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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Conflict, Dashed Down Upon The Disordered Saxons, While
The Flying Infantry Turning Round Also Fell Upon Them With
Exulting Shouts.
Taken Wholly By Surprise, Confused And Disordered, The
Saxons Could Offer No Effectual Opposition To The Charge. The
Danish Horse Rode Among Them Hewing And Slaying, And The
Swords And Battle-Axes Of The Footmen Completed The Work.
Part 3 Chapter 2 (The Battle Of Kesteven) Pg 20In A Few Minutes Of All The Saxon Band Which Had For So
Many Hours Successfully Resisted The Onslaught Of The Danes,
Not One Survived Save A Few Fleet-Footed Young Men Who,
Throwing Away Their Arms, Succeeded In Making Their Escape,
And A Little Group, Consisting Of Algar, Toley, Eldred, And The
Other Leaders Who Had Gathered Together When Their Men
Broke Their Ranks And Had Taken Up Their Position On A Knoll
Of Ground Rising Above The Plain. Here For A Long Time They
Resisted The Efforts Of The Whole Of The Danes, Surrounding
Themselves With A Heap Of Slain; But At Length One By One They
Succumbed To The Danish Onslaught, Each Fighting Valiantly
To The Last.
From His Position At A Distance Edmund Watched The
Last Desperate Struggle. With Streaming Eyes And A Heart Torn
By Anxiety For His Father He Could See The Danish Foe Swarming
Round The Little Band Who Defended The Crest. These
Were Lost From His Sight, And Only The Flashing Of Swords
Showed Where The Struggle Was Still Going On In The Centre Of
The Confused Mass. Edmund Had Been On His Knees For Some
Time, But He Now Rose.
"Come, Old Boy," He Said To The Hound, Who Lay Beside
Him Watching The Distant Conflict And Occasionally Uttering
Deep Angry Growls. "I Must Obey My Father's Last Command;
Let Us Away."
He Took One More Glance At The Distant Conflict Before
Turning. It Was Plain That It Was Nearly Finished. The Swords
Had Well-Nigh Ceased To Rise And Fall When He Saw A Sudden
Movement In The Throng Of Danes And Suddenly A Man Burst
Out From Them And Started At Headlong Speed Towards Him,
Pursued By A Number Of Danes. Even At That Distance Edmund
Thought That He Recognized The Tall Figure Of His Kinsman,
But He Had No Time To Assure Himself Of This, And He At Once,
Accompanied By The Hound, Set Off At The Top Of His Speed
From The Field Of Battle. He Had Fully A Quarter Of A Mile
Start, And Being Active And Hardy And Accustomed To Exercise
From His Childhood, He Had No Fear That The Danes Would
Overtake Him. Still He Ran His Hardest.
Looking Over His Shoulder From Time To Time He Saw That
At First The Danes Who Were Pursuing The Fugitive Were Gaining
Upon Him Also, But After A Time He Again Increased The
Distance, While, Being Unencumbered With Shield Or Heavy
Weapons, The Fugitive Kept The Advantage He Had At First Gained.
Three Miles From The Battle-Field Edmund Reached The Edge
Of A Wide-Spreading Wood. Looking Round As He Entered Its
Shelter He Saw That The Flying Saxon Was Still About A Quarter
Of A Mile Behind Him, And That The Danes, Despairing Of
Over-Taking Him, Had Ceased Their Pursuit. Edmund Therefore
Checked His Footsteps And Awaited The Arrival Of The Fugitive,
Who He Now Felt Certain Was His Kinsman.
Part 3 Chapter 2 (The Battle Of Kesteven) Pg 21
In A Few Minutes Egbert Came Up, Having Slackened His
Speed Considerably When He Saw That He Was No Longer Pursued.
He Was Bleeding From Several Wounds, And Now That
The Necessity For Exertion Had Passed He Walked But Feebly
Along. Without A Word He Flung Himself On The Ground By
Edmund And Buried His Face In His Arms, And The Lad Could
See By The Shaking Of His Broad Shoulders That He Was Weeping
Bitterly. The Great Hound Walked Up To The Prostrate Figure
And Gave Vent To A Long And Piteous Howl, And Then Lying
Down By Egbert's Side Placed His Head On His Shoulder.
Part 3 Chapter 3 (The Massacre At Croyland) Pg 22
Edmund Wept Sorely For Some Time, For He Knew That
His Kinsman's Agitation Could Be Only Caused By The
Death Of His Father. At Last He Approached Egbert.
"My Brave Kinsman," He Said, "I Need Ask You No Questions,
For I Know But Too Well That My Dear Father Has Fallen;
But Rouse Yourself, I Pray You; Let Me Bandage Your Wounds,
Which Bleed Fast, For You Will Want All Your Strength, And We
Must Needs Pursue Our Way Well Into The Forest, For With
To-Morrow's Dawn The Danes Will Scatter Over The Whole Country."
"Yes," Egbert Said, Turning Round And Sitting Up, "I Must
Not In My Grief Forget My Mission, And In Truth I Am Faint
With Loss Of Blood. It Was Well The Danes Stopped When They
Did, For I Felt My Strength Failing Me, And Could Have Held Out
But Little Further. Yes, Edmund," He Continued, As The Lad,
Tearing Strips From His Garments, Proceeded To Bandage His
Wounds, "Your Father Is Dead. Nobly, Indeed, Did He Fight;
Nobly Did He Die, With A Circle Of Dead Danes Around Him.
He, Algar, Toley, And Myself Were The Last Four To Resist. Back
To Back We Stood, And Many Were The Danes Who Fell Before
Our Blows. Toley Fell First And Then Algar. The Danes Closed
Closer Around Us. Still We Fought On, Till Your Father Was Beaten
To His Knee, And Then He Cried To Me, 'Fly, Egbert, To My Son.'
Then I Flung Myself Upon The Danes Like A Wild Boar Upon
The Dogs, And With The Suddenness Of My Rush And The Heavy
Part 3 Chapter 3 (The Massacre At Croyland) Pg 23Blows Of My Battle-Axe Cut A Way For Myself Through Them.
It Was Well-Nigh A Miracle, And I Could Scarce Believe It When
I Was Free. I Flung Away My Shield And Helmet As Soon As I Had
Well Begun To Run, For I Felt The Blood Gushing Out From A
Dozen Wounds, And Knew That I Should Want All My Strength.
I Soon Caught Sight Of You Running Ahead Of Me. Had I Found
We Were Gaining Upon You I Should Have Turned Off And Made
Another Way To Lead The Danes Aside, But I Soon Saw That You
Were Holding Your Own, And So Followed Straight On. My Knees
Trembled, And I Felt My Strength Was Well-Nigh Gone, When,
Looking Round, I Found The Danes Had Desisted From Their
Pursuit. I Grieve, Edmund, That I Should Have Left The Battle
Alive When All The Others Have Died Bravely, For, Save A Few
Fleet-Footed Youths, I Believe That Not A Single Saxon Has
Escaped The Fight; But Your Father Had Laid His Commands Upon
Me, And I Was Forced To Obey, Though God Knows I Would
Rather Have Died With The Heroes On That Field."
"'Tis Well For Me That You Did Not, My Good Egbert,"
Edmund Said, Drying His Eyes, "For What Should I Have Done
In This Troubled Land Without One Protector?"
"It Was The Thought Of That," Egbert Said, "That Seemed
To Give Me Strength As I Dashed At The Danes. And Now,
Methinks, I Am Strong Enough To Walk Again. Let Us Make
Our Way Far Into The Forest, Then We Must Rest For The Night.
A Few Hours' Sleep Will Make A Fresh Man Of Me, And To-Morrow
Morning We Will Go To Croyland And See What The Good Abbot
Your Uncle Proposes To Do, Then Will We To The Hut Where We
Dwelt Before Coming Hither. We Will Dig Up The Chest And
Take Out Such Valuables As We Can Carry, And Then Make For
Wessex. After This Day's Work I Have No Longer Any Hope That
East Anglia Will Successfully Oppose The Danes. And Yet The
Angles Fought Well, And For Every One Of Them Who Has Fallen
In These Two Days' Fighting At Least Four Danes Must Have
Perished. Have You Food, Edmund, For In Truth After Such A
Day's Work I Would Not Lie Down Supperless?"
"I Have In My Pouch Here, Egbert, Some Cakes, Which I
Cooked This Morning, And A Capon Which One Of The Monks
Of Croyland Gave Me. I Was Tempted To Throw It Away
As I Ran."
"I Am Right Glad, Edmund, That The Temptation Was Not
Too Strong For You. If We Can Find A Spring We Shall Do Well."
It Was Now Getting Dark, But After An Hour's Walk Through
The Forest They Came Upon A Running Stream. They Lit A Fire
By Its Side, And Sitting Down Ate The Supper, Of Which Both
Were In Much Need. Wolf Shared The Repast, And Then The
Three Lay Down To Sleep. Egbert, Overcome By The Immense
Exertions He Had Made During The Fight, Was Soon Asleep; But
Edmund, Who Had Done His Best To Keep A Brave Face Before
His Kinsman, Wept For Hours Over The Loss Of His Gallant
Part 3 Chapter 3 (The Massacre At Croyland) Pg 24
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