"Quick," he said, "into the bushes!" Elfwyn and Judith held their breath as the Viking warriors came into view on the road. It had been little more than a day since the boy and the girl had escaped from the Danish camp in order to make a perilous journey to Alfred, the ruler of West Saxony, the last independent kingdom in all of England. It was to be a grueling journey — wolf packs would snap at their heels, the people of the countryside would turn a deaf ear to their pleas, but they would press on. The very fate of England rested on them.

This fascinating new book by Geoffrey Trease throbs with the kind of adventure that delights young people. As always, Mr. Trease is more than a skillful storyteller. He re-creates the pulsing pages of history with the sure touch of a writer who is immersed in the sights, sounds, and experiences of a distant age. In courageous Elfwyn and heartstrong Judith, Mr. Trease has created two of his most appealing young characters, and his inspired portrait of King Alfred and even of the invading Danes has the life and sinew of real people. This is a memorable interpretation of a period when King Alfred was preparing the foundation for a unified England, in which he would foster freedom, humanity, a love of learning — indeed, civilization itself.

From the dust jacket of the 1958 The Vanguard Press edition