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

Father.

On The Following Morning Egbert And Edmund Started

For Croyland. The News Of The Defeat At Kesteven Had Already

Reached The Abbey,  And Terror And Consternation

Reigned There. Edmund Went At Once To His Uncle And Informed

Him Of The Circumstance Of The Death Of His Father

And The Annihilation Of The Saxon Army.

"Your News,  Edmund,  Is Even Worse Than The Rumours

Which Had Reached Me,  And Deeply Do I Grieve For The Loss Of

My Brave Brother And Of The Many Valiant Men Who Died

With Him. This Evening Or To-Morrow The Spoilers Will Be

Here,  And Doubtless Will Do To Croyland As They Have Done To

All The Other Abbeys And Monasteries Which Have Fallen Into

Their Hands. Before They Come You And Egbert Must Be Far

Away. Have You Bethought You Whither You Will Betake

Yourselves?"

"We Are Going To The King Of The West Saxons," Edmund

Replied. "Such Was My Father's Intention,  And I Fear That

All Is Now Lost In East Anglia."

"'Tis Your Best Course,  And May God's Blessing And

Protection Rest Upon You!"

"But What Are You Going To Do,  Uncle? Surely You Will

Not Remain Here Until The Danes Arrive,  For Though They May

Spare Other Men They Have No Mercy On Priests And Monks?"

"I Shall Assuredly Remain Here,  Edmund,  At My Post,  And

As My Brother Eldred And Earl Algar And Their Brave

Companions Died At Their Posts In The Field Of Battle,

So I Am Prepared To Die Here Where God Has Placed Me.

I Shall Retain Here With Me Only A Few Of The Most Aged And

Infirm Monks,  Too Old To Fly Or To Support The Hardships Of

The Life Of A Hunted Fugitive In The Fens; Together With Some

Of The Children Who Have Fled Here,  And Who,  Too,  Could Not

Support Such A Life. It May Be That When The Fierce Danes

Arrive And Find Nought But Children And Aged Men Even Their

Savage Breasts May Be Moved To Pity; But If Not,  God's Will Be

Done. The Younger Brethren Will Seek Refuge In The Fens,  And

Will Carry With Them The Sacred Relics Of The Monastery. The

Most Holy Body Of St. Guthlac With His Scourge And Psalmistry,

Together With The Most Valuable Jewels And Muniments,  The

Charters Of The Foundation Of The Abbey,  Given By King

Ethelbald,  And The Confirmation Thereof By Other Kings,  With

Some Of The Most Precious Gifts Presented To The Abbey."

Edmund And Egbert Set To Work To Assist The Weeping

Monks In Making Preparations For Their Departure. A Boat

Was Laden With The Relics Of The Saints,  The Muniments Of The

King,  And The Most Precious Vessels. The Table Of The Great

Altar Covered With Plates Of Gold,  Which King Wichtlof Had

Presented,  With Ten Gold Chalices,  And Many Other Vessels,

Was Thrown Into The Well Of The Convent.

In The Distance The Smoke Of Several Villages Could Now

Be Seen Rising Over The Plain,  And It Was Clear That The Danes

Were Approaching. The Ten Priests And Twenty Monks Who

Were To Leave Now Knelt,  And Received The Solemn Benediction

Of The Abbot,  Then,  With Edmund And Egbert,  They Took

Their Places In The Boat And Rowed Away To The Wood Of

Ancarig,  Which Lay Not Far From The Abbey.

The Abbot Theodore And The Aged Monks And Priests

Now Returned To The Church,  And,  Putting On Their Vestments,

Commenced The Services Of The Day; The Abbot Himself

Celebrated High Mass,  Assisted By Brother Elfget The Deacon,

Brother Savin The Sub-Deacon,  And The Brothers Egelred And

Wyelric,  Youths Who Acted As Taper-Bearers. When The Mass

Was Finished,  Just As The Abbot And His Assistants Had

Partaken Of The Holy Communion,  The Danes Burst Into The

Church. The Abbot Was Slain Upon The Holy Altar By The Hand

Of The Danish King Oskytal,  And The Other Priests And Monks

Were Beheaded By The Executioner.

The Old Men And Children In The Choir Were Seized And

Tortured To Disclose Where The Treasures Of The Abbey Were

Concealed,  And Were Also Put To Death With The Prior And

Sub-Prior. Turgar,  An Acolyte Of Ten Years Of Age; A

Remarkably Beautiful Boy,  Stood By The Side Of The Sub-Prior

As He Was Murdered And Fearlessly Confronted The Danes,  And

Bade Them Put Him To Death With The Holy Father. The Young

Earl Sidroc,  However,  Struck With The Bearing Of The Child,

And Being Moved With Compassion,  Stripped Him Of His Robe And

Cowl,  And Threw Over Him A Long Danish Tunic Without Sleeves,

And Ordering Him To Keep Close By Him,  Made His Way Out Of

The Monastery,  The Boy Being The Only One Who Was Saved

From The General Massacre.

The Danes,  Furious At Being Able To Find None Of The

Treasures Of The Monastery,  Broke Open All The Shrines And

Levelled The Marble Tombs,  Including Those Of St. Guthlac,

The Holy Virgin Ethelbritha,  And Many Others,  But Found In

These None Of The Treasure Searched For. They Piled The Bodies

Of The Saints In A Heap,  And Burned Them,  Together With

The Church And All The Buildings Of The Monastery; Then,  With

Vast Herds Of Cattle And Other Plunder,  They Moved Away From

Croyland,  And Attacked The Monastery Of Medeshamsted.

Here The Monks Made A Brave Resistance. The Danes Brought

Up Machines And Attacked The Monastery On All Sides,  And

Effected A Breach In The Walls. Their First Assault,  However,

Was Repelled,  And Fulba,  The Brother Of Earl Hulba,  Was

Desperately Wounded By A Stone.

Hulba Was So Infuriated At This That When,  At The Second

Assault,  The Monastery Was Captured,  He Slew With His Own

Hand Everyone Of The Monks,  While All The Country People

Who Had Taken Refuge Within The Walls Were Slaughtered By

His Companions,  Not One Escaping. The Altars Were Levelled

To The Ground,  The Monuments Broken In Pieces. The Great

Library Of Parchments And Charters Was Burnt. The Holy Relics

Were Trodden Under Foot,  And The Church Itself,  With All

The Monastic Buildings,  Burnt To The Ground. Four Days Later,

The Danes,  Having Devastated The Whole Country Round And

Collected An Enormous Booty,  Marched Away Against

Huntingdon.

Edmund And Egbert Remained But A Few Hours With The

Monks Who Had Escaped From The Sack Of Croyland; For,  As

Soon As They Saw The Flames Mounting Up Above The Church,

They Knew That The Danes Had Accomplished Their Usual Work

Of Massacre,  And There Being No Use In Their Making Further

Stay,  They Started Upon Their Journey. They Travelled By Easy

Stages,  For Time Was Of No Value To Them. For The Most Part

Their Way Lay Among Forests,  And When Once They Had Passed

South Of Thetford They Had No Fear Of Meeting With The Danes.

Sometimes They Slept At Farm-Houses Or Villages,  Being

Everywhere Hospitably Received,  The More So When It Was Known

That Edmund Was The Son Of The Brave Ealdorman Eldred;

But The News Which They Brought Of The Disastrous Battle Of

Kesteven,  And The Southward March Of The Great Danish Army,

Filled Everyone With Consternation.

The Maids And Matrons Wept With Terror At The Thought

Of The Coming Of These Terrible Heathen,  And Although The

Men Everywhere Spoke Of Resistance To The Last,  The Prospect

Seemed So Hopeless That Even The Bravest Were Filled With

Grief And Despair. Many Spoke Of Leaving Their Homes And

Retiring With Their Wives And Families,  Their Serfs And Herds To

The Country Of The West Saxons,  Where Alone There Appeared

Any Hope Of A Successful Resistance Being Made. Wherever

They Went Edmund And Egbert Brought By Their News Lamentation

And Woe To The Households They Entered,  And At Last Edmund Said:

"Egbert,  Let Us Enter No More Houses Until We Reach The

End Of Our Journey; Wherever We Go We Are Messengers Of

Evil,  And Turn Houses Of Feasting Into Abodes Of Grief. Every

Night We Have The Same Sad Story To Tell,  And Have To Witness

The Weeping And Wailing Of Women. A Thousand Times Better

Were It To Sleep Among The Woods,  At Any Rate Until We Are

Among The West Saxons,  Where Our News May Cause Indignation

And Rage At Least,  But Where It Will Arouse A Brave Resolve

To Resist To The Last Instead Of The Hopelessness Of Despair."

Egbert Thoroughly Agreed With The Lad,  And Henceforth

They Entered No Houses Save To Buy Bread And Mead. Of Meat

They Had Plenty,  For As They Passed Through The Forests Wolf

Was Always Upon The Alert,  And Several Times Found A Wild

Boar In His Lair,  And Kept Him At Bay Until Edmund And Egbert

Ran Up And With Spears And Swords Slew Him. This Supplied

Them Amply With Meat,  And Gave Them Indeed Far More Than

They Could Eat,  But They Exchanged Portions Of The Flesh For

Bread In The Villages. At Last They Came Down Upon The

Thames Near London,  And Crossing The River Journeyed West.

They Were Now In The Kingdom Of The West Saxons,  The Most

Warlike And Valiant Of The Peoples Of England,  And Who Had

Gradually Extended Their Sway Over The Whole Of The Country.

The Union Was Indeed But Little More Than Nominal,  As The

Other Kings Retained Their Thrones,  Paying Only A Tribute To

The West Saxon Monarchs.

As Egbert Had Predicted,  Their Tale Of The Battle Of

Kesteven Here Aroused No Feeling Save That Of Wrath And A

Desire For Vengeance Upon The Danes. Swords Were Grasped,

And All Swore By The Saints Of What Should Happen To The

Invaders Should They Set Foot In Wessex. The Travellers Felt

Their Spirits Rise At The Martial And Determined Aspect

Of The People.

"It Is A Sad Pity," Egbert Said To Edmund One Day,  "That

These West Saxons Had Not Had Time To Unite England Firmly

Together Before The Danes Set Foot On The Island. It Is Our

Divisions Which Have Rendered Their Task So Far Easy.

Northumbria,  Mercia,  And East Anglia Have One By One Been

Invaded,  And Their Kings Have Had To Fight Single-Handed

Against Them,  Whereas Had One Strong King Reigned Over The

Whole Country,  So That All Our Force Could Have Been Exerted

Against The Invader Wherever He Might Land,  The Danes Would

Never Have Won A Foot Of Our Soil. The Sad Day Of Kesteven

Showed At Least That We Are Able To Fight The Danes Man For

Man. The First Day We Beat Them,  Though They Were In

Superior Numbers,  The Second We Withstood Them