The Dragon And The Raven: Or The Days Of King Alfred(Fiscle Part-3) - G. A. Henty (best pdf ebook reader .txt) 📗
- Author: G. A. Henty
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My Best To Prevent It, Pointing Out That The Combat Ought To
Take Place Between A Frank And A Dane. However, The
Northmen Are Always Glad To See A Good Fight, And Having
Satisfied Themselves That In Point Of Age And Strength You
Were Not Unfairly Matched, They Decided That The Conflict
Should Take Place. He Is Taller, And I Think Somewhat Stronger
Than You, And Has Proved Himself A Valiant Fighter, And I
Would Give Much If The Combat Could Be Avoided."
"I Fear Him Not," Edmund Said Quietly, "Though I Would
Fain That This Could Be Avoided. Had I Met Sweyn Upon A
Battle-Field In England I Would Have Slain Him As A Natural
Enemy; But To Fight Him In Cold Blood, Either As A Matter Of
Augury Or To Furnish Amusement For The Assembly, Likes Me
Not. However, I Must Of Course Defend Myself, And If Harm
Comes To Him It Is No Blame Of Mine."
"You Will Have No Easy Victory, I Can Tell You," Siegbert
Said, "For None Among Our Young Danes Bears A Higher
Reputation."
"But After The Combat Is Over How Shall I Stand?" Edmund
Asked; "For If I Defeat Or Slay Sweyn I Shall Still Be His
Father's Slave."
"That Will You Not," Siegbert Replied. "In These Cases The
Captive If Victorious Is Always Restored To Liberty; But At Any
Rate You Shall Fight As A Free Man, For When I Have Finished
My Dinner I Will Go To Bijorn And Conclude Our Bargain. Do
Not Look So Cast Down, Freda; A Northman's Daughter Must
Not Turn Pale At The Thought Of A Conflict. Sweyn Is The Son
Of My Old Friend, And Was, Before He Took To Arms, Your
Playfellow, And Since Then Has, Methought, Been Anxious To Gain
Your Favour, Though All Too Young Yet For Thinking Of Taking A
Wife; But Never Mind, There Are As Good As He To Be Found;
And If Our Young Saxon Here Proves His Conqueror Other
Suitors Will Come, Never Fear."
Freda Was Silent, But Her Face Flushed Painfully, And
Edmund Saw The Tears Falling Down Her Cheeks As She Bent
Over Her Plate.
After The Meal Was Over Siegbert Again Went Out, And
Part 3 Chapter 10 (The Combat) Pg 96Edmund, Approaching Freda, Said, "Do Not Fret, Freda; If It
Should Be That I Find My Skill In Arms Greater Than That Of
Sweyn, I Promise You That For Your Sake I Will Not Wound Him
Mortally."
"I Care Not," The Girl Said Passionately; "Spare Him Not
For My Sake, For I Hate Him, And Were There No Other Norseman
In The World I Would Never Be Wife Of His."
So Saying She Left The Tent. Edmund Now Regretted The
Chance Which Had Assigned Him To Siegbert, For He Would
Rather Have Taken His Chance Of Escape By Sea Than Have
Awaited The Conflict With Sweyn. But He Could Not Carry His
Plan Of Escape Into Effect Now, For It Would Seem As If He Had
Fled The Conflict. That This Would Be A Desperate One He Did
Not Doubt. The Course Which Sweyn Had Taken Showed A
Bitter Feeling Of Hatred Against Him, And Even Were It Not So
The Young Northman Would, Fighting In The Presence Of The
Leaders Of His Nation, Assuredly Do His Best To Conquer. But
Edmund Had Already Tried His Strength With Older And More
Powerful Men Than His Adversary And Had Little Fear Of Results.
The News Of The Approaching Conflict Caused Considerable
Excitement In The Danish Camp, And Edmund's Figure
Was Narrowly Scrutinized As He Wandered Through It. All Who
Had Been Engaged In The War In Wessex Had Heard Of Edmund,
And There Was No Slight Curiosity, When The News Went Abroad
That The Saxon Leader Was A Captive In The Camp, To See What
He Was Like.
At First When It Was Bruited Abroad That Sweyn, The Son
Of Jarl Bijorn, Was To Fight This Noted Saxon Champion The
Idea Was That The Enterprise Was A Rash One, Strong And
Valiant As Sweyn Was Known To Be For A Young Man; But When It
Was Seen That Edmund Was No Older Than He, And To The Eye
Less Strong And Powerful, They Felt Confident In The Power Of
Their Champion To Overcome Him.
Siegbert Spared No Pains To See That His Guest Had An
Even Equal Chance. He Procured For Him A Strong And Well-Made
Helmet Which Fitted Him Comfortably, And Gave Him
The Choice Out Of A Large Number Of Shields And Swords.
Edmund Selected A Weapon Which Answered Nearly In Weight
And Balance That Which He Was Accustomed To Wield. There
Was Feasting Again That Night In Siegbert's Tent; But He Did
Not Allow Edmund To Join In It, Insisting After The Meal Was
Over That He Should Retire To A Small Hut Hard By.
"You Will Want Your Head And Your Nerves In Good Order
To-Morrow," He Said. "Feasting Is Good In Its Way, And The
Night Before Battle I Always Drink Deeply, But For A Single
Combat It Were Best To Be Prudent." As Edmund Left The Tent
Freda, Who Had Not Appeared At Dinner, Came Up To Him.
Part 3 Chapter 10 (The Combat) Pg 97"I Have Been Crying All Day," She Said Simply. "I Know
Not Why, For I Have Often Seen My Father Go Out To Battle
Without A Tear. I Think You Must Have Upset Me With Your Talk
This Morning. I Hope That You Will Win, Because It Was Wrong And
Unfair Of Sweyn To Force This Battle Upon You; And I Hate Him
For It! I Shall Pray Odin To Give You Victory. You Don't Believe
In Him, I Know; Still My Prayers Can Do You No Harm."
"Thank You," Edmund Said. "I Shall Pray To One Greater
And Better Than Odin. But Weep Not Any Longer, For I Trust
Neither Of Us Will Be Killed. I Shall Do My Best To Guard Myself,
And Shall Try Not To Slay Him; For This Fight Is Not For My
Nation Or For My Religion, But Concerns Myself Only."
The Following Morning The Northmen Assembled. The
Jarls And Other Leading Men Formed The Inner Line Of A Circle
Some Thirty Yards In Diameter, The Others Stood Without; Jarl
Eric Entered The Ring With Sweyn, While Edmund, Accompanied
By Siegbert, Entered At The Other Side Of The Circle.
"I Protest," Siegbert Cried In A Loud Voice, "Against This
Conflict Taking Place. Edmund The Saxon Is No Captive Here,
But A Free Man, And My Guest; Moreover, Being A Saxon, The
Issue Of This Fight Between Him And A Northman Can Serve No
Purpose As An Augury As To The Success Of Our Expedition
Against The Franks. Therefore Do I Protest Against
The Conflict."
There Was Again A Consultation Between The Leaders, For
A Murmur Of Approbation Had Run Round The Ranks Of The
Spectators, Who It Was Evident Were Impressed In Favour Of
The Young Saxon, And Considered That The Jarl's Words Were
Just And Reasonable. Eric Spoke For A Minute With Sweyn.
"I Feel," He Said In A Loud Voice, "That What Jarl Siegbert
Says Is Reasonable, That No Augury Can Be Drawn From The
Fight, And That, Since Edmund Is No Longer A Captive, And A
Friend Of Siegbert's, He Cannot Be Forced Into Fighting In
Order That We May Have An Augury. But The Saxon, Though So
Young, Has Won A Reputation Even Among Us, The Enemies Of
His Race; And My Friend Sweyn, Who Has Shown Himself One Of
The Bravest Of Our Young Men, Considers That He Has Cause Of
Quarrel With Him, And Challenges Him To Fight--Not Necessarily
To The Death, Or Till One Is Slain, But Till The Jarls Here
Assembled Do Pronounce One Or The Other To Be The Victor.
This Is A Fair Challenge--First, There Is A Private Quarrel;
Next, There Is Emulation Between These Young Men, Who May
Fairly Claim To Be The Champions Of The Youth Of The Two Races.
Such A Challenge The Saxon Will Hardly Refuse."
In Accordance With The Customs Of The Day It Would Have
Been Impossible For Edmund To Have Refused Such A Challenge
Without Disgrace, And He Did Not For A Moment Think Of
Doing So.
Part 3 Chapter 10 (The Combat) Pg 98
"I Am Ready To Fight Sweyn," He Said. "I Have No Great
Cause Of Quarrel With Him; But If He Conceives That He Has
Grounds Of Quarrel With Me, That Is Enough. As To Championship
Of The Saxons, We Have No Champions; We Fight Not For
Personal Honour Or Glory, But For Our Homes, Our Countries,
And Our Religion, Each Doing His Best According To The Strength
God Has Given Him, And Without Thought Of Pride On The One
Hand Or Envy On The Other Because The Strength Or Courage
Of One May Be Somewhat Greater Than That Of Another. Still,
As A Saxon Standing Here As The Only Representative Of My
Nation In An Assembly Of Northmen, I Cannot Refuse Such A
Challenge, For To Do So Would Be To Infer That We Saxons Are
Less Brave Than You. Therefore I Am Ready For The Combat."
The Northmen Clashed Their Weapons Against Their Shields
In Token Of Their Approval Of The Young Saxon's Words, And
The Young Champions Prepared For The Combat. They Were
Naked To The Waist Save For Shield And Helmet; Below The Waist
Each Wore A Short And Tightly-Fitting Garment Covered With
Plates Of Brass; The Legs Were Naked, And Each Wore A Pair Of
Light Sandals; Their Weapons Were Long Straight Swords. The
Weapon Edmund Had Chosen Was Considerably Lighter Than
That Of His Opponent, But Was Of Toughest Steel, On Which
Were Engraved In Rough Characters, "Prayers To Woden For
Victory."
The Difference In Height Between The Combatants Was
Considerable. Edmund Stood Five Feet Ten, But Looked Shorter
From The Squareness And Width Of His Shoulders. Sweyn Was
Nearly Four Inches Taller, And He Too Was Very Strongly Built.
His Muscles Indeed Stood Out In Stronger Development Than
Did Those Of Edmund, And If Pure Strength Was To Win The Day
Few Of Those Who Looked On Doubted That The Dane Would Be
The Victor.
The Combat Was A Long One. For Some Time Edmund Contented
Himself With Standing Upon The Defensive And Guarding The
Tremendous Blows Which Sweyn Rained Upon Him. In Spite Of The
Efforts Of The Northman, He Could Neither Beat Down The Saxon's
Guard Nor Force Him To Fall Back A Single Step.
Again And Again The Rattle Of The Spectators' Arms Clashed
An Approval Of Edmund's Steady Resistance To His Opponent's
Assaults. The Norsemen Delighted Beyond All
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