e are strangers to the
locality and cannot find it."

"And you might search for weeks," the man said, "without finding it, so
thickly is it surrounded by deep swamps and woods. But what want ye
there?"

"Men say," Edmund replied, "that King Alfred is hidden there. We are
faithful followers of his. I am Ealdorman Edmund of Sherborne, and have
good news for the king."

"If ye are indeed the Ealdorman of Sherborne, of whose bravery I have
heard much, I will right willingly lead you to Athelney if you will,
but no king will you find there. There are a few fugitives from the
Danes scattered here and there in these marshes, but none, so far as I
know, of any rank or station. However, I will lead you thither should
you still wish to go."

Edmund expressed his desire to visit the island even if the king were
not there. The man at once drew out a small boat from a hiding-place
near his hut. It would hold four at most. Edmund and Egbert stepped in
with one of their followers, charging the others to remain at the hut
until they received further instructions. The fisherman with a long
pole took his place in the bow of the boat and pushed off. For some
hours they made their way through the labyrinth of sluggish and narrow
channels of the morass. It was a gloomy journey. The leafless trees
frequently met overhead; the long rushes in the wetter parts of the
swamp rustled as the cold breezes swept across them, and a slight
coating of snow which had fallen the previous night added to the dreary
aspect of the scene. At last they came upon sharply rising ground.

"This is Athelney," the fisherman said, "a good hiding-place truly;
for, as you see, it rises high over the surrounding country, which is
always swampy from the waters of the Parrot and Theme, and at high
tides the salt water of the sea fills all these waterways, and the
trees rise from a broad sheet of sea. No Dane has ever yet set foot
among these marshes; and were there but provisions to keep them alive,
a safe refuge might be found on this island for hundreds of fugitives.
Will you be returning to-night?"

"That I cannot tell you," Edmund replied; "but at any rate I will hire
you and your boat to remain at my service for a week, and will pay you
a far higher price than you can obtain by your fishing."

The fisherman readily agreed, and Edmund and his companions made their
way into the heart of the island. It was of some extent, and rose above
the tree-tops of the sur