The Montgomery advertiser., 1909-05-30

That was King Sweyn of Denmark. HerewaM swore that he was the only man fit to rule Endland. Sweyn was willing to assure the English their ancient liberties. and in the hope of being proclaimed King he sent fleet under hts brother. Earl Osbiorn. Here ward joined 1t with two ships, and Torfrida was with him.
 Sweyn had erred in sending Osborn Instead of coming himself osbiorA would take no advice. attacked the wrong places and was beaten ons and at last made a mere marauding expe- dition out of what might have been . conquest.
 Sick at heart, Hereward feft him and went into the Fen country to raise men to march through Norfolk and join with the Danes to helping them land In the north.
 Through all the Fen lands ana away down to Lincoln and merry Sherwood went the news that Hereward the | Wake was on English soil. Many val I iaflt Englishnen joined him with their l house carles constituting a formid- able force as after years proved well
 They waged war here and there. ap- l bearing suddenly and disappearing as suddenly, falling on Norman towns in the night and leaving ruins. living in impenetrable fens and forests where no riders could find them, till Here wards name was enshrouded in an at- m iosphere of myth and wonder, and the bafled Norman soldiers accounted for his success by ascribing it to the su- pernatural counsels of his sorceress wife.
 Then came the winter, and osbiorn. Instead of landing his great force' sail- ed away to Denmark. It was hard time for the little band that tried to hold England against the multitude of the Norman. Torfrida pined and suffered fin the black, rough northern climate and longed for the sun; but her heart never failed her and she made and nended and suffered cold and lay racked with rheumatism in those bleak hiding places of theirs, and never com plained or faltereo'
 Then rebellions broke out in all cor ners of Northern England. William beat them down. one by one-al ex- cept the rebellion of Hereward. the outlaw. Many times he longed to have that good fighter on his own side. Then the Danes came again with their King, but they arrived too late. All the land was williams again save that harried and held by Hereward. |. They joined him and burned and pln- dered the monastery of Peteroorougn :. Hereward's uncle Brand had died' and | AIIeT | his promise to smoke the monks out. l It was a great crime in the eyes of men of that time and of his own; but the Danes, disappointed in conquest. were fierce for plunder, and Hereward | knew that they must have something | Thus he gave them the treasure Of the | gilden Borough.
 King Sweyn begged Hereward and his men to return with him to Den- mark, and offered them rank and es' | tate. but they refused Alone, sadly diminished in numbers, friendless without any nation behind them, they were all that was left of England steady. unfearing, they heard the oars | of the Danish galleys roar away and | saw the great host disappear. Then they turned and threw themselves into the monastery of Ely.
 William marched on 1t, as on an easy prey. But all around the great fastness were fens, abysses of mud and | wildernesses of reeds. No army could attack across that barrier. William sat him down to starve Hereward and his men out. But the fens were full oi wild fowl and the waters were full oi fish and men could feast in Ely the year round.
 Then he tried to bridge the narrow. l est part of that devils morass. WheI his army attacked over 1t, 1t gave way and the mud and water won great victory for the English, who had little to do except kill the survivors. MeT still find armor and rusted weapons fl that fen country. where William. host went down. The Conqueror grooming, struck his tents and de- parted.
 But he came again. And this time hC built such a bridge as could not sink
 And he had such an army as could no he decimated by a handful like that oi the knights and no less doughty monks
 of Ely.
 The attack had come at last that Hereward had anticipated. and fol
 which he had prepared the last des- perate resource at Torfrida's advice She stood on the walls on that last
 great day of fighting. clothed in sack cloth, barefooted and bareheaded. heI long white arms stretched out like the | arms of a cross as she urged the Eng fish on and prayed to Heaven to helr Ethem.
 The Normans pressed over the bridge. A human tide poured over it all at once, and a great line of eata. pults and baIlastas hurled stones ana heavy lances at the besieged at the same moment.
 Hereward shouted to his men tc retire within the walls. The next in. stant flames leaped over all the reeds I laughing and cracking. The fer sprang into raging fire all around