新概念英语85年上外美音版第四册 第11课

（单词翻译）

　　Lesson 11 Spies in Britain英国的间谍
Alfred the Great acted as his own spy, visiting Danish camps disguised as a minstrel. In those days wandering minstrels were welcome everywhere. They were not fighting men, and their harp¹ was their passport. Alfred had learned many of their ballads² in his youth, and could vary his programme with acrobatic tricks and simple conjuring³.
While Alfred's little army slowly began to gather at Athelney, the king himself set out to penetrate⁴ the camp of Guthrum, the commander of the Danish invaders⁵. These had settled down for the winter at Chippenham: thither⁶ Alfred went. He noticed at once that discipline was slack: the Danes had the selfconfidence of conquerors⁷, and their security precautions were casual.
They lived well, on the proceeds of raids on neighbouring regions. There they collected women as well as food and drink, and a life of ease had made them soft.
Alfred stayed in the camp a week before he returned to Athelney. The force there assembled was trivial compared with the Danish horde⁸. But Alfred had deduced that the Danes were no longer fit for prolonged battle : and that their commissariat had no organization, but depended on irregular raids.
So, faced with the Danish advance, Alfred did not risk open battle but harried⁹ the enemy. He was constantly on the move, drawing the Danes after him. His patrols halted the raiding parties: hunger assailed¹⁰ the Danish army. Now Alfred began a long series of skirmishes--and within a month the Danes had surrendered. The episode could reasonably serve as a unique epic¹¹ of royal espionage¹²!