n
flotilla; and the greater portion of their crews being killed or
wounded, their commanders prayed for mercy, which was granted them by
Alfred; and with the four captured vessels the fleet returned to
England.

On reaching port Alfred begged Edmund to continue for a while with the
Dragon, to cruise along the coasts and to stop the depredations of the
Danes; and for some weeks the Dragon kept the seas. She met with
considerable success, capturing many Danish galleys. Some of these
contained rich spoil, which had been gathered in France, for cruising
in the seas off Dover Edmund intercepted many of the Danish vessels on
their homeward way from raids up the Seine, Garonne, and other French
rivers.

One day in the excitement of a long pursuit of a Danish galley, which
finally succeeded in making her escape, Edmund had paid less attention
than usual to the weather, and, on giving up the chase as hopeless,
perceived that the sky had become greatly overcast, while the wind was
rising rapidly.

"We are in for a storm from the north, Egbert," he said, "and we must
make for the mouth of the Thames for shelter."

The sails were lowered, and the Dragon's head turned west. Before two
hours had passed the sea had risen so greatly that it was no longer
possible to row.

"What had we best do?" Edmund asked the chief of the sailors. "Think
you that we can make Dover and shelter under the cliffs there?"

"I fear that we cannot do so," the sailor replied, "for there are
terrible sands and shallows off the Kentish coast between the mouth of
the Thames and Dover, and the wind blows so strongly that we can do
nought but run before it."

"Then let us do so," Edmund replied; "anything is better than being
tossed at the mercy of the waves."

A sail was hoisted, and the Dragon flew along before the wind. The
storm increased in fury, and for some hours the vessel ran before it.
She was but a short distance from the French coast, and as the wind
veered round more to the west her danger became great.

"I fear we shall be cast ashore," Edmund said to the sailor.

"Fortunately," the man answered, "we are but a mile or two from the
mouth of the Seine, and there we can run in and take shelter."

It was an anxious time until they reached the mouth of the river, for
they were continually drifting nearer and nearer to the coast. However,
they cleared the point in safety, and, turning her head, ran up the
river and soon anchored under the w