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

Number Of Danish Galleys,  Most Of Which Were Laden With

Rich Booty. Then She Returned To Rome. A Few Days Later A

Solemn Service Was Held,  At Which Freda And Siegbert Were

Baptized As Christians,  And After This Was Done A Marriage

Service Was Held,  And Edmund And Freda Married With The

Rites Of The Christian Church. The Pope Himself Was Present

At The Services And Bestowed His Blessing Upon The Newly

Married Couple,  The Novelty Of The Occasion Drawing A Vast

Crowd Of Spectators.

A Few Days Later The Dragon Again Put To Sea,  And After A

Speedy Voyage With Favourable Weather Arrived In England

Without Further Adventure. Edmund's Arrival At Home Was

The Occasion Of Great Rejoicings. The News Of The Share Which

The Dragon And Her Crew Had Taken In The Defence Of Paris

Had Reached England,  But None Knew What Had Become Of

Her From That Time,  And When Months Had Passed Without

Tidings Of Her Being Received It Was Generally Supposed That

She Must Have Been Lost.

Her Return Laden With Rich Booty Excited The Greatest

Enthusiasm,  And The King Himself Journeyed To Sherborne To

Welcome Edmund On His Arrival There.

"So This Is The Reason," He Said Smiling,  When Edmund

Presented Freda To Him,  "Why You Were Ever So Insensible To

The Attractions To Our Saxon Maidens! Truly The Reason Is A

Fair One And Fully Excuses You,  And Right Glad Am I To Welcome

Your Bonnie Bride To Our Shores."

Alfred Remained Three Days At Sherborne And Then Left

Edmund To Administer The Affairs Of His Earldom,  For Which A

Substitute Had Been Provided In His Absence. The Large Plunder

Which The Dragon Had Brought Home Had Enriched All

Who Had Sailed In Her,  And Greatly Added To The Prosperity

Which Prevailed In Edmund's District.

He Found That In His Absence Alfred Had Introduced Many

Changes. The Administration Of Justice Was No Longer In The

Hands Of The Ealdormen,  Judges Having Been Appointed Who

Journeyed Through The Land And Administered Justice.

Edmund Highly Approved Of The Change,  For Although In Most

Cases The Ealdormen Had Acted To The Best Of Their Powers

They Had A Great Deal Of Other Business To Do; Besides,  Their

Decisions Necessarily Aggrieved One Party Or The Other And

Sometimes Caused Feuds And Bad Feelings,  And Were Always

Liable To Be Suspected Of Being Tinged With Partiality; Whereas

The Judges Being Strangers In The District Would Give Their

Decisions Without Bias Or Favour.

Freda Had,  As Was The Custom,  Taken A New Name In Baptism,

But At Edmund's Request Her Name Had Only Been

Changed To The Christian One Of Elfrida,  And Edmund To The

End Of His Life Continued To Call Her By Her Old Name. She

Speedily Became As Popular In The Earldom As Was Her Husband.

Siegbert,  Who Had Been Christened Harold,  Took Kindly

To His New Life. Between Him And Egbert A Great Friendship

Had Sprung Up,  And Edmund Built For Their Joint Use A House

Close To His Own.

In 884 Alfred Heard That The Danes Of East Anglia Were

In Correspondence With Their Countrymen At Home And In

France,  And That There Was Danger That The Peace Of England

Would Be Disturbed. The Thanes Were Therefore Bidden To

Prepare For Another Struggle,  To Gather Sufficient Arms In

Readiness For All The Able-Bodied Men In Their District,  And To

Call Out Their Contingents From Time To Time To Practise In The

Use Of Arms.

The Ealdormen Whose Seats Of Government Bordered

On The Sea Were Ordered To Construct Ships Of War,  So That Any

Danish Armament Might Be Met At Sea. Edmund Was Appointed

To Command This Fleet,  And Was Instructed To Visit

The Various Ports To Superintend The Construction Of The Ships,

And When They Were Completed To Exercise Their Crews In Naval

Maneuvers.

The Winter Of 884 Was Spent By Edmund In The Performance

Of These Duties. The Dragon Was Again Fitted Out,  And

In Her He Cruised From Port To Port. Freda,  Who Was

Passionately Fond Of The Sea,  Accompanied Him,  As Did Siegbert

And Egbert. It Was Not Until May In 885 That The Threatened

Invasion Took Place. Then The News Came To The King That The

Danes Had Landed In Large Numbers Near Rochester And Had

Laid Siege To The Town. The King Instantly Summoned His Fighting

Array,  And In A Few Days Moved At The Head Of A Large

Army Towards Kent. Rochester Was Defending Itself Valiantly.

The Danes Erected A Great Tower Opposite To The Principal

Gate,  And Overwhelming The Defenders On The Walls With Their

Missiles Endeavoured To Force Their Way In By Battering Down

The Gate.

The Inhabitants,  However,  Piled Great Masses Of Stone

Behind It,  And Even When The Gate Was Battered In The Danes,

With All Their Efforts,  Were Unable To Force An Entrance. The

Saxon Army Advanced With Such Celerity That The Danes Had

Received No News Of Their Coming Until They Were Close At

Hand. Then One Of Their Foraging Parties Arrived With The

Intelligence That A Great Saxon Army Was Upon Them. The

Danes Were Seized With A Sudden Panic,  And Fled Precipitately

To Their Ships,  Leaving Behind Them The Horses They Had

Brought From France,  Their Stores,  And All The Prisoners And

Spoil They Had Gathered In Their Incursions In The

Neighbourhood Of Rochester. Seeing How Well The Saxons

Were Prepared For Resistance The Greater Portion Of The Danes

Crossed To France,  But Sixteen Of Their Vessels Entered The

Stour And Joined Their Allies Of East Anglia.

Alfred Ordered His Fleet To Assemble In The Medway,  And

In A Fortnight The Vessels From All The Southern Ports Arrived.

They Were Filled With Fighting Men,  And Sailed To Attack The

Danes In The Stour,  After Which The Force Was To Land And To

Inflict A Severe Punishment Upon East Anglia. On Hearing

Of The Gathering Of The Saxon Fleet Athelstan Sent Across To

France And Begged The Danes To Come To His Assistance,  But

None Of Their Vessels Had Arrived When The Saxon Fleet Reached

The Mouth Of The Stour.

The Fighting Force On Board The Danish Ships Had Been

Largely Reinforced By Their Countrymen Of East Anglia,  And In

A Close Body They Rowed Out To Give Battle To The Saxons. A

Desperate Fight Ensued,  But After A Struggle,  Which Continued

For Many Hours,  The Danes Were Completely Defeated,  The

Whole Of Their Vessels Were Captured,  And All On Board Put To

The Sword.

On The Following Day The Army Landed And Ravaged The

Surrounding Country And Returned To The Ships With Much

Booty. As They Sailed Out Of The River They Saw A Vast Fleet Of

The Enemy Approaching. Athelstan Had Assembled His Ships

From All The Ports Of East Anglia,  And Had Been Joined By A

Large Reinforcement Of His Countrymen From France. The

Saxons Were Greatly Outnumbered,  But A Portion Of The Fleet

Fought With Great Bravery. Some Of The Ships,  However,  Being

Manned With Newly-Collected Crews Unaccustomed To Naval

War,  Lost Heart,  And Made But A Poor Resistance.

Alfred Was On Board The Dragon,  Which Sank Several Of

The Danish Galleys,  And With Some Of Her Consorts Continued

The Fight Until Nightfall,  Beating Off Every Attempt Of The Danes

To Board Them. Seeing That Several Of The Ships Had Been

Captured,  That Others Had Taken To Flight,  And That There Was

No Longer A Hope Of Victory,  Alfred Gave The Signal,  And The

Dragon And Her Remaining Consorts Fought Their Way Through

The Danish Fleet And Made Their Escape.

The Valour Which The Saxons Had Shown In These Two

Sea-Fights,  And The Strength Of The Army With Which Alfred

Had So Speedily Marched To The Relief Of Rochester,  Greatly

Impressed The Enemy,  And Although Rollo Came Across From

Normandy To The Assistance Of Athelstan,  The Danes Concluded

That It Was Better To Leave The Saxons To Themselves.

Alfred In The Following Spring Again Assembled His Army

And Laid Siege To London,  Which Was Still In The Possession Of

The Danes. Athelstan Did Not Venture To March To Its Assistance,

And The Town,  Which Had Long Been In The Northmen's

Hands,  Was Captured. The Greater Portion Of The City Was

Burned In The Siege. Alfred Ordered It To Be Rebuilt,  Invited

Its Former Inhabitants To Return,  And Offered Privileges To All

Who Would Take Up Their Abode There. The Walls Were Rebuilt,

And The City Placed In A Position Of Defence. Alfred

Then Handed It Over To Ethelred,  The Ealdorman Of Mercia.

Peace Was Now Made With Athelstan,  And For Some Years

Remained Unbroken. In 893 A Danish Fleet Of 250 Ships Sailed

Across From Boulogne And Landed In The Weald Of Kent,  Which

Was Then Covered With A Great Forest,  And There Wintered,  While

The Viking Hasting With Eighty Ships Sailed Up The Thames

And Built A Strong Fort At Milton.

Alfred Stationed His Army In A Strong Position Half-Way

Between The Forest And The Danish Camp At Milton,  So That He

Could Attack Either Army When They Moved Out Of Their Stronghold.

The Danes For Many Months Remained In The Forest,

Issuing Out Occasionally To Plunder In The Open Country Of

Kent,  Sussex,  And Hampshire,  But They Met With A Stout Resistance

From The Saxons Who Had Remained In The Towns And Country.

After Easter,  Having Collected A Considerable Amount Of

Spoil,  And Finding The Resistance Ever Increasing,  The Danes

Moved Northwards From Their Forest,  Intending To March Into

Essex. The King's Forces At Once Set Off To Intercept Them,

And Overtook Them At Farnham,  Where The Northmen Were

Completely Defeated. All Their Booty Was Recaptured,  With

Their Horses And Stores. Those Who Escaped Fled Across The

Thames And Took Refuge On An Island In The Colne. The

Saxons Besieged Them There; But When The Danes Were About

To Surrender From Want Of Provisions The News Arrived That

The Northmen Of Northumbria And East Anglia,  With 240

Ships,  Had Landed Suddenly In Devonshire,  And Had Laid Siege

To Exeter.

The Siege Of The Island Was At Once Raised,  And King

Alfred Marched Against The New Arrivals,  And Advancing With

Great Speed Fell Upon Them And Defeated Them. Then Hastily

Returning He Came To London And,  Joined By A Strong Force

From Mercia,  Marched Against Milton,  Where Hasting Had

Been Joined By The Great