by Griff Hosker
This castle was sturdier than the one we had first taken, and the inner wall was, even in the dark, clearly made of stone. To me, it looked to be reused Roman stones which had been taken to build the stone keep and to modify the old Roman fort. I spread out the men at arms amongst my archers. We needed the enemy to think that they were being attacked by a force which was twice as big as it was. When I was satisfied with their positions then I headed to get closer to the wall. There were no sentries on this side of the wall or, if there were, then they were sleeping! I spied a sally port in the stone wall, and I risked, as there was no one on the wall, getting closer to it. The ditch had been recently dug but I lowered myself gently into it and saw that there were no obstacles in the bottom. It looked to rely upon a steep leading edge which would make it difficult to escape. When I climbed up the other side, I saw that the stonework around the sally port door was very poor and that they had filled in a much larger door, a Roman one. I put my fingers in the cracks between the newly and badly laid stones and found that I could pull out the mortar. An idea formed in my mind. I went back to the ditch, it was harder to get out, but I was strong, and I pulled myself up. Had there been men hurling stones and darts at me then I might have struggled. While I walked back, I realised that there was cover within one hundred and forty paces of the wall. As they had no sentries on this side then we could move closer. The closer we were the more effective would be our arrows and the more Frenchmen would die!
When I reached my men, I called over the Sergeant at Arms in charge of the men at arms. “Jamie, have you men with axes?”
“Aye Captain, why?”
“There is a sally port in the wall, and it has been made with poorly mortared stones. I believe that if your men were to use the flat side of their axes, they could break through. I would have you send them over the ditch while it is dark and wait close to the wall. Once they are at the gate and dawn breaks then my archers will keep them safe.”
He nodded and I knew why he looked pleased. He and his men were keen to show us that they were our equals. Sir Ralph expected us to keep the French occupied. This way we might be the ones to break in! I spoke to the men on either side of me. “We will move forward, closer to the ditch. Tell the men to watch for my signals.” I started to move as soon as I heard the whisper travel down my two sides, and I walked to the edge of the undergrowth. The natural defence was not made of trees, the barrier before us was a natural untidy growth of brambles and other shrubs which had spread over the years since the ditch had been dug. The garrison should have cleared them to allow them a greater area that they could control with their crossbows. When we reached it, I strung my bow and selected two arrows, one a bodkin and the other a war arrow. My choice would be determined by the target I selected. Then we waited. The first cock crowed and a short while later the second. I smelled the smoke from fires being lit for food and then heard the noises of men being roused; the castle was awaking. I saw that the five men at arms had reached the gate and were pressed against the wall. They would feel exposed, but they were invisible A sentry would have to lean over the wall to see them and in doing so would expose themselves to the finest archers in Europe.
The first sentries arrived on the wall as the first thin light appeared in the eastern sky. I heard the two of them talking and even made out a few of their words. They were not being careful for apart from a cursory glance towards the woods they continued their conversation. As the light improved a mailed warrior stood and I saw the light glinting from his coif. He barked something and the two sentries who had first emerged separated and another four men appeared. While the mailed men walked the wall, the new sentries spread themselves out but as soon as he disappeared, presumably to check on the other walls, they split into groups and I saw a wineskin being passed between two of them. I did not give an order, I merely nocked a war arrow. I knew the rest would do as I had done. I pulled back on the bow and the yew groaned. When the others did so one of the sentries, more alert than the rest, turned to stare into the woods. He, perhaps, was the only one who saw his death as it approached for I released and with a noise like a small flock of birds taking to the air our arrows soared towards the wall. Then the men at arms standing with us began to shout and beat their shields to distract the enemy from looking down and the axemen began to smash the stones around the door.
A horn sounded. We had no targets for all the sentries had been struck, some by five arrows and as yet had not been replaced! I switched to a bodkin and when the mailed man appeared with another three mailed men and four others, I led him with my bow, as he raced along the wall. He stood above the sally port and did as I had expected, he leaned over. My arrow pinned his head to the wall. The others all raised shields and I waited for the crossbows to release. They did not use the fighting platform but the arrow slits in the walls. The foliage and poor light meant that none of us was hurt and I saw daylight appear in the sally port.
“Sergeant Theakston, take your men and enter the sally port. The time is ripe!”
As the men at arms ran the crossbows switched target but the men at arms had shields and were protected. They were able to reach the wall unharmed.
I shouted, “Archers, when the gate is open, we join the men at arms!”
By now I could hear the sounds of battle on the river side of the castle. Sir Ralph had begun his attack. I watched as the first stones fell from around the doorway and then the rest of the men at arms clambered up the side of the ditch. Sergeant Theakston hurled his body at the gate, and it fell inwards. He and the others were showered with small stones, but they were inside. I slung my bow and shouted, “On!”
I knew the way and having done the journey in the dark it was far easier in the daylight. When I climbed up to the sally port, I saw that the men at arms had all joined the attack. Sergeant Jamie was having his head tended by one of his men and he gave me a rueful shrug as, with sword drawn, I entered the castle. I heard the sound of axes on the main gate and already men at arms were running to allow the rest of our men to enter. I led my men to the keep. Our attacks had sent most of the men to the walls and the keep door was invitingly open. I ran towards it and hoped that I had men following me. When I entered, I heard the sound of the horn from the top floor. I guessed it was the order to fall back to the keep but it was too late for the foxes were in the henhouse. It looked like the ground floor was being used as a dining hall. There was a table and chairs with the remains of what looked like breakfast. I ran up the wooden ladder to the first floor which I saw was a sort of guardroom but there were no warriors within. The floor above were the sleeping quarters of the lords and senior warriors. It too was empty.
It was as I climbed the last ladder that I heard a voice shout, “And make sure you have barred the door!”
As we burst into the light and the top of the fighting platform the French knight and ten men at arms and crossbowmen who were there had the most unpleasant of surprises. I dropped my sword and unslung my bow, drawing an arrow and nocking it before the French could react. One sergeant at arms was the first to react and he took two steps towards me. At a range of four paces not only was there no way I could miss, but the arrow also drove so deeply through his body that the fletch was all that I could see. I nocked another as my men emulated me. The knight and his men might have fought twice our numbers had we been knights or men at arms, but fifteen English archers were another matter! They surrendered and we had a second castle.
Chapter 8
Sir Ralph was ecstatic as not only had we had taken two castles we now controlled both the Dordogne and the Gironde; all had been achieved with minimal losses. Once more we all benefitted from the victory and the knights we had taken in both attacks would bring us great ransom. Both castles had a great store of weapons and armour, it was resolute men that they were lacking. Leaving garrisons of Gascons in both castles we headed north to the substantial castle of Blaye-et-Sainte-Luce which lay forty miles north-west of us on the Gironde. This was a major castle
which stood on the river and could control shipping sailing to and from Bordeaux. It would require a siege, but our two victories had made the Earl confident that we could do anything. As we rode north, I discovered the town was important mainly because of its wine and the fact that it was downstream from Bordeaux meant that it could ship its wines easily and be reinforced. I learned much from Sir Ralph as he knew that by besieging the town, we would force the French king to act. He never lost sight of our prime objective. He was to draw the French on to us so that King Edward could raid northern France.
The town had a stone wall and a stone castle. We would not be able to enter the gate as it had a drawbridge on one side and the river on the other. While the archers kept the walls clear of defenders, ditches and ramparts were dug to surround the castle while men took the town and drove the inhabitants east. During the time we dug and built, we ate and drank well for the people had not had time to take everything from their homes. We slept in fine beds and the castle was starved of supplies. They had a well and the river, but their siege supplies would only last for three months or so. After a week we were all surprised when the Earl took five thousand of us, mainly the English with some Gascons and we retraced our steps south. There were still enough men for a good siege to be maintained but the bulk of our army was heading south of Bordeaux. Sir Ralph could use a relatively small number of Gascons to keep the French trapped and the town isolated. Sir Ralph was a bold knight and with a handful of men, he hoped to give Lord Henry complete control of the land around Bordeaux by the time he eventually arrived. What surprised me was that the French had not reacted for there was no news of an army coming to shift us. It came to me that they had known of the strategy and that meant a spy in the court of King Edward. That was not a surprise and I learned another lesson. Keep plans as secret as possible and trust no one!
Two days later we left and headed south. We rode another forty miles to Langon which lay south of Bordeaux. Once more the speed of Sir Ralph and his mounted column caught the French unawares. Word had spread that we were at Blaye-et-Sainte-Luce and the last thing they would have expected was to be attacked at Langon. When we reached the castle, my heart fell for it was not only a stone castle with a curtain wall, huge keep and towers at each side, but it also had a moat. It had been built in 1306 by Cardinal de la Mothe, the nephew of Pope Clement V. King Edward had permitted its erection and now we would have to take it. Once more we dug defences and, once again, cleared the town so that we could eat and drink well. This was a siege which needed no men to assault the walls; we could just starve them out. With the limited number of men at his disposal, Sir Ralph had done the best he could. We had taken two castles and trapped two garrisons. The French had also reacted and were besieging Gascon and English castles; Casseneuil in the Agenais; Monchamp near Condom; and Montcuq. Of these Montcuq was the strongest and lay south of Bergerac. Strategically it was of little importance, but the French had sent their largest army in Gascony under the command of Bertrand de l’isle Jourdain from the most important town of Bergerac, to take it.
We waited at the siege works during a hot July. Each day Sir Ralph would walk around the siege works to speak with the men there and sometimes I accompanied him. “I am new to this type of war, my lord, do we really need to besiege these two towns? This one,” I pointed to the tall towers, “looks to me to be a veritable fortress!”
He smiled, “The two fortresses are important for they are both close to Bordeaux. When the French come, they will need to use the two of them to launch an attack on Bordeaux and first they have to dislodge us. If they were here now then we would be in trouble but they are not. Lord Henry, the Earl of Derby, will be here soon and then we can use our mounted men to make a proper war.”
I frowned, titles confused me, “The Earl of Derby, lord?”
“He has now inherited that title and when his father dies, for I hear he is ill, then he will become the Earl of Lancaster and his rank will be just below that of the King. You have fought alongside him and know of his skill.”
I nodded, “Aye, my lord, in Scotland and the Low Countries. He is a good leader as are you.” I was not flattering the Earl and he knew it.
“I will take that compliment from a warrior such as you, John Hawkwood. There are some men at arms and knights from whom such words would make me suspicious. As we are being honest with one another then I should tell you that you, too, are highly thought of. Captain Philip, before he left, made a strong case for you to become Captain. From what I have seen you are unique for not only can you use a bow and lead, but you can also use a sword and use it well. It would not take much to make you into a man at arms and then, who knows, a knight.”
I laughed, in a self-conscious sort of way, “I am not sure that I need a title but I will give your words thought for if I am to continue to be a warrior then I have to think of the future.”
The Earl of Derby finally arrived at the end of the first week of August and we left Gascon warriors to prosecute the siege of Langon. I was a little disappointed in the quality and the numbers of men that King Edward had sent. Including the men I led he had just five hundred mounted archers and a thousand foot archers. He had also brought with him five hundred men at arms but many of them were convicted felons who had been promised a pardon in return for their participation in the campaign. Lord Henry did not seem unhappy and we spent a few days to allow the men and horses to recover from the long and rough crossing of the seas. One of the men at arms who came was Ralph of Malton and now that we were of equal rank, I was able to talk to him better. I took him to a decent inn in Bordeaux and over a bottle of wine, he explained the facts of life to me.
“When we are assembled, John, we will just be a distraction and, as such, expendable. I think King Edward hopes we would make a nuisance of ourselves and make mischief here to draw greater armies from the north and to allow King Edward to take Paris. It does not really matter what we do here for our sole purpose is to draw the French here. The convicted felons were cheaper than hiring men at arms such as me. Do not worry about them for many are veterans of the Scottish and Welsh wars. They may be rough and inclined to wild behaviour, but they know how to fight.” I nodded; it made sense now. “And you, what of your life? Is this the same stripling I met so many years ago?”
“It is true that I have changed much, and I do not think that the changes in me are yet complete.” I told him of the campaign in Dunkerque and the attempt on my life by Ralf. I told him of the attacks on the castles here in Gascony and he was impressed. “Sir Ralph seems to think that I have a future as a warrior.”
“That you have, and we have a good leader in Lord Henry. I was with him at the sea battle off Sluys and although the victory was Sir Walter Manny’s, Lord Henry showed that he can fight at sea as well as on land. He will have a plan.”
And he did. A week after his arrival, with the reinforcements rested and ready to ride, we were ordered to move east. Sir Ralph had told Lord Henry of my archers and we were accorded the honour of becoming his scouts. We raced the sixty miles towards Bergerac. This was unfamiliar territory for me, but I had begun to understand this land. I saw how the rivers shaped the land and the roads twisted and turned to match them. I had just eight archers who would ride with me while the rest, under the command of Ned and Jack would be two hundred paces behind us. I remembered how Sir Ralph and I had managed to get close to Montravel without being seen and I thought that a small number of archers could achieve the same effect. The Earl of Derby had the army heading slightly south of Bergerac towards Montcuq where Henri de Montigny, Seneschal of Périgord, had recently taken command. We were close to Montaul, a small village at an insignificant crossroads when we came across the mounted men at arms who must have been watering their horses in the village. They saw us and began to mount. My initial reaction was to turn and run back to the main column, but I saw that there were just ten of them.
“Dismount and string your bows!” The ten men at arms vacillated and that is
always a dangerous thing to do. “Draw!” As we pulled back, they realised their mistake and turned their horses to flee. For three of them, it was too late, and three Frenchmen fell from their saddles. I did not want to risk hitting villagers and so I ordered my men to mount and we rode into the village. One of the Frenchmen was wounded in the shoulder and I had him tended to. I had two of my men put him on a horse and sent him back to Lord Henry. I waited for Ned and Jack to bring the rest of my archers. Once they arrived, I rode hard after the survivors from our attack. I saw one loose horse soon after leaving the village and knew that we were on the right track. We did not see the Frenchmen for another mile or so as the road twisted and turned, rose and fell along the contours of the heavily farmed land. When we did see them they were approaching the vanguard of a French army. I saw knights, men at arms, standards and marching foot soldiers. As soon as the Frenchmen reached their vanguard, I heard horns sound and when the rest of my archers joined us then I saw hands pointing in our direction.
“What do we do, Captain?”
I had to think quickly. The smallest of my archers was Robin Goodfellow and he was also the cleverest and best of my scouts. “Robin Goodfellow!”
He trotted up on his small horse, “Aye, Captain?”
