their purpose, and coming back
again to fight, plunder, and burn, as usual. One fatal winter, in the
fourth year of KING ALFRED'S reign, they spread themselves in great
numbers over the whole of England; and so dispersed and routed the King's
soldiers that the King was left alone, and was obliged to disguise
himself as a common peasant, and to take refuge in the cottage of one of
his cowherds who did not know his face.

Here, KING ALFRED, while the Danes sought him far and near, was left
alone one day, by the cowherd's wife, to watch some cakes which she put
to bake upon the hearth. But, being at work upon his bow and arrows,
with which he hoped to punish the false Danes when a brighter time should
come, and thinking deeply of his poor unhappy subjects whom the Danes
chased through the land, his noble mind forgot the cakes, and they were
burnt. 'What!' said the cowherd's wife, who scolded him well when she
came back, and little thought she was scolding the King, 'you will be
ready enough to eat them by-and-by, and yet you cannot watch them, idle
dog?'

At length, the Devonshire men made head against a new host of Danes who
landed on their coast; killed their chief, and captured their flag; on
which was represented the likeness of a Raven--a very fit bird for a
thievish army like that, I think. The loss of their standard troubled
the Danes greatly, for they believed it to be enchanted--woven by the
three daughters of one father in a single afternoon--and they had a story
among themselves that when they were victorious in battle, the Raven
stretched his wings and seemed to fly; and that when they were defeated,
he would droop. He had good reason to droop, now, if he could have done
anything half so sensible; for, KING ALFRED joined the Devonshire men;
made a camp with them on a piece of firm ground in the midst of a bog in
Somersetshire; and prepared for a great attempt for vengeance on the
Danes, and the deliverance of his oppressed people.

But, first, as it was important to know how numerous those pestilent
Danes were, and how they were fortified, KING ALFRED, being a good
musician, disguised himself as a glee-man or minstrel, and went, with his
harp, to the Danish camp. He played and sang in the very tent of GUTHRUM
the Danish leader, and entertained the Danes as they caroused. While he
seemed to think of nothing but his music, he was watchful of their tents,
their arms, their discipline, everything that he d