the great sail
rose on the mast. Almost instantly the Dragon began to glide away from
the galleys. The Danes with ropes endeavoured to lash themselves to her
sides, but these were severed as fast as thrown, and in two or three
minutes the Dragon had drawn herself clear of them. The Danes betook
themselves to their oars, but many of these had been broken between the
vessels, and rowing their utmost they could only just keep up with the
Dragon, for the wind was blowing freely. Fully half the oars of the
Dragon were broken, but the rest were soon manned, and she then rapidly
drew away from her pursuers.

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

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

The Saxons did not pursue. They had lost eight men killed, and
seventeen wounded by the Danish arrows, and were well content to be
quit of their opponents, upon whom they had inflicted a severe blow, as
each 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 been
shortly before burned by the Danes, but these had left, and some of the
inhabitants had returned. Here the Dragon waited for a week, by the end
of which time the traces of the conflict had been obliterated, and new
oars made. Edmund found no difficulty in filling up the vacancies
caused in the fight, as many of the young Saxons were burning to avenge
the sufferings which the Danes had inflicted, and could have obtained
several times the number he required had there been room for them. He
was therefore enabled to pick out sturdy fellows accustomed to the sea.
When the Dragon again set sail her head was laid to the northward, as
Edmund intended to cruise off East Anglia, from whose shores fleets
were constantly crossing and recrossing to Denmark.

They picked up several prizes at the mouths of the eastern rivers,
scarcely h