The Dragon And The Raven: Or The Days Of King Alfred(Fiscle Part-3), G. A. Henty [top business books of all time .txt] 📗
- Author: G. A. Henty
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Galleys At A Distance. For Some Time The Combat Was Conducted
Entirely By The Archers On Both Sides, The Danes Suffering
Much The Most Heavily, As The Saxons Were Protected
Part 3 Chapter 7 (The Dragon) Pg 70By The Bulwarks, While From Their Lofty Positions They Were
Enabled To Fire Down Into The Galleys.
At Last One Of The Danish Vessels Rowed Straight At The
Broadside Of The Dragon, And Breaking Her Way Through The
Oars Her Bow Reached The Side. Then The Danes Strove To
Leap On Board, But The Saxons Pursued The Tactics Which Had
Succeeded So Well On Land, And Forming In A Close Mass Where
The Danish Vessel Touched The Dragon, Opposed A Thick Hedge
Of Spears To Those Who Strove To Board Her.
The Danes Fought Desperately. Several Notable Leaders,
Hearing That A Great Saxon Ship Had Appeared On The Thames,
Had Come Down To Capture Her, And Leading Their Followers,
Strove Desperately To Cut Their Way To The Deck Of The Dragon.
Taking Advantage Of The Strife, The Other Galleys Repeated The
Maneuver Which Had Succeeded, And Each In Turn Ran Their
Stem Through The Saxon Oars, And Reached The Side Of The
Dragon. In This Position, However, They Had The Immense
Disadvantage That Only A Few Men At Once Could Strive To Board,
While The Saxons Were Able To Oppose All Their Strength At
These Four Points.
For A Time The Saxons Repulsed Every Effort, But As The
Lashings Of The Oars Gave Way Under The Pressure Of The Danish
Ships, These Drifted Alongside, And They Were Thus Able To
Attack Along The Whole Length Of The Bulwarks Between The
Castles. The Saxons Were Now Hard Put To It, But Their Superior
Height Still Enabled Them To Keep The Danes In Check.
All This Time The Five Vessels Had Been Drifting Down The
River Together. Presently, When The Conflict Was Hottest, The
Chief Of The Sailors Made His Way To Edmund.
"If We Get Up The Sails We May Be Able To Draw Out From
The Galleys."
"Do So," Edmund Said, "And At Once, For We Are Hardly
Pressed; They Are Four To One Against Us."
The Sailors At Once Sprang To The Halliards, And Soon
The Great Sail Rose On The Mast. Almost Instantly The Dragon
Began To Glide Away From The Galleys. The Danes With Ropes
Endeavoured To Lash Themselves To Her Sides, But These Were
Severed As Fast As Thrown, And In Two Or Three Minutes The
Dragon Had Drawn Herself Clear Of Them. The Danes Betook
Themselves To Their Oars, But Many Of These Had Been Broken
Between The Vessels, And Rowing Their Utmost They Could Only
Just Keep Up With The Dragon, For The Wind Was Blowing Freely.
Fully Half The Oars Of The Dragon Were Broken, But The Rest
Were Soon Manned, And She Then Rapidly Drew Away From
Her Pursuers.
"I Am Not Going To Run Further," Edmund Said. "Now
Part 3 Chapter 7 (The Dragon) Pg 71That We Have Once Shaken Them Off, Let Us Turn And Meet
Them Again."
As The Vessel's Head Was Brought Up Into The Wind The
Danes Ceased Rowing. The Fate Which Had Befallen Their Two
Galleys At The Commencement Of The Fight Was Still Before
Them. They Had Lost Great Numbers Of Men In The Attempt To
Board From The Saxon Pikes And Arrows, And Their Desire To
Renew The Fight Vanished When They Saw That The Saxons Were
Equally Ready. Therefore, As The Dragon Approached Them,
They Sheered Off On Either Side Of Her And Rowed For The Mouth
Of The Medway.
The Saxons Did Not Pursue. They Had Lost Eight Men
Killed, And Seventeen Wounded By The Danish Arrows, And
Were Well Content To Be Quit Of Their Opponents, Upon Whom
They Had Inflicted A Severe Blow, As Each Of The Galleys Sunk
Had Contained Fully A Hundred And Fifty Men, And Great Numbers
Of The Danes On Board The Other Ships Had Fallen.
They Now Left The Thames And Sailed To Sandwich. The
Town Had Been Shortly Before Burned By The Danes, But These
Had Left, And Some Of The Inhabitants Had Returned. Here
The Dragon Waited For A Week, By The End Of Which Time The
Traces Of The Conflict Had Been Obliterated, And New Oars
Made. Edmund Found No Difficulty In Filling Up The Vacancies
Caused In The Fight, As Many Of The Young Saxons Were
Burning To Avenge The Sufferings Which The Danes Had Inflicted,
And Could Have Obtained Several Times The Number
He Required Had There Been Room For Them. He Was Therefore
Enabled To Pick Out Sturdy Fellows Accustomed To The
Sea. When The Dragon Again Set Sail Her Head Was Laid To The
Northward, As Edmund Intended To Cruise Off East Anglia,
From Whose Shores Fleets Were Constantly Crossing And
Recrossing To Denmark.
They Picked Up Several Prizes At The Mouths Of The Eastern
Rivers, Scarcely Having To Strike A Blow, So Surprised Were
The Danes At The Appearances Of The Great Saxon Galley.
Whenever The Danes Surrendered Without Resistance Edmund
Gave Them Quarter And Landed Them In Small Boats On The
Shore; Their Ships, After Being Emptied Of The Booty They
Contained, Were Burned. When Off Yarmouth, Where They Had
Captured Four Danish Vessels Sailing Out Unsuspicious Of Danger,
The Wind Veered Round To The North-East And Began To Blow
Very Strongly.
The Long Line Of Sandbanks Off The Coast Broke Somewhat
The Violence Of The Sea, And The Dragon Rode All Night To
Her Anchors; But In The Morning The Wind Continued To Rise.
The Sea Became More And More Violent, And The Anchors
Began To Drag. Edmund And Egbert, After A Consultation,
Agreed That Their Only Chance Of Saving The Vessel Was To Enter
The River. The Tide Was Running In, But The Sea Was So
Part 3 Chapter 7 (The Dragon) Pg 72Heavy On The Bar Of The River That The Efforts Of The Crew At
The Oars Barely Sufficed To Keep Her On Her Course. At Length,
However, She Made Her Way Safely Between The Posts Which
Marked The Entrance, And Rowing Up Until They Passed A Turn,
And Were Sheltered From The Force Of The Gale, They Again
Anchored.
The Oars Were All Lashed Out Firmly To Keep Any Boats
From Approaching Her Sides. Bales Of Goods With Which Her
Hold Was Filled Were Brought On Deck, And Piled High Along
The Bulwarks So As To Afford A Shelter From Missiles. Even As
They Entered The Harbour Numbers Of Danes Had Assembled
At The Point; For The Capture And Destruction Of Their Ships
Had Of Course Been Seen, And The Crews Set Ashore Had Spread
The News That The Strange Vessel Was A Saxon. The Norfolk
Bank Being Somewhat Higher Than The Suffolk, The Boat Was
Anchored Rather Nearer To The Latter, As It Was From The Town
Of Yarmouth That An Attack Was Anticipated.
As Soon As The Anchors Were Let Go The Danes Began To
Fire Their Arrows; But So Powerful Was The Gale That The Greater
Part Of Them Were Swept Far Away. As The Day Went On The
Numbers Of Danes On The Bank Increased Largely, And Vast
Numbers Of Arrows Were Discharged At The Dragon. The Crew
Kept Under Shelter, And Although She Was Often Struck No
Damage Was Done.
In The Afternoon A Fleet Of Galleys Was Seen Coming Down
The River. The Danes Possessed A Large Number Of These Boats
At Yarmouth, And In These They Navigated The Inland Waters
Far Into The Interior. The Wind Had Shifted Until It Was Blowing
Nearly Due East, And Edmund And Egbert Had Agreed Upon
The Best Course To Be Pursued. In Case Of Attack They Could
Hardly Hope Finally To Beat Off The Assault Of A Large Fleet Of
Galleys, And Would Besides Be Exposed To Attack By Boats Laden
With Combustibles. Therefore As Soon As The Galleys Were
Seen Approaching The Oars Were Unlashed, The Great Sail
Hoisted, And At Her Best Speed The Dragon Advanced Up The
River To Meet Her Foes. The Danes Gave A Shout Of Alarm As
The Vessel Advanced To Meet Them With The Water Surging In A
White Wave From Her Bows, And The Greater Part Of Them Hurried
Towards One Bank Or The Other To Escape The Shock. Some,
Slower In Movement Or Stouter In Heart, Awaited The Attack,
While From All A Storm Of Missiles Was Poured Upon The
Advancing Boat.
Heedless Of These She Continued Her Way. Her Sharp
Bow Crashed Right Through The Side Of The Danish Boats, And
Having Destroyed Seven Of Them On Her Way She Passed Through
The Flotilla And Continued Her Course. The Dragon Waved
Triumphantly From Her Mast As She Passed Under The Walls Of
Yarmouth. These Were Crowded With Danes, Who Vainly Showered
Arrows And Javelins As She Flew Past, With The Fleets Of
Galleys Rowing In Her Wake. A Few Minutes And She Was Out
Part 3 Chapter 7 (The Dragon) Pg 73On The Broad Sheet Of Water Beyond. The Danish Galleys
Paused At The Entrance. In So Wild A Storm They Would Have
Had Difficulty In Keeping Their Boats Straight, While The Great
Galley With Her Sails And Oars Would Be Able To Maneuver Freely,
And Could Strike And Run Them Down One By One.
"What Is That Pile Of Buildings On The Rising Knoll Of
Ground Some Three Miles Away?" Edmund Asked.
"It Is Bamborough Castle," Egbert Replied, "A Roman
Stronghold Of Immense Strength."
"Let Us Run Up Thither," Edmund Said. "If, As Is Likely
Enough, It Is Unoccupied, We Will Land There And Take
Possession. Are The Walls Complete?"
"Assuredly They Are," Egbert Said. "They Are Of Marvellous
Strength, Such As We Cannot Build In Our Days. They Run
In A Great Semicircle From The Edge Of The Water Round The
Crest
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