Scandinavian-Britain

THE AGE OF ALFRED 99miles above London, where they made another burg,which has been identified with the earthworks ofWalbury Camp, near Little Hallingbury. In thesummer the Londoners tried to take the fort, butwere put to flight. During harvest King Alfred,being encamped near London to protect the harvesters,and one day riding up the river, noticed a place wherethe stream might be obstructed by building fortresseson either bank, and perhaps by stretching a chainboom across the stream. He succeeded in " bottling "the ships, but the Danes rode off, once more acrosscountry. Their rapid rides are not surprising, forthey commandeered the horses which were everywhereto be found (as in Iceland now-a-days, theusual means of transport), and rode them untilortheydropped. Reaching Quatford, below Bridgnorth,on the Severn, they built a fort of which themound remains and wintered. But Wales would notreceive them, and in the summer of 896their hostdispersed, some finding a refuge in Northumbria,others in East Anglia, and the greater part returningto France under Hastein, who soon afterwards settledon the land of Chartres, and became a great lord inthe Frankish king's service.So ended the great invasion. The Northumbriansand East Angliansstill sent out war-vessels to thesouth coast, light" esks" of thirty or forty oars : inIcelandic the word askar is sometimes used in thissense, giving askmenn, the ascmanni of Adam ofBremen and cescmen of the Anglo-Saxons, signifying"pirates." King Alfred designed larger ships to