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

by G. A. Henty

  CHAPTER VII: THE DRAGON

  The Danes at Exeter, being now cut off from all hope of relief, askedfor terms, and the king granted them their lives on condition of theirpromising to leave Wessex and not to return. This promise they swore bytheir most solemn oaths to observe, and marching northward passed outof Wessex and settled near Gloucester. Some of the Saxons thought thatthe king had been wrong in granting such easy terms, but he pointed outto the ealdormen who remonstrated with him that there were many otherand larger bands of Danes in Mercia and Anglia, and that had hemassacred the band at Exeter--and this he could not have done withoutthe loss of many men, as assuredly the Danes would have foughtdesperately for their lives--the news of their slaughter would havebrought upon him fresh invasions from all sides.

  By this time all resistance to the Danes in Mercia had ceased. Againand again King Burhred had bought them off, but this only brought freshhordes down upon him, and at last, finding the struggle hopeless, hehad gone as a pilgrim to Rome, where he had died. The Danes acted inMercia as they had done in Northumbria. They did not care, themselves,to settle down for any length of time, and therefore appointed a weakSaxon thane, Ceolwulf, as the King of Mercia. He ruled cruelly andextorted large revenues from the land-owners, and robbed themonasteries, which had escaped destruction, of their treasures.

  The Danes suffered him to pursue this course until he had amassed greatwealth, when they swooped down upon him, robbed him of all hepossessed, and took away the nominal kingship he had held. As there wasnow but little fresh scope for plundering in England many of the Danesboth in Anglia and Mercia settled down in the cities and on the landswhich they had taken from the Saxons.

  The Danes who had gone from Exeter were now joined by another bandwhich had landed in South Wales. The latter, finding but small plunderwas to be obtained among the mountains of that country, moved toGloucester, and joining the band there proposed a fresh invasion ofWessex. The Danes, in spite of the oaths they had sworn to Alfred, andthe hostages they had left in his hands, agreed to the proposal; andearly in the spring of 878 the bands, swollen by reinforcements fromMercia, marched into Wiltshire and captured the royal castle ofChippenham on the Avon. From this point they spread over the countryand destroyed everything with fire and sword. A general panic seizedthe inhabitants. The better class, with the bishops, priests, andmonks, made for the sea-coasts and thence crossed to France, takingwith them all their portable goods, with the relics, precious stones,and ornaments of the churches and monasteries.

  Another party of Danes in twenty-three ships had landed in Devonshire.Here the ealdorman Adda had constructed a castle similar to that whichEdmund had built. It was fortified by nature on three sides and had astrong rampart of earth on another. The Danes tried to starve out thedefenders of the fort; but the Saxons held out for a long time,although sorely pressed by want of water. At last they sallied out onemorning at daybreak and fell upon the Danes and utterly defeated them,only a few stragglers regaining their ships.

  A thousand Danes are said to have been slain at Kynwith; but this wasan isolated success; in all other parts of the kingdom panic appearedto have taken possession of the West Saxons. Those who could not leavethe country retired to the woods, and thence, when the Danes had passedby, leaving ruin and desolation behind them, they sallied out and againbegan to till the ground as best they could. Thus for a time the WestSaxons, formerly so valiant and determined, sank to the condition ofserfs; for when all resistance ceased the Danes were well pleased tosee the ground tilled, as otherwise they would speedily have run shortof stores.

  At the commencement of the invasion Edmund had marched out with hisband and had inflicted heavy blows upon parties of plunderers; but hesoon perceived that the struggle was hopeless. He therefore returned toSherborne, and collecting such goods as he required and a good store ofprovisions he marched to the place where the ship had been hidden. Nowandering band of Danes had passed that way, and the bushes with whichshe had been covered were undisturbed. These were soon removed and apassage three feet deep, and wide enough for the ship to pass through,was dug from the deep hole in which she was lying to the river.

  When the last barrier was cut the water poured in, and the Saxons hadthe satisfaction of seeing the vessel rise gradually until the water inthe dock was level with that in the river. Then she was taken out intothe stream, the stores and fittings placed aboard, and she was poleddown to the mouth of the river. Egbert had gone before and had alreadyengaged fifteen sturdy sailors to go with them. The Danes had not yetreached the sea-coast from the interior, and there was therefore nodifficulty in obtaining the various equipments necessary. In a week hermasts were up and her sails in position.

  The Dragon, as she was called, excited great admiration at the port,all saying that she was the finest and largest ship that had ever beenseen there. While her fitting out had been going on she was hove up onshore and received several coats of paint. Edmund was loath to start onhis voyage without again seeing the king, but no one knew where Alfrednow was, he, on finding the struggle hopeless, having retired to thefastnesses of Somerset to await the time when the Saxons should bedriven by oppression again to take up arms.

  At last all was ready, and the Dragon put out to sea. She was providedwith oars as well as sails, but these were only to be used when inpursuit, or when flying from a superior enemy. As soon as she had beenlong enough at sea to enable the band again to recover from the effectsof sickness the oars were got out and the men practised in their use.

  As in the models from which she had been built, she rowed two banks ofoars, the one worked by men upon deck, the others through smallport-holes. The latter could only be used when the weather was fine;when the sea was high they were closed up and fastened. The lower-deckoars were each rowed by one man, while the upper bank, which werelonger and heavier, had each two men to work it.

  Before starting Edmund had increased the strength of his band to ninetymen, that number being required for the oars, of which the Dragon hadfifteen on each bank on each side. At first there was terriblesplashing and confusion, but in time the men learned to row in order,and in three weeks after putting to sea the oars worked well in timetogether, and the Dragon, with her ninety rowers, moved through thewater at a great rate of speed.

  During this time she had never been far from land keeping but a shortdistance from the port from which she had sailed, as Edmund did notwish to fall in with the Danes until his crew were able to maneuver herwith the best effect. When, at last, satisfied that all knew their dutyhe returned to port, took in a fresh supply of provisions, and thensailed away again in search of the enemy. He coasted along the shore ofHampshire and Sussex without seeing a foe, and then sailing round Kententered the mouth of the Thames. The Dragon kept on her way until shereached the point where the river begins to narrow, and there the sailswere furled and the anchor thrown overboard to wait for Danish galleyscoming down the river.

  On the third day after they had anchored they perceived four blackspecks in the distance, and these the sailors soon declared to beDanish craft. They were rowing rapidly, having ten oars on either side,and at their mast-heads floated the Danish Raven. The anchor was gotup, and as the Danes approached, the Golden Dragon, the standard ofWessex, was run up to the mast-head, the sails were hoisted, the oarsgot out, and the vessel advanced to meet the approaching Danes.

  These for a moment stopped rowing in astonishment at seeing so large aship bearing the Saxon flag. Then they at once began to scatter indifferent directions; but the Dragon, impelled both by the wind and hersixty oars, rapidly overtook them. When close alongside the galleynearest to them the men on the upper deck, at an order from Edmund, ranin their oars, and seizing their bows poured a volley of arrows intothe galley, killing most of the rowers. Then the Dragon was steeredalongside, and the Saxons, sword in hand, leaped down into the galley.Most of the Danes were cut down at once; the rest plunged into thewater and swam for their lives. Leaving the deserted galley behind, theDragon continued th
e pursuit of the others, and overtook and capturedanother as easily as she had done the first.

  The other two boats reached the shore before they were overtaken, andthose on board leaping out fled. The Saxons took possession of thedeserted galleys. They found them, as they expected, stored full ofplunder of all kinds--rich wearing apparel, drinking goblets, massivevessels of gold and silver which had been torn from some desecratedaltar, rich ornaments and jewels and other articles. These were at onceremoved to the Dragon. Fire was applied to the boats, and they weresoon a mass of flames. Then the Dragon directed her course to the twogalleys she had first captured. These were also rifled of theircontents and burned. The Saxons were delighted at the success which hadattended their first adventure.

  "We shall have rougher work next time," Egbert said. "The Danes whoescaped will carry news to London, and we shall be having a whole fleetdown to attack us in a few days."

  "If they are in anything like reasonable numbers we will fight them; ifnot, we can run. We have seen to-day how much faster we are than theDanish boats; and though I shall be in favour of fighting if we have afair chance of success, it would be folly to risk the success of ourenterprise by contending against overwhelming numbers at the outset,seeing that we shall be able to pick up so many prizes round the coast."

  "We can beat a score of them," Egbert grumbled. "I am in favour offighting the Danes whenever we see them."

  "When there is a hope of success, Egbert, yes; but you know even thefinest bull can be pulled down by a pack of dogs. The Dragon is asplendid ship, and does credit alike to King Alfred's first advice, tothe plans of the Italian shipbuilders, and to the workmanship anddesign of the shipwright of Exeter, and I hope she will long remain tobe a scourge to the Danes at sea as they have been a scourge to theSaxons on shore; and it is because I hope she is going to do such goodservice to England that I would be careful of her. You must remember,too, that many of the Danish galleys are far larger than those we hadto do with to-day. We are not going to gobble them all up as a pikeswallows minnows."

  The Dragon had now anchored again, and four days elapsed before anyDanish galleys were seen. At the end of that time six large Danishwar-ships were perceived in the distance. Edmund and Egbert from thetop of the lofty poop watched them coming.

  "They row thirty oars each side," Egbert said, "and are crowded withmen. What say you, Edmund, shall we stop and fight them, or shall theDragon spread her wings?"

  "We have the advantage of height," Edmund said, "and from our bow andstern castles can shoot down into them; but if they lie alongside andboard us their numbers will give them an immense advantage. I shouldthink that we might run down one or two of them. The Dragon is muchmore strongly built than these galleys of the Danes, and if when theyclose round us we have the oars lashed on both sides as when we arerowing, it will be next to impossible for them to get alongside exceptat the stern and bow, which are far too high for them to climb."

  "Very well," Egbert said, "if you are ready to fight, you may be sure Iam."

  The anchor was got up and the oars manned, and the Dragon quietlyadvanced towards the Danish boats. The men were instructed to rowslowly, and it was not until within a hundred yards of the leadinggalley that the order was given to row hard.

  The men strained at the tough oars, and the Dragon leapt ahead to meetthe foe. Her bow was pointed as if she would have passed close by theside of the Danish galley, which was crowded with men. When close toher, however, the helmsman pushed the tiller across and the Dragonswept straight down upon her. A shout of dismay rose from the Danes, ahasty volley of arrows and darts was hurled at the Dragon, and thehelmsman strove to avoid the collision, but in vain. The Dragon struckher on the beam, the frail craft broke up like an egg-shell under theblow, and sank almost instantly under the bows of the Dragon.

  Without heeding the men struggling thickly in the water, the Dragoncontinued her course. Warned by the fate of the first boat, the nextendeavoured to avoid her path. Her commander shouted orders. The rowerson one side backed while those on the other pulled, but she was notquite quick enough. The Dragon struck her a few feet from the stern,cutting her in two.

  The other galleys now closed in alongside. The Saxons hastily fastenedtheir oars as they had been rowing and then betook themselves to theirposts, those with spears and swords to the sides to prevent the enemyfrom climbing up, the archers to the lofty castles at either end. TheDanes had the greatest difficulty in getting alongside, the oarskeeping the galleys at a distance. For some time the combat wasconducted entirely by the archers on both sides, the Danes sufferingmuch the most heavily, as the Saxons were protected by the bulwarks,while from their lofty positions they were enabled to fire down intothe galleys.

  At last one of the Danish vessels rowed straight at the broadside ofthe Dragon, and breaking her way through the oars her bow reached theside. Then the Danes strove to leap on board, but the Saxons pursuedthe tactics which had succeeded so well on land, and forming in a closemass where the Danish vessel touched the Dragon, opposed a thick hedgeof spears to those who strove to board her.

  The Danes fought desperately. Several notable leaders, hearing that agreat Saxon ship had appeared on the Thames, had come down to captureher, and leading their followers, strove desperately to cut their wayto the deck of the Dragon. Taking advantage of the strife, the othergalleys repeated the maneuver which had succeeded, and each in turn rantheir stem through the Saxon oars, and reached the side of the Dragon.In this position, however, they had the immense disadvantage that onlya few men at once could strive to board, while the Saxons were able tooppose all their strength at these four points.

  For a time the Saxons repulsed every effort, but as the lashings of theoars gave way under the pressure of the Danish ships, these driftedalongside, and they were thus able to attack along the whole length ofthe 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 rivertogether. Presently, when the conflict was hottest, the chief of thesailors 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 arefour to one against us."

  The sailors at once sprang to the halliards, and soon the great sailrose on the mast. Almost instantly the Dragon began to glide away fromthe galleys. The Danes with ropes endeavoured to lash themselves to hersides, but these were severed as fast as thrown, and in two or threeminutes the Dragon had drawn herself clear of them. The Danes betookthemselves to their oars, but many of these had been broken between thevessels, and rowing their utmost they could only just keep up with theDragon, for the wind was blowing freely. Fully half the oars of theDragon were broken, but the rest were soon manned, and she then rapidlydrew away from her pursuers.

  "I am not going to run further," Edmund said. "Now that we have onceshaken them off, let us turn and meet them again."

  As the vessel's head was brought up into the wind the Danes ceasedrowing. The fate which had befallen their two galleys at thecommencement of the fight was still before them. They had lost greatnumbers 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 theSaxons were equally ready. Therefore, as the Dragon approached them,they sheered off on either side of her and rowed for the mouth of theMedway.

  The Saxons did not pursue. They had lost eight men killed, andseventeen wounded by the Danish arrows, and were well content to bequit of their opponents, upon whom they had inflicted a severe blow, aseach 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 beenshortly before burned by the Danes, but these had left, and some of theinhabitants had returned. Here the Dragon waited for a week, by the endof which time
the traces of the conflict had been obliterated, and newoars made. Edmund found no difficulty in filling up the vacanciescaused in the fight, as many of the young Saxons were burning to avengethe sufferings which the Danes had inflicted, and could have obtainedseveral times the number he required had there been room for them. Hewas therefore enabled to pick out sturdy fellows accustomed to the sea.When the Dragon again set sail her head was laid to the northward, asEdmund intended to cruise off East Anglia, from whose shores fleetswere 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 theappearances of the great Saxon galley. Whenever the Danes surrenderedwithout resistance Edmund gave them quarter and landed them in smallboats on the shore; their ships, after being emptied of the booty theycontained, were burned. When off Yarmouth, where they had captured fourDanish vessels sailing out unsuspicious of danger, the wind veeredround to the north-east and began to blow very strongly.

  The long line of sandbanks off the coast broke somewhat the violence ofthe sea, and the Dragon rode all night to her anchors; but in themorning the wind continued to rise. The sea became more and moreviolent, and the anchors began to drag. Edmund and Egbert, after aconsultation, agreed that their only chance of saving the vessel was toenter the river. The tide was running in, but the sea was so heavy onthe bar of the river that the efforts of the crew at the oars barelysufficed to keep her on her course. At length, however, she made herway safely between the posts which marked the entrance, and rowing upuntil they passed a turn, and were sheltered from the force of thegale, they again anchored.

  The oars were all lashed out firmly to keep any boats from approachingher sides. Bales of goods with which her hold was filled were broughton deck, and piled high along the bulwarks so as to afford a shelterfrom missiles. Even as they entered the harbour numbers of Danes hadassembled at the point; for the capture and destruction of their shipshad of course been seen, and the crews set ashore had spread the newsthat the strange vessel was a Saxon. The Norfolk bank being somewhathigher than the Suffolk, the boat was anchored rather nearer to thelatter, as it was from the town of Yarmouth that an attack wasanticipated.

  As soon as the anchors were let go the Danes began to fire theirarrows; but so powerful was the gale that the greater part of them wereswept far away. As the day went on the numbers of Danes on the bankincreased largely, and vast numbers of arrows were discharged at theDragon. The crew kept under shelter, and although she was often struckno damage was done.

  In the afternoon a fleet of galleys was seen coming down the river. TheDanes possessed a large number of these boats at Yarmouth, and in thesethey navigated the inland waters far into the interior. The wind hadshifted until it was blowing nearly due east, and Edmund and Egbert hadagreed upon the best course to be pursued. In case of attack they couldhardly hope finally to beat off the assault of a large fleet ofgalleys, and would besides be exposed to attack by boats laden withcombustibles. Therefore as soon as the galleys were seen approachingthe oars were unlashed, the great sail hoisted, and at her best speedthe Dragon advanced up the river to meet her foes. The Danes gave ashout of alarm as the vessel advanced to meet them with the watersurging in a white wave from her bows, and the greater part of themhurried towards one bank or the other to escape the shock. Some, slowerin movement or stouter in heart, awaited the attack, while from all astorm of missiles was poured upon the advancing boat.

  Heedless of these she continued her way. Her sharp bow crashed rightthrough the side of the Danish boats, and having destroyed seven ofthem on her way she passed through the flotilla and continued hercourse. The dragon waved triumphantly from her mast as she passed underthe walls of Yarmouth. These were crowded with Danes, who vainlyshowered arrows and javelins as she flew past, with the fleets ofgalleys rowing in her wake. A few minutes and she was out on the broadsheet of water beyond. The Danish galleys paused at the entrance. In sowild a storm they would have had difficulty in keeping their boatsstraight, while the great galley with her sails and oars would be ableto maneuver freely, and could strike and run them down one by one.

  "What is that pile of buildings on the rising knoll of ground somethree miles away?" Edmund asked.

  "It is Bamborough Castle," Egbert replied, "a Roman stronghold ofimmense strength."

  "Let us run up thither," Edmund said. "If, as is likely enough, it isunoccupied, we will land there and take possession. Are the wallscomplete?"

  "Assuredly they are," Egbert said. "They are of marvellous strength,such as we cannot build in our days. They run in a great semicirclefrom the edge of the water round the crest of the knoll and down againto the water. There is but one gateway in the wall on the land side,and this we can block up. We need not fear an attack from the land, forbetween the river and the castle there are wide swamps; so that unlessthey row up and attack us from the water we are safe."

  "I think that they will not do that," Edmund said, "after the tastewhich the Dragon has given them of her quality. At any rate I think weare safe till the storm abates."

  By this time, running rapidly before the wind, the Dragon wasapproaching the great Roman fort, whose massive walls struck Edmundwith astonishment. No one was to be seen moving about in the spaceinclosed by them. The sail was lowered and the vessel brought to thebank. The anchors were taken ashore and she was soon solidly moored.Then the crew leapt on to the land and ascended the bank to the greatlevel inclosure.

  The walls were, as Egbert had said, intact--and indeed, except on theside facing the river, remained almost unbroken to the present day. Anhour's labour sufficed to block the gateway, where a pair of massivedoors were in position, for the place had been defended by the Saxonsagainst the Danes at their first landing on the coast. A few men wereplaced as sentries on the walls, and, feeling now perfectly safe fromany attack on the land side, Edmund and his followers returned on boardthe Dragon for the night.