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

Had Already Picked Up A Little Italian,  Which Was Not Difficult

For Him From His Acquaintance With French.

"We Are Not Danes," He Said; "We Are Their Enemies,  I Am

A Saxon Earl,  And This My Friend Is A Noble Of Genoa."

"A Saxon!" The Italian Exclaimed In Surprise; "One Of The

People Of King Alfred,  And This A Genoese Noble! How Is It

That You Are Masquerading Here As Danes?"

"I Speak But A Few Words Of Italian," Edmund Said,  "But

My Friend Will Tell You The Whole Story When He Recovers.

I Pray You To Order Aid To Be Given To Him At Once."

Although Still At A Loss To Understand How It Had Come

About,  The Count Of Ugoli--For It Was That Noble Himself-

Saw That His Prisoner's Statement Must Be A True One. In Their

Native Patois He Hastily Told The Peasants That There Must Be

Some Mistake,  And That Although Their Prisoners Seemed To

Be Danes They Were Really Christians And Friends.  He Bade

Them Then Instantly To Strip Off Their Armour,  To Bind Up Their

Wounds,  And To Use All Their Efforts To Restore Them To Life.

At His Bidding One Of The Peasants Brought A Wine-Skin,

And Filling A Large Cup With The Liquid,  Offered It To Edmund.

The Latter Drained It At A Draught,  For He Was Devoured By A

Terrible Thirst. After This He Felt Revived,  And Soon Had The

Satisfaction Of Seeing His Comrades Recovering Under The

Ministrations Of The Peasants,  Who Chafed Their Hands,  Applied

Cool Poultices Of Bruised Leaves To Their Bruises,  And Poured

Wine Down Their Throats.

In Half An Hour The Genoese Was Sufficiently Recovered

To Be Able To Sit Up And To Give A Full Account Of Their Presence

There,  And Of Their Object In Assuming The Disguise Of Danes.

He Then Told The Count That Edmund Intended To Reconnoitre

The Place Alone,  And That He Hoped He And His People

Would Attack The Town,  While The Saxons In Their Galley Made

An Assault From The Sea. The Count Replied That The Peasantry

Could Not Be Induced To Take Such A Step.

"I Will,  However,  Aid Your Friend," He Said,  "By A Feigned

Attack To-Morrow Evening When He Is There. This May Help

Him To Escape,  And If The Danes Sally Out Next Day In Pursuit

There Will Be The Fewer For Him To Cope With."

When Edmund Awoke The Next Morning He Found Himself

Able To Walk And Move Without Difficulty And With But

Little Pain,  Thanks To The Care Of The Peasants,  And In The

Afternoon,  Being Furnished By The Count With A Guide,  He Started

For The Town.

When He Arrived Within A Short Distance He Dismissed

His Guide And Lay Down In Some Bushes Till Nightfall,  Then He

Rose And Made His Way Into The Town,  Passing Unobserved

Between The Watch-Fires Made By The Parties Of Danes Encamped

In Its Outskirts To Protect It Against Surprise. Once

In The Town,  He Walked Boldly On,  Having No Fear Of

Recognition Or Question.

Sounds Of Carousing Came Through The Open Casements,

But Few People Were In Its Streets. He Made His Way Down To

The Sea-Shore,  Which He Followed Until He Came To A Large And

Stately Mansion Standing In Beautifully Laid Out Gardens At

The End Of The Town. Several Tents Were Erected In The Garden;

And Although The Night Was Not Cold Great Fires Had Been

Lighted,  Around Which The Danes Were Carousing.

Avoiding These Edmund Walked Up To The Open Windows.

The First Room He Looked Into Was Deserted,  But In The Next,

Which Was A Large Apartment,  A Number Of Danes Were Seated

At Table. At Its Head Sat Sweyn With Freda On His Right Hand.

Around Were A Number Of His Leading Men,  The Captains Of

The Galleys And Their Wives. The Meal Was Over,  And The Winecup

Was Passing Round. A Number Of Attendants Moved About

The Room,  And Many Of The Warriors Who Had Supped Elsewhere

Stood Around The Table,  Joining In The Conversation

And Taking Their Share Of The Wine.

Edmund Saw At Once That He Could Not Hope For A More

Favourable Opportunity,  And He Accordingly Entered The Mansion,

And,  Passing Through The Open Door,  Joined The Party

Within,  Keeping Himself In Rear Of Those Standing Round The

Table,  So That The Light From The Lamps Placed There Should

Not Fall Upon His Face.

Just As He Had Taken His Place,  Sweyn Called Out:

"Let Us Have A Song. Odoacre The Minstrel,  Do You Sing

To Us The Song Of The Raven."

A Minstrel Bearing A Small Harp Advanced Into The Centre

Of The Horse-Shoe Table,  And After Striking A Chord,  Began

To Sing,  Or Rather To Chant One Of The Favourite Songs Of The

Sea-Rovers.

A Shout Of Applause Rose From The Danes As The Minstrel

Ceased,  And Holding Their Goblets High Above Their Heads,  They

Drank To The Raven.

While The Singing Was Going On Edmund Quietly Made

His Way Round To One Of The Open Windows. It Was The Hour At

Which The Count Had Promised To Make His Attack,  And He

Listened Eagerly For Any Sound Which Might Tell That The

Peasants Had Begun Their Work. Other Songs Followed The First,

And Edmund Began To Be Afraid That The Courage Of The Peasants

Had Failed At The Last Moment.

Suddenly He Saw Lights Appear At Five Or Six Points In The

Distance,  And,  Putting His Head Out,  He Thought He Could Hear

Distant Cries And Shouts. The Lights Grew Brighter,  And Soon

Broad Tongues Of Flame Shot Up. Shouts At Once Arose From

The Guards Without. Some Of The Revellers Hearing These Went

To The Windows To See What Was Happening,  And Gave A Cry Of

Alarm. "Sweyn,  We Must Be Attacked; Fires Are Rising In The

Outskirts Of The Town."

"These Cowards Would Never Venture To Disturb Us,"

Sweyn Said Scornfully; "Of All The Foes We Have Ever Met None

Were So Feeble And Timid As These Italians."

"But See,  Sweyn,  The Flames Are Rising From Eight Points;

This Cannot Be Accident."

Sweyn Rose From His Seat And Went To The Window.

"No,  By Wodin," He Exclaimed,  "There Is Mischief Here;

Let Us Arm Ourselves,  And Do You," He Said,  Turning To A Young

Man,  "Run Swiftly To The Outposts,  And Learn What Is The

Meaning Of This."

Scarcely,  However,  Had He Spoken When A Man Ran Breathlessly

Into The Hall.

"Haste To The Front,  Jarl," He Said To Sweyn,  "We Are Attacked.

Some Of The Enemy Creeping In Between Our Fires Set

Fire To The Houses In The Outskirts,  And As We Leapt To Our Feet

In Astonishment At The Sudden Outbreak,  They Fell Upon Us.

Many Of My Comrades Were Killed With The First Discharge Of

Arrows,  Then They Rushed On In Such Numbers That Many More

Were Slain,  And The Rest Driven In. How It Fares With The Other

Posts I Know Not,  But Methinks They Were All Attacked At The

Same Moment. I Waited Not To See,  For My Captain Bade Me

Speed Here With The News."

"Sound The Horn Of Assembly," Sweyn Said. "Do You,

Oderic,  Take Twenty Of The Guard Without,  And At Once Conduct

The Ladies Here To The Boats And Get Them On Board The

Galleys. Let All Others Hasten To The Scene Of Attack. But I

Can Hardly Even Now Believe That This Coward Herd Intend To

Attack Us In Earnest."

In The Confusion Which Reigned As The Warriors Were

Seizing Their Shields And Arms,  Edmund Approached Freda,

Who Had With The Rest Risen From Her Seat.

"The Dragon Is At Hand," He Whispered; "In A Few Hours

We Will Attack Sweyn's Galley; Barricade Yourself In Your Cabin

Until The Fight Is Over."

Freda Gave A Little Start As Edmund's First Words Reached

Her Ear. Then She Stood Still And Silent. She Felt Her Hand

Taken And Pressed,  And Glancing Round,  Met Edmund's Eye

For A Moment Just As He Turned And Joined The Danes Who

Were Leaving The Hall. A Minute Later Oderic Entered With

The Guard,  And At Once Escorted The Women Down To The Boats,

And Rowed Them Off To The Galleys.

Sweyn And The Main Body Of The Danes Rushed Impetuously

To The Outskirts Of The Town. The Fighting Was Already

At An End,  The Peasants Having Withdrawn After Their First

Success. Two Or Three Of The Parties Round The Watch-Fires

Had Been Annihilated Before They Could Offer Any Effectual

Resistance,  Others Had Beaten Off The Attack,  And Had Fallen

Back In Good Order To The Houses,  Losing,  However,  Many Men

On The Way From The Arrows Which Their Assailants Shot Among

Them.

Sweyn And The Norsemen Were Furious At The Loss They

Had Suffered; But As Pursuit Would Have Been Useless,  There

Was Nothing To Be Done For The Present,  And After Posting

Strong Guards In Case The Attack Should Be Renewed,  The Danish

Leaders Returned To The Banqueting Hall,  Where,  Over Renewed

Draughts Of Wine,  A Council Was Held.

Most Of Those Present Were In Favour Of Sending Out A

Strong Expedition On The Following Day To Avenge The Attack;

But Sweyn Argued That It Might Be That The Natives Had

Assembled From All Parts Of The Island,  And That This Sudden

Attack,  The Like Of Which Had Not Been Attempted Before,  Was

Perhaps Made Only To Draw Them Out Into An Ambush Or To

Attack The Town In Their Absence. Therefore He Urged It Was

Better To Delay Making An Expedition For A Short Time,  When

They Would Find The Enemy Unprepared.

After Some Discussion Sweyn's Arguments Prevailed,  And It

Was Determined To Postpone The Expedition For A Few Days.

No Sooner