The Dragon and the Raven; Or, The Days of King Alfred

by G. A. Henty

  CHAPTER XIX: UNITED

  No sooner did Edmund find himself outside the mansion than he separatedhimself from the Danes, and following the sea-shore, set out on hisreturn to the Dragon. The tide was out, and although the night was darkhe had no difficulty in finding his way along the shore, keeping closeto the margin of the waves. When he approached the headland he wasforced to take to the land, as the waves beat against the foot of therock. Guided by the stars he made his way across the cape and came downon to the shore of the bay.

  A light was burning on the poop of the Dragon, and his hail was at onceanswered. A few minutes later a boat touched the shore beside him, andhe was soon on board the ship, and at once held council with Egbert andSiegbert, to whom he related all that had happened. He learned fromthem that his two wounded comrades had been brought down to the beachthat evening by the country people, and had told them how narrow anescape they had had of death at the hands of the enraged peasants.

  After a discussion of all the different plans upon which they mightact, it was determined that the attempt to rescue Freda should be madeat once, as they considered it certain that Sweyn with a large portionof his band would set out at daybreak to take vengeance upon thenatives.

  The plan decided upon was that they should proceed along the shore, andthat if the Danish galleys, being undermanned, did not put out inpursuit, they should sail in and attack them. The Danes were indeedgreatly superior in force, for they had counted the ships, the smallestof which would carry a hundred men. Still in the absence of a portionof their crews, and from the effects of surprise, they thought thatsuccess was possible.

  The next morning sail was hoisted, and the Dragon made her way alongthe coast. The hour was later than that at which she had shown herselfon the previous day. She sailed on until within two miles of the town,and then suddenly turned her head seaward, as if she had only thenperceived the Danish vessels. The instant she did so a great bustle wasobserved among them. Many boats were seen pushing off from shorecrowded with men, oars were got out, and sails loosed.

  "From the number of men who are crowding on board," Egbert said, "Ibelieve that Sweyn cannot have started in pursuit of the natives; inthat case we shall have a hard fight of it."

  "So much the better," Siegbert exclaimed. "I should consider our taskwas half accomplished if we rescued Freda without punishing Sweyn. Letthem come," he said, shaking his battle-axe at the galleys. "Though myleg is stiff my arms are not, as Sweyn shall learn if I meet him."

  The Dragon's oars were now put out and the galley-slaves began to row,the Saxons concealing themselves behind the bulwarks. In a few minutesthe whole of the Danish galleys were unmoored and started in thepursuit of the supposed Italian vessel. The breeze was light, butsomewhat helped the Dragon. Four of the Northmen vessels were largeships with sails, and these speedily fell behind, but the others withtheir oars gained slowly on the Dragon.

  Edmund saw with satisfaction that the two galleys of Sweyn, which he atonce recognized, were somewhat faster than their consorts, and theslaves were made to row as hard as they could in order to prolong thechase as much as possible, by which means Sweyn's galleys would be thefurther separated from the others.

  After the pursuit had been continued for some miles Sweyn's galleyswere but a few hundred yards in the rear, and were nearly a quarter ofa mile ahead of those of their comrades, which had gained but littleupon the Dragon since the chase began. Edmund ordered the men to ceaserowing, as if despairing of escape. The Genoese took their station onthe poop, and as Sweyn's galley came rushing up they shouted to it thatthey would surrender if promised their lives. The Northmen answeredwith a shout of triumph and derision, and dashed alongside.

  Sweyn's own galley was slightly in advance of the others. Edmundordered the oars to be pulled in as the Northmen came up, so as toallow them to come alongside. Not a word was spoken on board the Dragontill the Danes, leaving their oars, swarmed up the side headed by Sweynhimself. Then Edmund gave a shout, the Saxons leaped to their feet, andraising their battle-cry fell upon the astonished Danes.

  Those who had climbed up were instantly cut down or hurled back intotheir own galley, and the Saxons leaping down, a tremendous fightensued. Edmund with Siegbert and half his crew boarded the Dane closeto the poop, and so cut the Northmen off from that part of the vessel,while Egbert with the rest boarded farther forward. The Danes wouldhave been speedily overpowered had not the second galley arrived uponthe spot; and these, seeing the combat which was raging, at once leapedupon Sweyn's galley. With this accession of force, although numbers ofthe Danes had fallen in the first attack, they still outnumbered theSaxons.

  Sweyn, heading his men, made a desperate effort to drive back Edmund'sparty. His men, however, fought less bravely than usual. Theirastonishment at finding the ship which they had regarded as an easyprize manned by Saxons was overwhelming, and the sight of Siegbert,whom many of them knew, in the front rank of their enemies added totheir confusion.

  Sweyn himself, as he recognized Edmund, at once made at him, and,wielding a heavy axe in his left hand, strove to cut him down; andEdmund, strong and skilful as he was, had great difficulty in parryingthe blows which the Northman rained upon him. The combat, however, wasdecided by Siegbert, who hurled his javelin at Sweyn, the weaponpassing completely through his body.

  Sweyn fell on the deck with a crash.

  The Northmen, dispirited at the fall of their leader, hesitated, and asthe Saxons sprang upon them turned and fled into the other galley. Thedoor of the poop opened and Freda flew into her father's arms.

  "Quick, Siegbert, to the Dragon!" Edmund cried, and shouted orders tohis men. "There is not a moment to be lost. The other galleys are justupon us!"

  The Saxons rushed back to the Dragon; the oars were thrust out again,and the vessel got under weigh just as the other Danish galleys arrivedon the spot. While some of the Saxons poured volleys of arrows andjavelins into the Northmen, the others at Edmund's order leaped downand double-banked the oars. The increase of power was soon manifest,and the Dragon began to draw away from the Danes. Gradually theirgalleys fell back out of bow-shot, and after continuing the chase forsome little time longer they abandoned it as hopeless and lay upontheir oars to rest.

  A shout of triumph rose from the Saxons, and then Edmund, who hadhitherto been fully occupied with the command of the vessel, turned toFreda, who was still standing by her father.

  "I have been a long time in fulfilling my promise, Freda," he said;"but as your father will tell you I have done my best. Thank God, whohas given me success at last!"

  "I never doubted that you would come, Edmund," she said, "and theknowledge has enabled me to stand firm against both the entreaties andthreats of Sweyn. How can I thank you for all you have done for me?"

  "I have spoken to your father, Freda; and he has promised me your handif you, indeed, are willing to bestow it. I promised to come for you ifyou would wait, nearly five years ago, and I have never thought of anyother woman."

  "I have waited for you, Edmund," she said simply, "and would never havewed another had you not come. You are my hero, and methinks I haveloved you ever since the day when you boarded our ship off the mouth ofthe Humber."

  "Take her, Edmund," Siegbert said; "you have nobly won her, and thereis no one to whom I could be so well content to intrust her. I now joinyour hands in token of betrothal."

  The crew of the Dragon, who had been watching the scene, raised a shoutof gladness as they saw Siegbert place Freda's hand in that of Edmund.They had guessed that their lord must have an affection for this Danishmaiden in whose pursuit they had come so far, and were delighted at thehappy issue of the expedition.

  "I trust, Freda," Edmund said to her after a while, "that you havethought of the talk we had about religion, and that you will forsakethe barbarous gods of your people and become a Christian, as so many ofyour people have done in England, and that you will be wedded to me notin the rude way of the Danes, but in a Christian church."

  "I
have thought much of it," she said, "and have come to think thatyour God of peace must be better than the gods of war; but I would fainknow more of Him before I desert the religion of my fathers."

  "That shall you," Edmund said. "With your father's permission I willplace you for a short time in a convent in Rome, and one of the Saxonmonks shall teach you the tenets of our faith. It will be but for ashort time, dear; and while you are there we will try and capture someof Hasting's galleys, filled with plunder, for my men have come far,and I would fain that they returned with an ample booty."

  Freda and Siegbert agreed to the plan, and the latter said, "I too willtarry in Rome while you are away, Edmund. I could fight against Sweyn,for it was in a private quarrel, but I cannot war against mycountrymen. I too will talk with your Saxon monks, and hear about thisnew religion of yours, for I think that as I have no others to love orcare for I shall return to England with you, and, if you will have me,take up my abode in your English home so as to be near you and mydaughter."

  The Dragon returned to Rome. There Edmund procured lodgings forSiegbert and Freda, and the Saxon monks gladly arranged to visit themand instruct them in the doctrines of Christianity. The Dragon sailedagain for the coast of Sicily and was absent a month, during which timeshe captured a number of Danish galleys, most of which were laden withrich booty. Then she returned to Rome. A few days later a solemnservice was held, at which Freda and Siegbert were baptized asChristians, and after this was done a marriage service was held, andEdmund and Freda married with the rites of the Christian Church. Thepope himself was present at the services and bestowed his blessing uponthe newly married couple, the novelty of the occasion drawing a vastcrowd of spectators.

  A few days later the Dragon again put to sea, and after a speedy voyagewith favourable weather arrived in England without further adventure.Edmund's arrival at home was the occasion of great rejoicings. The newsof the share which the Dragon and her crew had taken in the defence ofParis had reached England, but none knew what had become of her fromthat time, and when months had passed without tidings of her beingreceived it was generally supposed that she must have been lost.

  Her return laden with rich booty excited the greatest enthusiasm, andthe king himself journeyed to Sherborne to welcome Edmund on hisarrival there.

  "So this is the reason," he said smiling, when Edmund presented Fredato him, "why you were ever so insensible to the attractions to ourSaxon maidens! Truly the reason is a fair one and fully excuses you,and right glad am I to welcome your bonnie bride to our shores."

  Alfred remained three days at Sherborne and then left Edmund toadminister the affairs of his earldom, for which a substitute had beenprovided in his absence. The large plunder which the Dragon had broughthome had enriched all who had sailed in her, and greatly added to theprosperity which prevailed in Edmund's district.

  He found that in his absence Alfred had introduced many changes. Theadministration of justice was no longer in the hands of the ealdormen,judges having been appointed who journeyed through the land andadministered justice. Edmund highly approved of the change, foralthough in most cases the ealdormen had acted to the best of theirpowers they had a great deal of other business to do; besides, theirdecisions necessarily aggrieved one party or the other and sometimescaused feuds and bad feelings, and were always liable to be suspectedof being tinged with partiality; whereas the judges being strangers inthe district would give their decisions without bias or favour.

  Freda had, as was the custom, taken a new name in baptism, but atEdmund's request her name had only been changed to the Christian one ofElfrida, and Edmund to the end of his life continued to call her by herold name. She speedily became as popular in the earldom as was herhusband.

  Siegbert, who had been christened Harold, took kindly to his new life.Between him and Egbert a great friendship had sprung up, and Edmundbuilt for their joint use a house close to his own.

  In 884 Alfred heard that the Danes of East Anglia were incorrespondence with their countrymen at home and in France, and thatthere was danger that the peace of England would be disturbed. Thethanes were therefore bidden to prepare for another struggle, to gathersufficient arms in readiness for all the able-bodied men in theirdistrict, and to call out their contingents from time to time topractise in the use of arms.

  The ealdormen whose seats of government bordered on the sea wereordered to construct ships of war, so that any Danish armament might bemet at sea. Edmund was appointed to command this fleet, and wasinstructed to visit the various ports to superintend the constructionof the ships, and when they were completed to exercise their crews innaval maneuvers.

  The winter of 884 was spent by Edmund in the performance of theseduties. The Dragon was again fitted out, and in her he cruised fromport to port. Freda, who was passionately fond of the sea, accompaniedhim, as did Siegbert and Egbert. It was not until May in 885 that thethreatened invasion took place. Then the news came to the king that theDanes had landed in large numbers near Rochester and had laid siege tothe town. The king instantly summoned his fighting array, and in a fewdays moved at the head of a large army towards Kent. Rochester wasdefending itself valiantly. The Danes erected a great tower opposite tothe principal gate, and overwhelming the defenders on the walls withtheir missiles endeavoured to force their way in by battering down thegate.

  The inhabitants, however, piled great masses of stone behind it, andeven when the gate was battered in the Danes, with all their efforts,were unable to force an entrance. The Saxon army advanced with suchcelerity that the Danes had received no news of their coming until theywere close at hand. Then one of their foraging parties arrived with theintelligence that a great Saxon army was upon them. The Danes wereseized with a sudden panic, and fled precipitately to their ships,leaving behind them the horses they had brought from France, theirstores, and all the prisoners and spoil they had gathered in theirincursions in the neighbourhood of Rochester. Seeing how well theSaxons were prepared for resistance the greater portion of the Danescrossed to France, but sixteen of their vessels entered the Stour andjoined their allies of East Anglia.

  Alfred ordered his fleet to assemble in the Medway, and in a fortnightthe vessels from all the southern ports arrived. They were filled withfighting men, and sailed to attack the Danes in the Stour, after whichthe force was to land and to inflict a severe punishment upon EastAnglia. On hearing of the gathering of the Saxon fleet Athelstan sentacross to France and begged the Danes to come to his assistance, butnone of their vessels had arrived when the Saxon fleet reached themouth of the Stour.

  The fighting force on board the Danish ships had been largelyreinforced by their countrymen of East Anglia, and in a close body theyrowed out to give battle to the Saxons. A desperate fight ensued, butafter a struggle, which continued for many hours, the Danes werecompletely defeated, the whole of their vessels were captured, and allon board put to the sword.

  On the following day the army landed and ravaged the surroundingcountry and returned to the ships with much booty. As they sailed outof the river they saw a vast fleet of the enemy approaching. Athelstanhad assembled his ships from all the ports of East Anglia, and had beenjoined by a large reinforcement of his countrymen from France. TheSaxons were greatly outnumbered, but a portion of the fleet fought withgreat bravery. Some of the ships, however, being manned withnewly-collected crews unaccustomed to naval war, lost heart, and madebut a poor resistance.

  Alfred was on board the Dragon, which sank several of the Danishgalleys, and with some of her consorts continued the fight untilnightfall, beating off every attempt of the Danes to board them. Seeingthat several of the ships had been captured, that others had taken toflight, and that there was no longer a hope of victory, Alfred gave thesignal, and the Dragon and her remaining consorts fought their waythrough the Danish fleet and made their escape.

  The valour which the Saxons had shown in these two sea-fights, and thestrength of the army with which Alfred had so speedily marched to therelief of Rochester, greatly im
pressed the enemy, and although Rollocame across from Normandy to the assistance of Athelstan, the Danesconcluded that it was better to leave the Saxons to themselves.

  Alfred in the following spring again assembled his army and laid siegeto London, which was still in the possession of the Danes. Athelstandid not venture to march to its assistance, and the town, which hadlong been in the Northmen's hands, was captured. The greater portion ofthe city was burned in the siege. Alfred ordered it to be rebuilt,invited its former inhabitants to return, and offered privileges to allwho would take up their abode there. The walls were rebuilt, and thecity placed in a position of defence. Alfred then handed it over toEthelred, the ealdorman of Mercia.

  Peace was now made with Athelstan, and for some years remainedunbroken. In 893 a Danish fleet of 250 ships sailed across fromBoulogne and landed in the Weald of Kent, which was then covered with agreat forest, and there wintered, while the viking Hasting with eightyships sailed up the Thames and built a strong fort at Milton.

  Alfred stationed his army in a strong position half-way between theforest and the Danish camp at Milton, so that he could attack eitherarmy when they moved out of their stronghold. The Danes for many monthsremained in the forest, issuing out occasionally to plunder in the opencountry of Kent, Sussex, and Hampshire, but they met with a stoutresistance from the Saxons who had remained in the towns and country.

  After Easter, having collected a considerable amount of spoil, andfinding the resistance ever increasing, the Danes moved northwards fromtheir forest, intending to march into Essex. The king's forces at onceset off to intercept them, and overtook them at Farnham, where theNorthmen were completely defeated. All their booty was recaptured, withtheir horses and stores. Those who escaped fled across the Thames andtook refuge on an island in the Colne. The Saxons besieged them there;but when the Danes were about to surrender from want of provisions thenews arrived that the Northmen of Northumbria and East Anglia, with 240ships, had landed suddenly in Devonshire, and had laid siege to Exeter.

  The siege of the island was at once raised, and King Alfred marchedagainst the new arrivals, and advancing with great speed fell upon themand defeated them. Then hastily returning he came to London and, joinedby a strong force from Mercia, marched against Milton, where Hastinghad been joined by the great number of the Danes who had formed thearmy in the Weald. Hasting himself was away, but his army marched outto meet the Saxons.

  A great battle was fought, but the Danes could not resist the ardour oftheir assailants. Their army was routed and their fortress stormed. Allthe booty within it fell into the hands of the victors, together withthe wives and families of the Danes, among whom were the wife and twosons of Hasting. The Danish fleet also was captured, and was burned ortaken to London. Another great fleet of the East Angles andNorthumbrians sailed up the Thames, and landing, the Northmen marchedacross to the Severn, but were defeated and destroyed by Ethelred ofMercia.

  Exeter was again invested by a Danish fleet, and again saved by Alfred.The Danes, as they retired along the south coast, landed nearChichester, where they suffered a heavy defeat from the South Saxons.

  In the following year a fresh fleet sailed up the Thames and thence upthe Lea, where they constructed a fortress twenty miles above London.

  Alfred caused two fortresses to be erected on the Lea below them, withvast balks of timber entirely obstructing the river. The Danes, findingtheir retreat cut off, abandoned their ships and marched across Englandto Cwatbridge on the Severn. Their fleet fell into the hands of theLondoners, who burned and broke up all the smaller ships and carriedthe rest down to London. The Danes were so disconcerted by the many andsevere defeats which had befallen them that they now abandoned the ideaof again conquering England, and taking ship, sailed for France.

  Four years later, in 901, King Alfred died, having reigned twenty-nineyears and six months. During his reign England had made immenseadvances in civilization, and in spite of the devastation wrought bythe Danish occupation of Wessex during the early years of his reign,and the efforts required afterwards to oppose them, the wealth andprosperity of the country vastly increased during his reign. Abbeys andmonasteries had multiplied, public buildings been erected, townsrebuilt and beautified, and learning had made great advances. The lawsof the country had been codified and regulated, the administration ofjustice placed on a firm basis. The kingly authority had greatlyincreased, and the great ealdormen were no longer semi-independentnobles, but officers of the crown. Serfdom, although not entirelyabolished, had been mitigated and regulated. Arts and manufactures hadmade great progress.

  Edmund and Freda survived King Alfred many years, and their districtcontinued to be one of the most prosperous and well-ruled in thekingdom. Their descendants continued to hold the office of ealdormanuntil the invasion by William the Conqueror, and the holder of theoffice at that time fell, with numbers of his followers, at the battleof Hastings. For very many years after that event the prow of theDragon was kept in the great hall of Sherborne as a memorial of thevaliant deeds performed against the Danes by Ealdorman Edmund.