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

Although They Were Ten To One Against Us,  And They Would

Never Have Triumphed Even Then Had Our Men Listened To Their

Leaders And Kept Their Ranks. I Do Not Believe That Even

The West Saxons Could Have Fought More Bravely Than Did Our

Men On That Day; But They Are Better Organized,  Their King

Is Energetic And Determined,  And When The Danes Invade Wessex

They Will Find Themselves Opposed By The Whole People Instead

Of Merely A Hastily Raised Assemblage Gathered In The

Neighbourhood."

They Presently Approached Reading,  Where There Was A

Royal Fortress,  In Which King Ethelred And His Brother Alfred

Were Residing.

"It Is Truly A Fine City," Edmund Said As He Approached It;

"Its Walls Are Strong And High,  And The Royal Palace,  Which

Rises Above Them,  Is Indeed A Stately Building."

They Crossed The River And Entered The Gates Of The Town.

There Was Great Bustle And Traffic In The Streets,  Cynings,  Or

Nobles,  Passed Along Accompanied By Parties Of Thanes,  Serfs

Laden With Fuel Or Provisions Made Their Way In From The

Surrounding Country,  While Freemen,  With Their Shields Flung

Across Their Shoulders And Their Swords By Their Sides,  Stalked

With An Independent Air Down The Streets.

The Travellers Approached The Royal Residence. The Gates

Were Open,  And None Hindered Their Entrance,  For All Who

Had Business Were Free To Enter The Royal Presence And To Lay

Their Complaints Or Petitions Before The King.

Entering They Found Themselves In A Large Hall. The Lower

End Of This Was Occupied By Many People,  Who Conversed

Together In Little Groups Or Awaited The Summons Of The King.

Across The Upper End Of The Room Was A Raised Dais,  And In

The Centre Of This Was A Wide Chair Capable Of Holding Three

Persons. The Back And Sides Were High And Richly Carved. A

Table Supported By Four Carved And Gilded Legs Stood Before

It. Two Persons Were Seated In The Chair.

One Was A Man Of Three Or Four And Twenty,  The Other

Was His Junior By Some Two Years. Both Wore Light Crowns Of

Gold Somewhat Different In Their Fashion. Before The Younger

Was A Parchment,  An Inkhorn,  And Pens. King Ethelred Was

A Man Of A Pleasant Face,  But Marked By Care And By Long

Vigils And Rigorous Fastings. Alfred Was A Singularly Handsome

Young Prince,  With An Earnest And Intellectual Face. Both

Had Their Faces Shaven Smooth. Ethelred Wore His Hair Parted

In The Middle,  And Falling Low On Each Side Of The Face,  But

Alfred's Was Closely Cut. On The Table Near The Younger

Brother Stood A Silver Harp.

Edmund Looked With Great Curiosity And Interest On The

Young Prince,  Who Was Famous Throughout England For His

Great Learning,  His Wisdom,  And Sweetness Of Temper. Although

The Youngest Of The King's Brothers,  He Had Always

Been Regarded As The Future King Of England,  And Had His

Father Survived Until He Reached The Age Of Manhood,  He

Would Probably Have Succeeded Directly To The Throne. The

Law Of Primogeniture Was By No Means Strictly Observed

Among The Saxons,  A Younger Brother Of Marked Ability Or Of

Distinguished Prowess In War Being Often Chosen By A Father

To Succeed Him In Place Of His Elder Brothers.

Alfred Had Been His Father's Favourite Son. He Had When

A Child Been Consecrated By The Pope As Future King Of

England; And His Two Journeys To Rome,  And His Residence At

The Court Of The Frankish King Had,  With His Own Great Learning

And Study,  Given Him A High Prestige And Reputation Among

His People As One Learned In The Ways Of The World. Although

But A Prince,  His Authority In The Kingdom Nearly Equalled

That Of His Brother,  And It Was He Rather Than Ethelred Whom

Men Regarded As The Prop And Stay Of The Saxons In The Perils

Which Were Now Threatening Them.

One After Another,  Persons Advanced To The Table And

Laid Their Complaints Before The King; In Cases Of Dispute

Both Parties Were Present And Were Often Accompanied By

Witnesses. Ethelred And Alfred Listened Attentively To All That

Was Said On Both Sides,  And Then Gave Their Judgment. An

Hour Passed,  And Then Seeing That No One Else Approached

The Table,  Egbert,  Taking Edmund By The Hand,  Led Him Forward

And Knelt Before The Royal Table.

"Whom Have We Here?" The King Said. "This Youth Is By

His Attire One Of Noble Race,  But I Know Not His Face."

"We Have Come,  Sir King," Egbert Said,  "As Fugitives And

Suppliants To You. This Is Edmund,  The Son Of Ealdorman

Eldred,  A Valiant Cyning Of East Anglia,  Who,  After Fighting

Bravely Against The Danes Near Thetford,  Joined Earl Algar,

And Died By His Side On The Fatal Field Of Kesteven. He Had

Himself Purposed To Come Hither To You And To Ask You To

Accept Him As Your Thane,  And On The Morn Of The Battle He

Charged Me If He Fell To Bring Hither His Son To You; And We

Pray You To Accept,  In Token Of Our Homage To You,  These

Vessels."

And Here He Placed Two Handsome Goblets Of Silver Gilt

Upon The Table.

"I Pray You Rise," The King Said. "I Have Assuredly Heard

Of The Brave Eldred,  And Will Gladly Receive His Son As My

Thane. I Had Not Heard Of Eldred's Death,  Though Two Days

Since The Rumour Of A Heavy Defeat Of The East Angles At

Kesteven,  And The Sacrilegious Destruction Of The Holy Houses

Of Bardenay,  Croyland,  And Medeshamsted Reached Our Ears.

Were You Present At The Battle?"

"I Was,  Sir King," Egbert Said,  "And Fought Beside Earl

Algar And My Kinsman The Ealdorman Eldred Until Both Were

Slain By The Danes,  And I With Difficulty Cut My Way Through

Them And Escaped To Carry Out My Kinsman's Orders Regarding

His Son."

"You Are A Stout Champion Yourself," The King Said,

Regarding With Admiration Egbert's Huge Proportions; "But Tell

Us The Story Of This Battle,  Of Which At Present But Vague

Rumours Have Reached Us." Egbert Related The Incidents Of

The Battle Of Kesteven. "It Was Bravely Fought," The King Said

When He Had Concluded; "Right Well And Bravely,  And Better

Fortune Should Have Attended Such Valour. Truly The Brave

Algar Has Shown That We Saxons Have Not Lost The Bravery

Which Distinguished Our Ancestors,  And That,  Man For Man,

We Are Equal To These Heathen Danes."

"But Methinks," Prince Alfred Said,  "That The Brave Algar

And His Valiant Companions Did Wrong To Throw Away Their

Lives When All Was Lost. So Long As There Is The Remotest Chance

Of Victory It Is The Duty Of A Leader To Set An Example Of Valour

To His Followers,  But When All Is Lost He Should Think Of His

Country. What Though The Brave Thanes Slew Each A Score Of

Danes Before They Died,  Their Death Has Left Their Countrymen

Without A Leader,  And By That One Battle The Danes Have

Made Themselves Masters Of The North Of East Anglia. Better

Far Had They,  When The Day Was Lost,  Retreated,  To Gather The

People Together When A Better Opportunity Presented Itself,

And Again To Make Head Against The Invaders. It Is Heathen

Rather Than Christian Warfare Thus To Throw Away Their Lives

Rather Than To Retreat And Wait For God's Time To Come Again.

To Stake All On One Throw,  Which If Lost Loses A Whole People,

Seems To Me The Act Of A Gamester. I Trust That,  Should The

Time Ever Come,  As It Is Too Much To Be Feared It Will Ere Long,

That The Danes Invade My Brother's Kingdom Of Wessex,  I

Shall Not Be Found Wanting In Courage; But Assuredly When

Defeated In Battle I Would Not Throw Away My Life,  For That

Belongs To Our People Rather Than To Myself,  But Would Retire

To Some Refuge Until I Could Again Gather The Saxons Around

Me And Attack The Invaders. I Like The Face Of The Young

Ealdorman,  And Doubt Not That He Will Prove A Valiant Warrior

Like His Father. My Brother Will Doubtless Assign Him

Lands For His Maintenance And Yours; But If He Will Let Me I

Will Attach Him To My Person,  And Will Be At Once A Master

And A Friend To Him. Wouldst Thou Like This,  Young Edmund?"

The Lad,  Greatly Pleased At The Young Prince's Kindness

Of Speech And Manner,  Replied Enthusiastically That He Would

Follow Him To The Death If He Would Accept Him As His Faithful

Thane.

"Had The Times Been More Peaceful,  Edmund," Alfred

Said,  "I Would Fain Have Imparted To You Some Of The Little

Knowledge That I Have Gained,  For I See An Intelligence In Your

Face Which Tells Me That You Would Have Proved An Apt And

Eager Pupil; But,  Alas,  In The Days That Are Coming It Is The

Sword Rather Than The Book Which Will Prevail,  And The Cares

Of State,  And The Defence Of The Country,  Will Shortly Engross

All My Time And Leave Me But Little Leisure For The Studies I

Love So Well."

"There Are The Lands," The King Said,  "Of Eabald,

Ealdorman Of Sherborne,  In Dorset. He Died But Last Week

And Has Left No Children. These Lands I Will Grant To Edmund

In Return For Liege And True Service." The Lad Knelt Before

The King,  And,  Kissing His Hand,  Swore To Be His True And

Faithful Thane,  And To Spend Land,  Goods,  And Life In

His Service.

"And Now," The King Said,  "Since The Audience Is Over,

And None Other Comes Before Us With Petitions,  We Will Retire

To Our Private Apartments,  And There My Brother Alfred Will

Present You To The Fair Elswitha,  His Wife."

The Room Into Which Egbert And Edmund Followed The