if Edington height was to be
held by Danes again, it must be won by hard fighting. That is a
thing that no Dane shrinks from, and now for Guthrum there was
nought else to be done, for he was surrounded, as it were.

No man saw the whole of that fight, for it began at noon, as I have
said, when Guthrum turned to find the hillward road blocked behind
him. And from that time on it raged from spur to spur and point to
point, as step by step the Danes won back to the hillsides. But the
crest of the hill they never gained, save where for a time they
might set foot and be driven headlong in turn by those who had
given way before them at first. And so the fight swept on to the
base of Edington hill and along its sides, for there Alfred had
held his best men in reserve. Already the Danes had made for
themselves some shallow lines of earthworks along the crest, and
now these were manned against their own attack.

Men who looked on from afar tell strange tales of the shouts and
cries that rang among the quiet Polden hills and woodlands that day
for long hours. It was very still, as it chanced, and the noise of
battle went far and wide from the place where Saxon and Dane fought
their greatest fight for mastery.

Ever rode Alfred with the light of battle on his face, confident
and joyous, among his men from post to post. Ever where the tide of
battle seemed to set against us his arm brought victory again,
until at last Guthrum drew his men together for one final attack
that should end the day.

On Edington hillside he massed them, and steadily they came on
under shield in a dense column to where, in their own camp, we
waited under the Dragon banner. Half our men, the best spearmen of
the force, were lying down resting, but along the little ridges of
the earthworks the archers stood, each knowing that he fought under
the eye of the king he loved.

"This is the end," said Alfred, as the Danes came on. "Be ready,
spearmen, when I give the word."

And they lay clutching their weapons, with their eyes fixed on him
as he stood on the hilltop, surrounded by his thanes, gazing on the
last assault of the Danes, whose archers from the wings were
already at work, so that the men of the shield wall closed in
around him.

I think that the Danes had no knowledge of what force was hidden by
the hill brow. For when they were within half arrow shot, and
Alfred gave the word, and the long ranks of spearmen leaped from
the ground and closed