The Dragon And The Raven: Or The Days Of King Alfred(Fiscle Part-3), G. A. Henty [top business books of all time .txt] 📗
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Bending The Yielding Osiers Aside, He Drew Out The Ducks
One By One, Wrung Their Necks, And Passing Their Heads
Through His Girdle, Made His Way Again To The Coracle. Then
He Scattered Another Handful Or Two Of Grain On The Water,
Sparingly Near The Mouth Of The Creek, But More Thickly At
The Entrance To The Trap, And Then Paddled Back Again By The
Way He Had Come.
Almost Noiselessly As He Dipped The Paddle In The Water,
The Hound's Quick Ear Had Caught The Sound, And He Was Standing
At The Edge Of The Swamp, Wagging His Tail In Dignified
Welcome As His Master Stepped On To Dry Land.
"There, Wolf, What Do You Think Of That? A Good Score
Of Eels And Fish And Three Fine Wild Ducks. That Means Bones
For You With Your Meal To-Night--Not To Satisfy Your Hunger,
You Know, For They Would Not Be Of Much Use In That Way, But
To Give A Flavour To Your Supper. Now Let Us Make The Fire Up
And Pluck The Birds, For I Warrant Me That Father And Egbert,
If They Return This Evening, Will Be Sharp-Set. There Are The
Cakes To Bake Too, So You See There Is Work For The Next Hour
Or Two."
The Sun Had Set Now, And The Flames, Dancing Up As The
Boy Threw An Armful Of Dry Wood On The Fire, Gave The Hut A
More Cheerful Appearance. For Some Time The Lad Busied
Himself With Preparation For Supper. The Three Ducks Were
Plucked In Readiness For Putting Over The Fire Should They Be
Required; Cakes Of Coarse Rye-Flour Were Made And Placed In
The Red Ashes Of The Fire; And Then The Lad Threw Himself Down
By The Side Of The Dog.
"No, Wolf, It Is No Use Your Looking At Those Ducks. I Am
Not Going To Roast Them If No One Comes; I Have Got Half A One
Left From Dinner." After Sitting Quiet For Half An Hour The Dog
Suddenly Raised Himself Into A Sitting Position, With Ears Erect
And Muzzle Pointed Towards The Door; Then He Gave A Low
Whine, And His Tail Began To Beat The Ground Rapidly.
"What! Do You Hear Them, Old Fellow?" The Boy Said,
Leaping To His Feet. "I Wish My Ears Were As Sharp As Yours Are,
Wolf; There Would Be No Fear Then Of Being Caught Asleep.
Come On, Old Boy, Let Us Go And Meet Them."
It Was Some Minutes After He Reached The Edge Of The
Swamp Before The Boy Could Hear The Sounds Which The Quick
Ears Of The Hound Had Detected. Then He Heard A Faint Splashing
Noise, And A Minute Or Two Later Two Figures Were Seen Wading
Through The Water.
"Welcome Back, Father," The Lad Cried. "I Was Beginning
To Be Anxious About You, For Here We Are At The End Of The
Part 3 Chapter 1 (The Fugitives) Pg 6Fourth Day."
"I Did Not Name Any Hour, Edmund," The Boy's Father
Said, As He Stepped From The Water, "But I Own That I Did Not
Reckon Upon Being So Late; But In Truth Egbert And I Missed
Our Way In The Windings Of These Swamps, And Should Not
Have Been Back To-Night Had We Not Luckily Fallen Upon A Man
Fishing, Who Was Able To Put Us Right. You Have Got Some
Supper, I Hope, For Egbert And I Are As Hungry As Wolves, For
We Have Had Nothing Since We Started Before Sunrise."
"I Have Plenty To Eat, Father; But You Will Have To Wait Till
It Is Cooked, For It Was No Use Putting It Over The Fire Until I
Knew That You Would Return; But There Is A Good Fire, And You
Will Not Have To Wait Long. And How Has It Fared With You,
And What Is The News?"
"The News Is Bad, Edmund. The Danes Are Ever Receiving
Reinforcements From Mercia, And Scarce A Day Passes But
Fresh Bands Arrive At Thetford, And I Fear That Ere Long East
Anglia, Like Northumbria, Will Fall Into Their Clutches. Nay,
Unless We Soon Make Head Against Them They Will Come To
Occupy All The Island, Just As Did Our Forefathers."
"That Were Shame Indeed," Edmund Exclaimed. "We
Know That The People Conquered By Our Ancestors Were
Unwarlike And Cowardly; But It Would Be Shame Indeed Were
We Saxons So To Be Overcome By The Danes, Seeing Moreover
That We Have The Help Of God, Being Christians, While The
Danes Are Pagans And Idolaters."
"Nevertheless, My Son, For The Last Five Years These Heathen
Have Been Masters Of Northumbria, Have Wasted The
Whole Country, And Have Plundered And Destroyed The
Churches And Monasteries. At Present They Have But Made A
Beginning Here In East Anglia; But If They Continue To Flock
In They Will Soon Overrun The Whole Country, Instead Of Having,
As At Present, A Mere Foothold Near The Rivers Except For
Those Who Have Come Down To Thetford. We Have Been Among
The First Sufferers, Seeing That Our Lands Lie Round Thetford,
And Hitherto I Have Hoped That There Would Be A General Rising
Against These Invaders; But The King Is Indolent And Unwarlike,
And I See That He Will Not Arouse Himself And Call
His Ealdormen And Thanes Together For A United Effort Until It
Is Too Late. Already From The North The Danes Are Flocking
Down Into Mercia, And Although The Advent Of The West Saxons
To The Aid Of The King Of Mercia Forced Them To Retreat
For A While, I Doubt Not That They Will Soon Pour Down Again."
"'Tis A Pity, Father, That The Saxons Are Not All Under One
Leading; Then We Might Surely Defend England Against The
Danes. If The People Did But Rise And Fall Upon Each Band Of
Northmen As They Arrived They Would Get No Footing Among Us."
Part 3 Chapter 1 (The Fugitives) Pg 7
"Yes," The Father Replied, "It Is The Unhappy Divisions
Between The Saxon Kingdoms Which Have Enabled The Danes
To Get So Firm A Footing In The Land. Our Only Hope Now Lies
In The West Saxons. Until Lately They Were At Feud With Mercia;
But The Royal Families Are Now Related By Marriage, Seeing
That The King Of Mercia Is Wedded To A West Saxon Princess,
And That Alfred, The West Saxon King's Brother And Heir To
The Throne, Has Lately Espoused One Of The Royal Blood Of
Mercia. The Fact That They Marched At The Call Of The King Of
Mercia And Drove The Danes From Nottingham Shows That
The West Saxon Princes Are Alive To The Common Danger Of
The Country, And If They Are But Joined Heartily By Our People
Of East Anglia And The Mercians, They May Yet Succeed In
Checking The Progress Of These Heathen. And Now, Edmund,
As We See No Hope Of Any General Effort To Drive The Danes
Off Our Coasts, 'Tis Useless For Us To Lurk Here Longer.
I Propose To-Morrow, Then, To Journey North Into Lincolnshire,
To The Abbey Of Croyland, Where, As You Know, My Brother
Theodore Is The Abbot; There We Can Rest In Peace For A Time,
And Watch The Progress Of Events. If We Hear That The People
Of These Parts Are Aroused From Their Lethargy, We Will Come
Back And Fight For Our Home And Lands; If Not, I Will No Longer
Stay In East Anglia, Which I See Is Destined To Fall Piecemeal
Into The Hands Of The Danes; But We Will Journey Down To
Somerset, And I Will Pray King Ethelbert To Assign Me Lands
There, And To Take Me As His Thane."
While They Had Been Thus Talking Egbert Had Been Broiling
The Eels And Wild Ducks Over The Fire. He Was A Freeman,
And A Distant Relation Of Edmund's Father, Eldred, Who Was
An Ealdorman In West Norfolk, His Lands Lying Beyond
Thetford, And Upon Whom, Therefore, The First Brunt Of The
Danish Invasion From Mercia Had Fallen. He Had Made A
Stout Resistance, And Assembling His People Had Given Battle
To The Invaders. These, However, Were Too Strong And Numerous,
And His Force Having Been Scattered And Dispersed, He
Had Sought Refuge With Egbert And His Son In The Fen Country.
Here He Had Remained For Two Months In Hopes That Some
General Effort Would Be Made To Drive Back The Danes; But
Being Now Convinced That At Present The Angles Were Too
Disunited To Join In A Common Effort, He Determined To
Retire For A While From The Scene.
"I Suppose, Father," Edmund Said, "You Will Leave Your
Treasures Buried Here?"
"Yes," His Father Replied; "We Have No Means Of Transporting
Them, And We Can At Ally Time Return And Fetch Them.
We Must Dig Up The Big Chest And Take Such Garments As We
May Need, And The Personal Ornaments Of Our Rank; But The
Rest, With The Gold And Silver Vessels, Can Remain Here Till We
Need Them."
Gold And Silver Vessels Seem Little In Accordance With
Part 3 Chapter 1 (The Fugitives) Pg 8The Primitive Mode Of Life Prevailing In The Ninth Century.
The Saxon Civilization Was Indeed A Mixed One. Their Mode
Of Life Was Primitive, Their Dwellings, With The Exception Of
The Religious Houses And The Abodes Of A Few Of The Great
Nobles, Simple In The Extreme; But They Possessed Vessels Of
Gold And Silver, Armlets, Necklaces, And Ornaments Of The Same
Metals, Rich And Brightly Coloured Dresses, And Elaborate Bed
Furniture While Their Tables And Household Utensils Were Of
The Roughest Kind, And Their Floors Strewn With Rushes. When
They Invaded And Conquered England They Found Existing The
Civilization Introduced By The Romans, Which Was Far In Advance
Of Their Own; Much Of This They Adopted. The Introduction Of
Christianity Further Advanced Them In The Scale.
The Prelates And Monks From Rome Brought With Them
A High Degree Of Civilization, And This To No Small Extent The
Saxons Imitated And Borrowed. The Church Was Held In Much
Honour, Great Wealth And Possessions Were Bestowed Upon It,
And The Bishops And Abbots Possessed Large Temporal As Well
As Spiritual Power, And Bore
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