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

The Spies Upon Their Return Reported That Sweyn Had

Taken Up His Abode In The Mansion Of The Count Of Ugoli,

Who Was The Lord Of That Part Of The Country.

Most Of The Danes Lived On Shore In The Houses Of The

Townspeople. Many Of These Had Been Slain,  And The Rest Were

Treated As Slaves. The Lady Freda Was Also On Shore,  And It

Was Thought That She Would Ere Long Become The Bride Of The

Viking.

"Think You That There Will Be Any Possibility Of Surprising

The House And Carrying Her Off?"

"I Think Not," The Dane Said,  "For Sweyn's Men Are On

The Alert,  And Keep Good Guard,  For The People Of This Part Of

The Island,  Being Maddened By Their Exactions And Cruelty,

Have Banded Themselves Together; And Although They Cannot

Withstand The Strong Parties Which Go Out In Search Of Plunder

They Cut Off Stragglers,  And Have Made Several Attacks On

Small Parties. It Is Thought That They May Even Venture An

Attack Upon The Place At Night,  Therefore Sentries Are Set,  And

A Portion Of The Force Remains Always Under Arms In Readiness

To Sally Out In Case Of Alarm."

"I Would Fain Go Myself," Edmund Said,  "And See How

Matters Stand,  And Try To Communicate With Freda. It May Be

That Her Long Resistance Has Tired Her Out,  And That She Is At

The Point Of Consenting To Become Sweyn's Bride."

"I Think Not That," Siegbert Replied. "When Freda Has

Once Made Up Her Mind She Is Not Given To Change."

"I Doubt Not Her Resolution," Edmund Said; "But None

Can Blame Her If,  After All These Months,  She Has Begun To

Despair Of Rescue; Nay,  It Is Even Probable That,  Having Sweyn,

Who Is Assuredly A Brave And Enterprising Viking,  Always Near

Her,  She May Have Come To Love Him."

"No,  Edmund," Siegbert Replied. "I Am Sure You Need

Have No Fear That She Has Softened Towards Sweyn. But How

Do You Think Of Proceeding If You Land?"

"I Will Take With Me This Dane,  And If One Of The Genoese

Nobles Will Go With Me I Will Take Him,  And Also The Man We

Brought From Marseilles,  Who Acts As An Interpreter Between

Us And The Italians."

"But Why Hamper Yourself With Two Men,  Who Would Be

Even More Likely To Be Detected By The Danes Than Would You

Yourself?"

"I Shall Leave Them In The Outskirts Of The Place," Edmund

Replied. "I Would Fain See If I Can Enter Into Any Negotiations

With The Natives. Perhaps We May Arrange That They Shall

Attack The Place On The Land Side,  While The Dragon Falls Upon

The Galleys,  And In Any Case We May Need An Interpreter With

The People."

One Of The Young Genoese,  Upon Being Asked Whether

He Would Take Part In The Adventure,  At Once Consented,  And

The Four Men,  Attiring Themselves As Danes,  Speedily Landed

In The Dragon's Boat. The Bay In Which The Ship Was Lying Was

Some Ten Miles Along The Shore From The Town. The Spies

Had Made Their Way Along The Sea-Coast By Night,  But As It Was

Morning When Edmund Landed,  He Thought That It Would Be

Safer To Make A Detour So As To Arrive Near The Landward Side

Of The Town And So Enter It After Dark.

They Had Not Proceeded Far When They Came Upon The

Ruins Of A Village. It Had Been Destroyed By Fire,  And The

Freshness Of The Charred Beams Showed That It Had Been Done

But A Short Time Before,  Probably Not Many Days. Marks Of

Blood Could Be Seen In The Roadway,  But No Bodies Were Visible,

And Edmund Supposed That,  After The Danes Had Retired,

The Survivors Must Have Returned And Buried Their Dead. They

Had Not Proceeded Far When The Dane Pointed Out To Edmund

A Half-Naked Lad Who Was Running With The Swiftness Of A Deer

Over A Slope Of Some Little Distance.

"He Is Going Too Fast For Us To Catch Him," Edmund Said

Carelessly; "And As,  Even If We Did So,  He Could Give Us No

Information Of Any Use,  For You May Be Sure He Has Not Ventured

Near The Town,  We May Well Let Him Go On In His Way."

For Three Or Four Miles Further They Pursued Their Course.

The Country,  Which Was Exceedingly Fertile,  And Covered With

Corn-Fields And Vineyards,  Appeared Entirely Deserted. Here

And There A Wide Blackened Tract Showed Where,  From

Carelessness Or Malice,  A Brand Had Been Thrown Into The

Standing Corn.

"The Danes Are Ever The Same," Edmund Said. "Well

May They Be Called The Sea-Wolves. It Would Be Bad Enough

Did They Only Plunder And Kill Those Who Oppose Them; But

They Destroy From The Pure Love Of Destroying,  And Slay For

The Pleasure Of Slaying. Why Are These Robbers Permitted To

Be The Scourge Of Europe?"

"Why Indeed?" The Genoese Repeated When The Interpreter

Had Translated Edmund's Exclamation To Him. "'Tis Shame

And Disgrace That Christendom Does Not Unite Against

Them. They Are No More Invincible Now Than They Were When

Caesar Overran Their Country And Brought Them Into Subjection.

What The Romans Could Do Then Would Be Easy For The

Christian Powers To Do Now If They Would But Make Common

Cause Against These Marauders--Nay,  Italy Alone Should Be

Able At Any Rate To Sweep The Mediterranean Free Of Their

Pirate Galleys; But Venice And Genoa And Pisa Are Consumed

By Their Own Petty Jealousies And Quarrels,  While All Our

Sea-Coasts Are Ravaged By These Wolves Of The Ocean."

 "Ah! What Is That?" He Exclaimed,  Breaking Off,  As An

Arrow Struck Smartly Against His Helmet.

They Were At The Moment Passing Through A Small Wood

Which Bordered The Road On Both Sides. The First Arrow

Seemed But A Signal,  For In An Instant A Score Of Others Flew

Among The Party. It Was Well That They Carried With Them The

Long Danish Shields,  Which Nearly Covered Their Whole Body.

As It Was,  Several Slight Wounds Were Inflicted,  And The

Interpreter Fell Dead With An Arrow In His Forehead.

Immediately Following The Flight Of Arrows A Crowd Of

Peasants Armed With Staves,  Axes,  And Pikes Dashed Out From

The Wood On Both Sides And Fell Upon Them,  Uttering Shouts

Of "Death To The Marauders!" "Kill The Sea-Wolves!"

So Great Was The Din,  That,  Although The Genoese Shouted

Loudly That They Were Not Danes But Friends,  His Words Were

Unheard In The Din; And Attacked Fiercely On All Sides,  The

Three Men Were Forced To Defend Themselves For Their Lives.

Standing Back To Back In The Form Of A Triangle,  They Defended

Themselves Valiantly Against The Desperate Attacks Of Their

Assailants.

Several Of These Were Cut Down,  But So Furious Was The

Attack Of The Maddened Peasants That The Defenders Were

Borne Down By The Weight Of Numbers,  And One By One Beaten

To The Ground. Then The Peasants Rained Blows Upon Them

As If They Had Been Obnoxious Wild Beasts,  And In Spite Of

Their Armour Would Speedily Have Slain Them Had Not The

Genoese,  With A Great Effort,  Pulled From His Breast A Cross,

Which Was Suspended There By A Silken Cord,  And Held It Up,

Shouting,  "We Are Christians,  We Are Italians,  And No Danes."

So Surprised Were The Peasants At The Sight That They

Recoiled From Their Victims. The Dane Was Already Insensible.

Edmund Had Just Strength To Draw His Dagger And Hold

Up The Cross Hilt And Repeat The Words,  "We Are Christians."

It Was The Sight Of The Cross Rather Than The Words Which Had

Arrested The Attacks Of The Peasants. Indeed,  The Words Of

The Genoese Were Scarce Understood By Them,  So Widely Did

Their Own Patois Differ From The Language Of Polished Italy.

The Fact,  However,  That These Danes Were Christians

Seemed So Extraordinary To Them That They Desisted From Their

Attack. The Danes,  They Knew,  Were Pagans And Bitterly Hostile

To Christianity,  The Monasteries And Priests Being Special

Objects Of Their Hostility. The Suggestion Of One Of The Peasants,

That The Cross Had No Doubt Been Taken From The Body

Of Some Man Murdered By The Danes,  Revived The Passion Of

The Rest And Nearly Cost The Prisoners Their Lives; But An Older

Man Who Seemed To Have A Certain Authority Over The Others

Said That The Matter Must Be Inquired Into,  Especially As The

Man Who Had The Cross,  And Who Continued To Address Them

In Italian,  Clearly Spoke Some Language Approaching Their Own.

He Would Have Questioned Him Further,  But The Genoese Was

Now Rapidly Losing Consciousness From The Pain Of His Wounds

And The Loss Of Blood.

The Three Prisoners Were Therefore Bound,  And Being

Placed On Rough Litters Constructed Of Boughs,  Were Carried

Off By The Peasants. The Strength And Excellence Of Edmund's

Armour Had Enabled Him To Withstand The Blows Better Than

His Companions,  And He Retained His Consciousness Of What

Was Passing. For Three Hours Their Journey Continued. At

The End Of That Time They Entered A Wood High Up On The Hillside.

There Was A Great Clamour Of Voices Round,  And He

Judged That His Conductors Had Met Another Party And That

They Were At The End Of Their Journey.

The Litters Were Now Laid Down And Edmund Struggled

To His Feet. Before Him Stood A Tall And Handsome Man In The

Attire Of A Person Of The Upper Class. The Old Peasant Was

Explaining To Him The Manner Of Their Capture Of The Prisoners,

And The Reason Why They Had Spared Their Lives.

"How Is It," The Noble Asked When He Had Finished,  Turning

To Edmund,  "That You Who Are Danes And Pagans,  Plunderers

And Murderers,  Claim To Be Christians?"

Edmund Did Not