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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Character. Here And There Were Harpers With Groups Of
Listeners Gathered Round, As They Sung The Exploits Of Their
Fathers, And Animated Their Hearers To Fresh Fire And Energy By
Relating Legends Of The Cruelty Of The Merciless Danes. Other
Groups There Were Surrounding The Priests, Who Were Appealing
To Their Religious Feelings As Well As To Their Patriotism.
Men Sat About Sharpening Their Weapons, Fixing On More
Firmly The Handles Of Their Shields, Adjusting Arrows To
Bowstrings, And Preparing In Other Ways For The Coming Fight.
From Some Of The Fires, Round Which The Marsh Men Were
Sitting, Came Snatches Of Boisterous Song, While Here And There,
Apart From The Crowd, Priests Were Hearing Confessions, And
Shriving Penitents.
The Next Morning Early, One Of The Scouts, Who Had
Been Sent To Observe The Movements Of The Danes, Reported
That These Were Issuing From Their Camp, And Advancing Into
The Country.
Algar Marshalled His Host, Each Part Under Its Leaders,
And Moved To Meet Them. Near Kesteven The Armies Came In
Sight Of Each Other, And After Advancing Until But A Short
Distance Apart Both Halted To Marshal Their Ranks Anew. Eldred,
With The Men Of The Marshes Near Croyland And The Contingent
From The Abbey, Had Their Post In The Central Division,
Which Was Commanded By Algar Himself, Edmund Took Post
By His Father, And Egbert Stood Beside Him.
Edmund Had Never Before Seen The Danes, And He Could
Not But Admit That Their Appearance Was Enough To Shake The
Stoutest Heart. All Carried Great Shields Covering Them From
Head To Foot. These Were Composed Of Wood, Bark, Or Leather
Painted Or Embossed, And In The Cases Of The Chiefs Plated
With Gold And Silver. So Large Were These That In Naval
Encounters, If The Fear Of Falling Into The Enemy's Hands Forced
Them To Throw Themselves Into The Sea, They Could Float On
Their Shields; And After Death In Battle A Soldier Was Carried
To His Grave On His Buckler. As They Stood Facing The Saxons
They Locked Their Shields Together So As To Form A Barrier
Well-Nigh Impregnable Against The Arrows.
All Wore Helmets, The Common Men Of Leather, The Leaders
Of Iron Or Copper, While Many In Addition Wore Coats Of
Part 3 Chapter 2 (The Battle Of Kesteven) Pg 17Mail. Each Carried A Sword, A Battle-Axe, And A Bow And
Arrows. Some Of The Swords Were Short And Curled Like A
Scimitar; Others Were Long And Straight, And Were Wielded With
Both Hands. They Wore Their Hair Long And Hanging Down
Their Shoulders, And For The Most Part Shaved Their Cheeks
And Chins, But Wore Their Moustaches Very Long.
They Were, For The Most, Tall, Lithe, And Sinewy Men, But
Physically In No Way Superior To The Saxons, From Whom They
Differed Very Widely In Complexion, The Saxons Being Fair
While The Danes Were Very Dark, As Much So As Modern Gypsies;
Indeed, The Saxon Historians Speak Of Them As The Black
Pagans. Upon The Other Hand Many Of The Northmen, Being
Scandinavians, Were As Fair As The Saxons Themselves.
The Danes Began The Battle, Those In Front Shouting
Fiercely, And Striking Their Swords On Their Shields With A
Clashing Noise, While The Ranks Behind Shot A Shower Of Arrows
Among The Saxons. These At Once Replied. The Combat Was
Not Continued Long At A Distance, For The Danes With A Mighty
Shout Rushed Upon The Saxons. These Stood Their Ground
Firmly And A Desperate Conflict Ensued. The Saxon Chiefs
Vied With Each Other In Acts Of Bravery, And Singling Out The
Leaders Of The Danes Engaged With Them In Hand-To-Hand
Conflict.
Algar Had Placed His Swordsmen In The Front Line, Those
Armed With Spears In The Second; And As The Swordsmen
Battled With The Danes The Spearmen, When They Saw A Shield
Uplifted To Guard The Head, Thrust Under With Their Weapons
And Slew Many. Edmund, Seeing That With His Sword He Should
Have But Little Chance Against These Fierce Soldiers, Fell A Little
Behind His Father And Kinsman, And As These Were Engaged
With The Enemy He From Time To Time, When He Saw An Opportunity,
Rushed In And Delivered A Thrust With His Spear At An
Unguarded Point. The Saxon Shouts Rose Louder And Louder
As The Danes In Vain Endeavoured To Break Through Their Line.
The Monks Fought Stoutly, And Many A Fierce Norseman Fell
Before Their Blows.
The Danes, Who Had Not Expected So Firm A Resistance,
Began To Hesitate, And Algar Giving The Word, The Saxons Took
The Offensive, And The Line Pressed Forward Step By Step. The
Archers Poured Their Arrows In A Storm Among The Danish
Ranks. These Fell Back Before The Onslaught. Already Three
Of Their Kings And Many Of Their Principal Leaders Had Fallen,
And At Last, Finding Themselves Unable To Withstand The
Impetuous Onslaught Of The Saxons, They Turned And Fled In
Confusion Towards Their Camp. The Saxons With Exulting
Shouts Pursued Them, And Great Numbers Were Slaughtered.
The Danes Had, However, As Was Their Custom, Fortified The
Camp Before Advancing, And Algar Drew Off His Troops,
Deeming That It Would Be Better To Defer The Attack On
This Position Until The Following Day.
Part 3 Chapter 2 (The Battle Of Kesteven) Pg 18
There Was High Feasting In The Saxon Camp That Evening,
But This Was Brought To An Abrupt Conclusion By The Arrival
Of A Scout, Who Reported That A Great Danish Army Marching
From The Humber Was Approaching The Camp Of The Compatriots.
The News Was But Too True. The Kings Guthorn, Bergsecg,
Oskytal, Halfdene, And Amund, And The Jarls Frene, Hingwar,
Hubba, And The Two Sidrocs, With All Their Followers,
Had Marched Down From Yorkshire To Join The Invaders
Who Had Just Landed.
The News Of This Immense Reinforcement Spread Consternation
Among The Angles. In Vain Their Leaders Went About
Among Them And Exhorted Them To Courage, Promising Them
Another Victory As Decisive As That They Had Won That Day.
Their Entreaties Were In Vain, For When The Morning Dawned
It Was Found That Three-Fourths Of Their Number Had Left The
Camp During The Night, And Had Made Off To The Marshes
And Fastnesses.
A Council Of The Chiefs Was Held. The Chances Of Conflict
Appeared Hopeless, So Vastly Were They Out-Numbered By
The Danes. Algar, However, Declared That He Would Die Rather
Than Retreat.
"If We Fly Now," He Said, "All East Anglia Will Fall Into The
Hands Of The Heathen. Even Should We Fight And Fall, The
Example Of What A Handful Of Brave Men Can Do Against The
Invaders Will Surely Animate The Angles To Further Resistance;
While If We Conquer, So Great A Blow Will Be Dealt To The
Renown Of These Danes That All England Will Rise Against Them."
On Hearing These Words All The Chiefs Came To The Determination
To Win Or Die As They Stood. Eldred Took Edmund Aside After
This Determination Had Been Arrived At.
"My Son," He Said, "I Allowed You Yesterday To Stand By
My Side In Battle, And Well And Worthily Did You Bear Yourself,
But To-Day You Must Withdraw. The Fight Is Well-Nigh
Hopeless, And I Believe That All Who Take Part In It Are Doomed
To Perish. I Would Not That My House Should Altogether
Disappear, And Shall Die More Cheerfully In The Hope That Some
Day You Will Avenge Me Upon These Heathen. Therefore,
Edmund, I Bid You Take Station At A Distance Behind The Battle,
So That When You See The Day Goes Against Us You May Escape
In Time. I Shall Urge Our Faithful Egbert To Endeavour, When
He Sees That All Is Lost, To Make His Way From The Fight And
Rejoin You, And To Journey With You To Wessex And There
Present You To The King. For Myself, If The Battle Is Lost I Shall
Die Rather Than Fly. Such Is The Resolution Of Algar And Our
Other Brave Chiefs, And Eldred The Ealdorman Must Not Be
The Only One Of The Leaders To Run From The Fray."
Edmund Was Deeply Touched At His Father's Words, But
The Parental Rule Was So Strict In Those Days That It Did Not
Part 3 Chapter 2 (The Battle Of Kesteven) Pg 19Even Enter His Mind To Protest Against Eldred's Decision.
As The Morning Went On The Danes Were Engaged In The
Funeral Ceremonies Of Their Dead Kings, While The Saxons,
Quiet And Resolute, Received The Holy Sacrament And Prepared
For The Fight. Algar Chose A Position On Rising Ground. He
Himself With Eldred Commanded The Centre, Toley And Morcar
Led The Right Wing, Osgot And Harding The Left.
Each Of These Wings Contained About Five Hundred Men.
Algar's Centre, Which Was A Little Withdrawn From Its Wings,
Contained About 200 Of His Best Warriors, And Was Designed
As A Reserve, With Which, If Need Be, He Could Move To The
Assistance Of Either Of The Wings Which Might Be Sorely Pressed
And In Danger. The Saxons Formed In A Solid Mass With Their
Bucklers Linked Together. The Danish Array Which Issued Out
From Their Camp Was Vastly Superior In Numbers, And Was
Commanded By Four Kings And Eight Jarls Or Earls, While Two
Kings And Four Earls Remained In Charge Of The Camp, And Of
The Great Crowd Of Prisoners, For The Most Part Women And
Children, Whom They Had Brought With Them.
With The Danes Who Had Come Down From Yorkshire
Were A Large Body Of Horsemen, Who Charged Furiously Down
Upon The Saxons; But These Maintained So Firm An Array With
Their Lances And Spears Projecting Outward That The Danes
Failed To Break Through Them, And After Making Repeated Efforts
And Suffering Heavy Loss They Drew Back. Then The Danish
Archers And Slingers Poured In A Storm Of Missiles, But
These Effected But Little Harm, As The Saxons Stooped A Little
Behind Their Closely Packed Line Of Bucklers, Which Were Stout
Enough To Keep Out The Shower Of Arrows. All Day The Struggle
Continued. Again And Again The Danes Strove To Break The
Solid Saxon Array, And With Sword And Battle-Axe Attempted
To Hew Down The Hedge Of Spears, But In Vain. At Last Their
Leaders, Convinced That They Could Not Overcome The Obstinacy
Of The Resistance, Ordered Their Followers To Feign A Retreat.
As The Danes Turned To Fly The Saxons Set Up A Triumphant
Shout, And Breaking Up Their Solid Phalanx Rushed After Them
In Complete Disorder. In Vain Algar, Osgot, Toley,
Eldred, And The Other Leaders Shouted To Them To Stand Firm.
Weary Of Their Long Inactivity, And Convinced That The Danes
Were Routed, The Saxons Pursued Them Across The Plain.
Suddenly The Danish Horse, Who After Failing To Break Through
The Ranks Had Remained Apart At
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