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

Of The Danes Was Extreme. Their Plans Had Been So Well

Laid That When It Was Found That The Dragon Had Arrived In

Time No Doubts Were Entertained Of The Success Of The Enterprise,

And To Be Foiled Just When Freda Seemed Within Reach

Was A Terrible Disappointment.

"My Only Consolation Is," Edmund Said As He Paced The

Deck Impatiently Side By Side With Egbert,  "That This Fog Which

Delays Us Will Also Hinder The Danes."

"That May Be So Or It May Not," Egbert Answered. "It Is

Evident That Some On Board The Danish Ships Must Have Recognized

Us,  And That They Were Anxious To Escape Rather Than Fight.

They Draw So Little Water That They Would Not Be Afraid

Of The Sandbanks Off The Mouth Of The River,  Seeing That Even

If They Strike Them They Can Jump Out,  Lighten The Boats,  And

Push Them Off; And Once Well Out At Sea It Is Probable That

They May Get Clearer Weather,  For Siegbert Tells Me That The

Fog Often Lies Thick At The Mouths Of These Rivers When It Is

Clear Enough In The Open Sea."

When The Tide Again Began To Run Out Edmund Determined

At All Risks To Proceed To Sea. The Moorings Were Cast

Off From The Shore And The Dragon Suffered To Drift Down.

Men With Poles Took Their Stations In Her Bows And Sounded

Continually,  While At Her Stern Two Anchors Were Prepared In

Readiness To Drop At A Moment's Notice. Several Times The

Water Shoaled So Much That Edmund Was On The Point Of

Giving Orders To Drop The Anchors,  But Each Time It Deepened

Again.

So They Continued Drifting Until They Calculated That The

Tide Must Be Nearly On The Turn,  And They Then Dropped Anchor.

It Was Much Lighter Now Than It Had Been In The River,

But Was Still So Misty That They Could Not See More Than A

Hundred Yards Or So Round The Vessel. No Change Took Place

Until Night,  And Then Edmund,  Who Had Been Too Excited

And Anxious To Sleep On The Previous Night,  Lay Down To Rest,

Ordering That He Should Be Woke If Any Change Took Place In

The Weather. As The Sun Rose Next Morning The Fog Gradually

Lifted,  And They Were Able To See Where They Were. Their Head

Pointed West; Far Away On Their Left Could Be Seen A Low Line Of

Coast. Not A Sail Was In Sight,  And Indeed Sails Would Have

Been Useless,  For The Water Was Still Unruffled By A Breath Of

Wind. The Anchors Were At Once Got Up And The Oars Manned,

And The Ship's Head Turned Towards Shore.

Two Hours' Rowing Took Them Within A Short Distance Of

Land,  And Keeping About A Mile Out They Rowed To The West.

The Men,  Knowing How Anxious Was Their Leader To Overtake

The Danish Galleys,  Rowed Their Hardest,  Relieving Each Other

By Turns,  So That Half The Oars Were Constantly Going. Without

Intermission They Rowed Until Night Set In,  And Then Cast Anchor.

When The Wind Came--It Was Not Until The Third Day--It Was Ahead,

And Instead Of Helping The Dragon It Greatly Impeded Its Progress.

So Far They Had Seen Nothing Of The Galleys,  And Had The

Mortification Of Knowing That In Spite Of All Their Efforts These

Were Probably Gaining Ground Upon Them Every Day. Even

Without Wind The Galleys Would Row Faster Than The Dragon,

And Being So Fully Manned Would Be Able To Keep All Their

Oars Going; But Against The Wind Their Advantage Would Be

Increased Greatly,  For Lying Low In The Water They Would Offer

But Little Resistance To It,  And Would Be Able To Make Way At A

Brisk Pace,  While The Dragon Could Scarce Move Against It.

The Saxon Ship Was Off Calais When The Breeze Sprang

Up,  And As It Increased And Their Progress Became Slower And

Slower Edmund Held A Consultation With His Companions And

It Was Determined To Run Across The Channel And Lie In The

Mouth Of The Thames Till The Wind Turned. So Long As It

Continued To Blow They Would Lag Farther And Farther Behind

The Chase,  Who Might,  Moreover Enter Any Of The Rivers In

Search Of Shelter Or Provisions,  And So Escape Their Pursuers

Altogether. Siegbert Had Never Been Up The Mediterranean,

But He Had Talked With Many Danes Who Had Been. These

Had Told Him That The Best Course Was To Sail West To The

Extremity Of England,  Then To Steer Due South Until They Came

Upon The North Coast Of Spain. They Would Follow This To Its

Western Extremity; And Then Run South,  Following The Land

Till They Came To A Channel Some Ten Miles Wide,  Which Formed

The Entrance To The Mediterranean.

They Decided,  Therefore,  To Follow This Course In Hopes

Of Interrupting The Galleys There; They Would Thus Avoid The

Dangerous Navigation Of The West Coast Of France,  Where There

Were Known To Be Many Islands And Rocks,  Around Which The

Tides Ran With Great Fury. For A Fortnight The Dragon Lay

Windbound; Then Came Two Days Of Calm; And Then,  To Their

Delight,  The Pennon On The Top Of The Mast Blew Out

From The East.

They Were Lying In The Mouth Of The Colne,  And Would

Therefore Have No Difficulty In Making The Foreland; And With

Her Sail Set And Her Oars Out The Dragon Dashed Away From

Her Moorings. Swiftly They Ran Round The South-Easterly Point

Of England And Then Flew Before The Breeze Along The Southern

Coast. On The Third Day They Were Off Land's End And

Hauled Her Head To The South. The East Wind Held,  The Bay Of

Biscay Was Calm,  And After A Rapid Voyage They Sighted The

High Lands Of Spain Ahead. Then They Sheered To The West Till

They Rounded Its Extremity And Then Sailed Down The Coast Of

Spain. They Put Into A River For Provisions,  And The Natives

Assembled In Great Numbers On The Banks With The Evident

Intention Of Opposing A Landing; But Upon Egbert Shouting

That They Were Not Danes But Saxons,  And Were Ready To Barter

For The Provisions They Required,  The Natives Allowed Them

To Approach. There Was No Wrangling For Terms. Cattle Were

Purchased,  And The Water-Tanks Filled Up,  And A Few Hours

After Entering The River The Dragon Was Again Under Way.

Rounding The Southern Point They Followed The Land. After A

Day's Sailing They Perceived Land On Their Right,  And Gave A

Shout Of Joy At The Thought That They Had Arrived At The

Entrance Of The Straits. At Nightfall They Dropped Anchor.

"What Are You Looking At,  Siegbert?" Edmund Asked,

Seeing The Jarl Looking Thoughtfully At The Anchor-Chain

As The Ship Swung Round.

"I Am Thinking," The Jarl Said,  "That We Must Have Made

Some Error. Do You Not See That She Rides,  Just As We Were

Sailing,  With Her Head To The North-East? That Shows That The

Current Is Against Us."

"Assuredly It Does," Edmund Said; "But The Current Is A

Very Slack One,  For The Ropes Are Not Tight."

"But That Agrees Not," Siegbert Said,  "With What I Have

Been Told. In The First Place,  This Channel Points To The

Northeast,  Whereas,  As I Have Heard,  The Straits Into The

Mediterranean Run Due East. In The Next Place,  Those Who Have

Been Through Have Told Me That There Are No Tides As In The

Northern Seas,  But That The Current Runs Ever Like A River To

The East."

"If That Be So," Edmund Said,  "We Must Have Mistaken

Our Way,  For Here What Current There Is Runs To The West.

To-Morrow Morning,  Instead Of Proceeding Farther,  We Will Cross

To The Opposite Side,  And Will Follow That Down Until We Strike

Upon The Right Channel."

In The Morning Sail Was Again Made,  And Crossing What

Was Really The Bay Of Cadiz They Sailed On Till They Arrived At

The Mouth Of The Straits. There Was No Doubt Now That They

Were Right. The Width Of The Channel,  Its Direction,  And The

Steady Current Through It,  All Corresponded With What Siegbert

Had Heard,  And Proceeding A Mile Along It They Cast Anchor.

They Soon Opened Communications With The Natives,

Who,  Although Speaking A Tongue Unknown To Them,  Soon

Comprehended By Their Gestures And The Holding Up Of Articles

Of Barter That Their Intentions Were Friendly. Trade Was

Established,  And There Was Now Nothing To Do But To Await

The Coming Of The Galleys.

"I Would," Edmund Said,  As,  When Evening Was Closing,

He Looked Across The Straits At The Low Hills On The Opposite

Side,  "That This Passage Was Narrower. Sweyn Will,  Doubtless,

Have Men On Board His Ship Who Have Sailed In These Seas

Before,  And Will Not Need To Grope His Way Along As We Have

Done. If He Enters The Straits At Night We Shall See Nothing Of

Him,  And The Current Runs So Fast That He Would Sweep Speedily

By. It Is Possible,  Indeed,  That He Has Already Passed. If He

Continued To Row Down The Shores Of France All The Time We

Were Lying Wind-Bound He Would Have Had So Long A Start When

The East Wind Began To Blow,  That,  Although The Galleys Carry

But Little Sail,  They Might Well Have Been Here Some Days

Before Us. Sweyn Would Be Anxious To Join Hasting As Soon As

He Could. The Men Would Be Thirsting For Booty,  And Would

Make But Short Halt Anywhere. I Will Stay But A Week. If In

That Time They Come Not We Will Enter This Southern Sea And

Seek The Fleet Of Hasting. When We Find That We Shall Find

Sweyn; But I Fear That The Search Will Be A Long One,  For These

People Speak Not Our Tongue,  And We Shall Have Hard Work In

Gaining Tidings Of The Whereabouts Of The Northmen's Fleet."

Day And Night A Vigilant Watch Was Kept Up From The

Mast-Head Of The Dragon,  But Without Success. Each Day They

Became More And More Convinced That Sweyn Must Be Ahead

Of Them,  And On The Morning Of The Seventh They Lifted Their

Anchor And Proceeded Through The Straits. Many Had Been

The Consultations Between Edmund And His Friends,  And It

Had Been Determined At Last To Sail Direct For Rome. Siegbert

Knew That By Sailing Somewhat To The North Of East,  After

Issuing From The Passage,  They Would In Time Arrive At Italy.

At Rome There Was A Monastery Of Saxon Monks,  And

Through Them They Would Be Able To Obtain Full Information

As To The Doings And Whereabouts Of The Squadron Of Hasting.

Scarcely Were They Through The Straits Than The Wind,

Veering To The South-East,  Prevented Them From Making The

Course They Had Fixed Upon,  But They Were Able To Coast Along

By The Shore Of Spain. They Put Into Several Small Ports As

They Cruised Up,  But Could Obtain No Intelligence Of The Danes,

Being Unable To Converse Except By Signs.

When They Reached Marseilles They Were Pleased To Meet

With Franks,  With Whom They Could Converse,  And Hired A

Pilot Acquainted With The Coasts Of The Mediterranean. They

Learned That Hasting And His Fleet Had Harried The Coasts Of

Provence And Italy; That The Genoese Galleys Had Had Several

Engagements With Them,  But Had Been Worsted.

The Danish Fleet Was Now Off The Coast Of Sicily,  And

The Northmen Were Ravaging That Rich And Fertile Island.

They Were Reported