Of

His Followers To Aid Her Escape. They Had,  Therefore,  Risen To

Interrupt The Conversation,  But It Was Not Until They

Approached That It Struck Them That The Northman's Face Was

Unfamiliar To Them,  And That He Was Not One Of Their Party,

But Edmund Had Entered The Wood Before They Recovered

From Their Surprise. Their Shouts To Him To Stop Brought

Sweyn To The Spot.

"What Is It?" He Asked.

"A Strange Northman Has Come Out Of The Wood,  And

Spoken To The Lady Freda."

Sweyn Turned To His Captive. She Stood Pale And Trembling,

For The Shock Of The Surprise Had Been A Severe One.

"Who Is This Whom You Have Spoken To?" He Asked. Freda

Did Not Answer.

"I Insist Upon Knowing," Sweyn Exclaimed Angrily.

Freda Recovered Herself With An Effort,  And,  Raising Her

Head,  Said,  "Your Insistence Has Small Effect With Me,  As You

Know,  Jarl Sweyn; But As There Is No Reason For Concealment

I Will Tell You. He Is A Messenger