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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Understanding Nothing Of The Meaning Of The Signal Or Of
The Swift Movement Of The Saxons, For A Minute Lowered Their
Weapons In Surprise.
Before They Again Rushed Forward The Formation Was
Complete, And In A Close Body With Levelled Spears The Saxons
Advanced, Egbert As Usual Leading The Way, With Edmund And
The King In The Centre.
In Vain The Danes Strove To Resist The Onset; In Spite Of
Their Superior Numbers They Were Driven Back Step By Step
Until Crowded In A Close Mass At One End.
Still The Saxon Line Of Spears Pressed On. Many Of The
Danes Leapt Into The Sea, Others Were Pushed Over Or Run
Through, And In A Few Minutes Not A Northman Remained
Alive In The Captured Vessel.
In The Meantime The Battle Was Raging In Other Parts.
Two Of The Small Vessels Were Engaged With One Of The Danes
At Close Quarters, While The Other Ships Hung Around The
Remaining Danish Vessels And Kept Up Volleys Of Arrows And
Javelins Upon Them.
Part 3 Chapter 12 (Four Years Of Peace) Pg 119
The Dragon At Once Went To The Assistance Of The Two
Saxon Ships, Whose Crews Were Almost Overpowered By The
Northmen. Laying The Ship Alongside, Edmund Boarded The
Danes. The Northmen Rushed Back From The Decks Of The
Saxon Ship To Defend Their Own Vessel; And The Saxons,
Regaining Courage, At Once Rallied And Followed Them. The
Combat Was Short But Desperate. Attacked On Three Sides,
The Danes Were Speedily Overcome And Were Slaughtered To A
Man.
An Attack Was Next Made Upon The Two Remaining Vessels.
These Resisted For Some Time, But They Were Overwhelmed
By The Missiles From The Saxon Flotilla; And The Greater
Portion Of Their Crews Being Killed Or Wounded, Their
Commanders Prayed For Mercy, Which Was Granted Them By Alfred;
And With The Four Captured Vessels The Fleet Returned To
England.
On Reaching Port Alfred Begged Edmund To Continue
For A While With The Dragon, To Cruise Along The Coasts And To
Stop The Depredations Of The Danes; And For Some Weeks The
Dragon Kept The Seas. She Met With Considerable Success,
Capturing Many Danish Galleys. Some Of These Contained
Rich Spoil, Which Had Been Gathered In France, For Cruising
In The Seas Off Dover Edmund Intercepted Many Of The Danish
Vessels On Their Homeward Way From Raids Up The Seine,
Garonne, And Other French Rivers.
One Day In The Excitement Of A Long Pursuit Of A Danish
Galley, Which Finally Succeeded In Making Her Escape, Edmund
Had Paid Less Attention Than Usual To The Weather, And, On
Giving Up The Chase As Hopeless, Perceived That The Sky Had
Become Greatly Overcast, While The Wind Was Rising Rapidly.
"We Are In For A Storm From The North, Egbert," He Said,
"And We Must Make For The Mouth Of The Thames For Shelter."
The Sails Were Lowered, And The Dragon's Head Turned
West. Before Two Hours Had Passed The Sea Had Risen So Greatly
That It Was No Longer Possible To Row.
"What Had We Best Do?" Edmund Asked The Chief Of The
Sailors. "Think You That We Can Make Dover And Shelter
Under The Cliffs There?"
"I Fear That We Cannot Do So," The Sailor Replied, "For There
Are Terrible Sands And Shallows Off The Kentish Coast Between
The Mouth Of The Thames And Dover, And The Wind Blows So
Strongly That We Can Do Nought But Run Before It."
"Then Let Us Do So," Edmund Replied; "Anything Is Better
Than Being Tossed At The Mercy Of The Waves."
Part 3 Chapter 12 (Four Years Of Peace) Pg 120A Sail Was Hoisted, And The Dragon Flew Along Before The
Wind. The Storm Increased In Fury, And For Some Hours The
Vessel Ran Before It. She Was But A Short Distance From The
French Coast, And As The Wind Veered Round More To The West
Her Danger Became Great.
"I Fear We Shall Be Cast Ashore," Edmund Said To The Sailor.
"Fortunately," The Man Answered, "We Are But A Mile Or
Two From The Mouth Of The Seine, And There We Can Run In
And Take Shelter."
It Was An Anxious Time Until They Reached The Mouth Of
The River, For They Were Continually Drifting Nearer And Nearer
To The Coast. However, They Cleared The Point In Safety, And,
Turning Her Head, Ran Up The River And Soon Anchored Under
The Walls Of Havre. As She Came To An Anchor Armed Men
Were Seen Crowding The Walls.
"They Take Us For Danes," Egbert Said. "We Had Best
Hoist The Dragon, And They Will Then Know That We Are A Saxon
Ship."
Soon After The Flag Was Hoisted The Gates Of The Town
Were Seen To Open, And An Officer And Some Men Issued Out.
These Launched A Boat And Rowed Out To The Ship. The Officer
Mounted To The Deck. He Was Evidently In Considerable
Fear, But As He Saw The Saxons Standing About Unarmed He
Was Reassured. "Is This Really A Saxon Ship," He Asked, "As Its
Flag Testifies?"
"It Is So," Edmund Replied; "It Is My Vessel, And I Am An
Ealdorman Of King Alfred. We Have Been Chasing The Danish
Pirates, But This Storm Having Arisen, We Were Blown Down
The French Coast And Forced To Seek Shelter Here."
"The Governor Bids You Welcome," The Officer Said, "And
Bade Me Invite You To Land."
"That Will I Gladly; The More So Since My Ship Has Suffered
Some Damage In The Gale, Her Bulwarks Having Been
Partly Shattered; And It Will Need A Stay Of A Few Days Here To
Repair Her For Sea. Will You Tell The Governor That In A Short
Time I Will Land With My Kinsman Egbert And Accept
His Hospitality?"
An Hour Later Edmund And Egbert Landed And Were At
Once Conducted To The Governor, Who Welcomed Them Cordially.
They Found There Many Whom They Had Known At The
Court Of King Alfred. The Wealthier Men, The Bishops And
Thanes, Had For The Most Part Journeyed To Paris Or To Other
Towns In The Interior To Escape The Dreaded Northmen; But
There Were Many Detained At Havre From Want Of Funds To
Part 3 Chapter 12 (Four Years Of Peace) Pg 121Journey Farther.
"It Is A Sad Pity," The Governor Said As They Talked Over
The Troubled State Of Western Europe, "That Your English King
And Our Frankish Monarch Did Not Make Common Cause
Against These Sea Robbers. They Are The Enemies Of Mankind.
Not Only Do They Ravage All Our Coasts, But They Have Entered
The Mediterranean, And Have Plundered And Ravaged The
Coasts Of Provence And Italy, Laying Towns Under Ransom,
Burning And Destroying."
"I Would That I Could Meet Some Of Their Ships On Their
Way Back From Italy," Edmund Said. "I Warrant That We Should
Obtain A Rare Booty, With Gems Of Art Such As Would Delight
King Alfred, But Are Thrown Away On These Barbarians; But I
Agree With You That 'Tis Shameful That The Coasts Of All Europe
Should Be Overrun With These Pirates."
"Yes," The Governor Replied, "If Every Country In
Christendom Would Unite Against Their Common Foe, And Send
A Quota Of Ships And Men, We Would Drive The Black Raven
From The Seas, And Might Even Land On The Danish Shores
And Give Them A Taste Of The Suffering They Have Inflicted
Elsewhere. As It Is, All Seem Paralysed. Local Efforts Are
Made To Resist Them; But Their Numbers Are Too Great To Be
Thus Withstood. I Wonder That The Pope Does Not Call
Christendom To Arms Against These Pagan Robbers, Who Not
Only Destroy Towns And Villages, But Level To The Ground The
Holy Shrines, And Slay The Ministers Of God On The Altars."
Part 3 Chapter 13 (The Siege Of Paris) Pg 122
On The Following Morning Edmund, Who Had Returned
To His Ship To Sleep, Was Aroused By Loud Shouts On
Deck. Hurrying From His Cabin He Saw A Vast Fleet Of Ships
Approaching The Mouth Of The River. They Were Of All
Sizes--From Great Sailing Ships To Rowing Galleys. It Needed
But A Glance At Them To Assure Him That They Were The Dreaded
Part 3 Chapter 13 (The Siege Of Paris) Pg 123Ships Of The Northmen, For The Black Raven Floated At Many
Of The Mast-Heads.
From The Town The Sounds Of Horns And Great Shoutings
Could Be Heard, Showing That There Too The Approaching Fleet
Had Just Been Discerned As The Morning Fog Lifted From The
Sea. Edmund Held A Hurried Consultation With His Kinsman.
It Was Now Too Late To Gain The Sea, For The Danish Ships Had
Already Reached The Mouth Of The River. To Attempt To Escape
By Fighting Would Be Madness, And They Hesitated Only
Whether To Run The Ship Ashore, And, Leaving Her There, Enter
The Town And Share In Its Defence, Or To Proceed Up The River
With All Speed To Rouen, Or Even To Paris.
The Latter Course Was Decided Upon, For The Danish Ships
Would Contain So Vast A Number Of Men That There Was Little
Hope That
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