by Griff Hosker
I had sent three arrows from my second bag when Jack of Nottingham shouted, “Cease! Draw swords and await my command!”
I slung my bow and as soon as the sounds of the arrows stopped, I heard from my right the cheers as Sir Raymond led his men from one end of the French camp and then the thunder of hooves as four hundred mailed men galloped from the opposite direction. Then Jack of Nottingham shouted, “Attack!” We were given the freedom to kill!
The French were being attacked on three sides and their only escape lay towards the castle. I had my sword and my hand axe as weapons, and we tore into the camp. The only ones who stood any chance of survival were the lords for they could surrender, and we would receive the ransom. The ordinary soldiers and crossbowmen would be slaughtered even if they did surrender for we knew that if they escaped we would have to fight them again. We recognised that if the positions were reversed then we would receive no mercy!
The hardest job was to negotiate the two thousand or so men we had slain with arrows already. The thought passed through my mind that when this was over, we had many arrows to recover! The French had tried to form lines but the charge of the men at arms had caught them out and we were faced with bands of tent mates who fought together. Most wore just tunics and breeks or hose. That made us equal except that my archers had arms like young oaken saplings, and we were not demoralised. Ned, Jack, and Robin Goodfellow were all close to me. Robin was a deceptive man for although short, he was strong, and he used that to his advantage. Quick as quicksilver I watched him race and duck beneath a scything sword and ram his dagger into the throat of a French man at arms. I blocked the swipe from a sergeant at arms’ sword with my rondel dagger and sliced my sword deep between his ribs. I pushed him to the ground and hacked at the back of the French soldier who was trying to hew Robin’s head from his shoulders.
Darkness had fallen but there were still fires and some tents had caught alight. The whole scene looked like a picture of hell. The gates of the castle had opened, and the garrison was pouring out to completely encircle the French army. The butchery began. Four French knights surrendered to my men and me, and eight men at arms promised us ransom. Even as we continued to fight our way through the seemingly endless French army, I left men to watch the prisoners. They were human gold! It was dawn by the time the fighting ended. Some had escaped, that much we knew for there were too few of us to be able to completely contain them, but Gascony was now English once more.
Chapter 9
The victory was so complete as to be almost unbelievable. Louis of Poitiers, who was the French leader, died of his wounds. He had been hit by two arrows as well as enduring cuts and blows from knights. There were over seven hundred French men at arms who died. The ransoms were so great that the Earl of Derby received fifty thousand pounds in ransom which was more income than King Edward earned from his lands in a year! Henry Plantagenet became the richest man in England. Thanks to our capture of the knights and men at arms I had a hundred pounds and my archers divided up a further two hundred pounds. The Earl of Derby also appreciated what the eight hundred archers had done, and he paid each of us twenty pounds! The army of thirty thousand men led by the Duke of Normandy abandoned their advance and went home. The Duke himself and his household knights retreated to Angouleme. For the next three months, we took castle after castle and often we did not even need to draw a bow. The sight of a thousand archers was enough to make every castellan concede defeat.
I often wonder what would have happened had I stayed with the army of Henry Plantagenet, but it was not meant to be. It was Christmas when we were in our winter quarters of Bordeaux. The majority of the army were in garrisons but the men who had first followed Sir Ralph remained and it was we who were chosen for the task of delivering the despatches to the King. Although we ruled the land many pirates used Brittany and Normandy as bases from which they could raid ships. The last two ships which had carried despatches home had been taken and the Earl of Derby was determined to remedy that situation. I was given forty archers to defend the ship, ‘Maid of Harwich’. We were to sail to Southampton, and I was to deliver the despatches personally to the King.
The Earl himself saw us off, “You have shown yourself, John Hawkwood, to be a most resourceful man and if any can see that these despatches get through then it is you. I suspect that King Edward will hang on to you and your archers for your names feature prominently in my message to the King but if he does not then you shall always be welcome to be part of my retinue.”
“And I would be honoured, my lord. I will do all that I can to see that these messages reach England. Pirates I can fight, it is nature and the sea which are the problems!”
“Then fear not for God is on our side and he will watch over you!”
The only horse we were allowed to take was Megs for the archers who remained needed to be mounted. The ship we took was also filled with barrels of wine. Bordeaux shipped so much wine that the tax taken was more than the rest of the tax collected in the entire kingdom. There was also a crew of fifteen which seemed to me to be quite large but, as I discovered, it was not enough when the seas became rough. Before we boarded, I divided my archers into three watches. As I had been allowed to keep Ned and Jack, I had complete confidence in the way all of the watches would behave. The first day was a gentle day as we edged up the estuary towards the sea. It was only when we struck the open waters that the movement of the ship became more violent. The ship had a forecastle and a sterncastle. There were thirteen men in Ned and Jack’s watches and fourteen in mine. It meant we could have six men in the bow castle and the rest in the stern. Not only could we fight, but we could also act as extra lookouts.
The voyage was not swift as the ship was laden. All of my archers had bought wine themselves which would reap a great dividend when we landed in England. The prices we had paid in Bordeaux were a tenth of what we could sell them for in England, even with the taxes! The Earl of Stafford had told me of a merchant in Southampton who could be trusted, and I intended to leave some of my gold with him. I had too much for the money belt and, also, I had a small chest which I kept in the sterncastle. It was a long and slow haul up the coast of France. There were savage rocks and vicious estuaries close to the land while further out to sea there were troughs and crests which threatened to engulf our ship. The captain knew his business, but this was unfamiliar territory for me and I liked the reassurance of a coastline to which we could flee. We made it to the Cherbourg Peninsula before we ran into trouble. The wind was from the north and east. The captain had already told us that we would have to head further west to negotiate Cherbourg which was a pirate haven and we were ready for the move. As soon as he put the helm over, we began to speed up and the sails billowed alarmingly. Of course, once we had cleared the coast we would have to turn north, and then we would slow. The two pirate ships were waiting for just such a move and one suddenly leapt out from the coast to position itself behind our stern.
It was one of the crew who spotted him and he gave the warning. I shouted to my men, “Stand to!” then took my bow from its case and the bowstring from beneath my hat. I could do all of this without looking and I studied, carefully, the pirate ship. It had a simple lateen sail and was rowed. The number of oars suggested a crew of either twenty or forty! As it was a pirate then the latter seemed more likely.
The captain shouted, “With their oars, they will catch us!”
“She is lower in the water than we are, captain, and my men are the best.”
Just then there was a shout from Ned in the bow castle. His words were largely lost in the wind but I saw his pointed hand and a mile or so ahead, emerging from the gloom of the coast, was a second pirate ship. I could not make out all of the details but it seemed likely that they would also have a crew of at least forty. We were now seriously outnumbered and when a third ship came from our beam then I knew that they would catch up to us for they were ahead, behind and to the side of us.
The Captain looked nervous as thoug
h he had no answer to this. I was no sailor, but I was a soldier and I looked upon it as an exercise in strategy. If we continued our present course, then they would catch us. The one astern was less than ten ship’s lengths from us. The one on our starboard beam was fifteen lengths from us but she had the wind and would close with us the fastest. The least danger to us was presented by the one ahead who would just wait to see what we did.
“Captain, if we turn and head south then we will travel faster for we will have the wind with us, is that not right?”
“Aye, but it will take us further from home.”
I used my bow to point, “We cannot get home so long as there are three ships following us. The pirates cannot know that there are forty longbows aboard. When they are less than one hundred paces from us we can shower them with arrows. If we lead them on a chase, then we can take them one by one. The course we follow just draws us closer to them.”
He nodded, “Prepare to come about!” The crew knew where to go and they ran to the sails, sheets and stays.
Cupping my hands, I bellowed, “Ned, fetch our men here!”
“Come about!”
The ship heeled sharply as we changed course and with the wind behind us and from our larboard quarter, the ungainly beast almost flew. As my men arrived, I shouted, “Line the stern rail. You will be able to protect the captain with your bodies. Do not release until I give the order and keep your bows hidden until the last moment.”
Ned shouted, “The spray will not help our bows, Captain!”
“I know and that is why we will only release when they are less than a hundred paces from us. You will raise, draw and release on my command. I want as many rowers as we can hit to be killed.”
Our turn had taken them by surprise, but the two closest ships were now within two lengths of each other and the closest to us was just eight lengths away. I could now see that there were helmets in the ships and that there were closer to fifty men on board rather than forty. It explained how they could move so fast as they had two men on every oar and three on the ones closest to the stern! With the wind behind them as well then both ships were not only keeping pace with us but closing. However, the advantage we had was that we were not rowing and they had to begin to tire soon. A pirate in a helmet wearing a leather brigandine stood at the prow of the nearest ship. He held on to the rope I had learned was called a forestay and he had a sword in his hand. He was a soldier and had been, perhaps, a man at arms at one time. I saw him urge his rowers on. They began to close and I deemed that they were close enough. Each of us had three bags of arrows with us and there were more in the hold.
I nocked an arrow and shouted, “Draw! Release!”
It came as a complete shock to the pirates that we had longbows. Loosing into the wind and with damp strings, we should have dropped short, but our arrows fell on the rowers. I was in the sterncastle and I sent my arrow into the chest of the former man at arms. He spun around and tumbled into the sea. As I nocked and drew my second arrow, I paused to look for another target. Our first arrows had hit at least ten of the pirates and she was now merely holding her own. Her consort, however, was racing towards us. I aimed at the man at the helm of the first ship. The wind and the movement of both ships did not help but I sent my second arrow at him. I was lucky and I pinned his left leg to the hull of the ship. It made him lose control of the ship, albeit briefly and when another five pirates were hit the pirate ship slewed around.
The second pirate was cleverly heading down our larboard side while the third one was heading for our starboard. I shouted, “I want the next arrows to make the second pirate awash with blood. Send as many arrows as you can!”
This time the pirate’s position meant that the wind was coming from our larboard quarter and we did not have to fight it as much. We sent five arrows in such quick succession that none of us had the chance to see the effect. As my men continued to rain death, I looked at the pirate ship and saw that the oars were at different angles. Some men lay over the thwarts and I could only see a few men still rowing.
“Captain, you may turn if you wish and we will tackle the last pirate although I suspect they will turn!”
The captain actually smiled, “I will heed your advice, archer, for that was a smart piece of work. Prepare to come about!” The crew raced to adjust the sail, “Come about!”
The pirate ship suddenly found us heading for her. I shouted to my men, “Line the starboard side and if you have a target then loose your arrows.” Once again, my men and I high in the sterncastle had an advantage as we were elevated and the seven of us sent a flurry of arrows. We hit men and the pirate turned to sail in the opposite direction. It was a mistake as they were now sailing into the wind and they slowed. All of my men now had targets and forty arrows slammed into the ship. I saw oars fall into the water and the sails flapped as they hit the wind and I realised that the helmsman was dead, and the pirate was no longer under man’s control. My men used it for target practice until the range became too great. We had won and although there was neither treasure nor booty, we were all satisfied.
It took another ten days to reach Southampton. I was not concerned about my archers for after the victory over the pirates they were in good humour, but Megs was not happy at being cooped up for so long. When we saw the Isle of Wight, I breathed a sigh of relief. Megs could enjoy the open skies and pastures until we were needed again.
The Captain and his crew were immensely grateful to us, “It is a pity we could not have you sail with us all the time!”
I pointed to the shore, “There are many archers in England who seek a paymaster. They are a good investment. Even had we just had ten archers we could have easily dealt with one pirate ship.”
“I will give thought to your words and if you ever need to have cargo brought to England, I will bring it for free!” He tapped his nose and I knew what he meant. He would not declare it to the King’s tax collectors!
The money we had accrued meant we could afford decent lodgings although I hoped that King Edward would be paying for it eventually. Leaving Ned and Jack to sort out the stable and the rooms I took the despatches and headed for the castle. I had changed dramatically over the last couple of years. Before I had left Bordeaux, I had bought some good clothes and I now looked like a lord. The sumptuary laws were only recent, but I made sure that I wore no fur! My sword, scabbard and boots were of the finest quality and some people knuckled their heads as I passed. My father had always been angry if peasants did not show respect to him and I suspect that my brother was the same. It was immaterial to me for with or without my fine clothes I was the same man I had always been.
The sentry at the gatehouse did not recognise me and I was forced to wait until one of King Edward’s household knights, Lord Basset of Drayton, came for me. The look he gave the sentry ensured that the next time I arrived I would be admitted immediately. “We heard that Lord Henry won two great battles. Is it true?”
“Aye my lord, and Gascony is now secure. When I left France, our army was encroaching upon the land of King Philip. I did not add that had King Edward invaded then we might have had the whole of France!
“Then those despatches will inform our next actions.” He seemed to notice my clothes for the first time. “You look different from the last time I saw you!”
“Yes, my lord, my men and I also had ransom and the Earl is a generous man.”
His disparaging look made me wonder. I was not sure if he approved of archers who had coin.
The hall was full when we were admitted but a path was made, and I bowed and laid the despatches on the table. King Edward tore open the seals and almost devoured them. Prince Edward was there and he was now a youth who was on the threshold of manhood. Soon he would be the Black Prince due to the armour he had made but when he spoke to me, he was just the Prince of Wales and Duke of Cornwall. I had seen him before, and I think he knew me. That was confirmed when he spoke. “You are the archer who served with Captain Philip?”
I nodded, “I am, my lord!”
“He spoke highly of you and the fact that the Earl of Lancaster also thinks so much of you that he sends you as his messenger also makes me curious about you.”
“Earl of Lancaster, my lord?”
“Of course, you did not know. His father died and he inherited the title.”
King Edward suddenly jumped up, having read the documents, and exclaimed, “Not just one but two of the greatest victories English and Gascon arms have ever achieved. And you, archer, you represent the men who made this possible.” He raised the parchment, “In less than half an hour our archers slew almost two thousand men!” He turned to his son. “We can leave for France as soon as the weather improves, and we can win another crown!”
Everyone in the hall cheered and I think I knew why. The King and his lords, not to mention his son, had planned on invading France. That they had not done so and yet Lord Henry had achieved so much with so few filled everyone with confidence.
The King and his son came over to me, “And you, messenger, Hawkwood, is it not?”
“It is Your Majesty.”
“You will return to our service for Lord Henry tells me that it was you who was instrumental in the taking of three castles. You will continue to serve us. Where are you lodged?”
“The Miller’s Stone, my lord. it is the inn which is close to the market square.”
“Then I shall send monies for your rooms on the morrow. Enjoy yourself tonight, for this, is just the beginning!”
The inn was a good one and a roomy one. Campaigns to France often left England from Southampton and the size of the inn reflected that. The King had yet to make his summons and so we had it to ourselves. I knew that as soon as more men arrived the prices would rise; that was inevitable. The rest of the men shared chambers, often four to a room but I was accorded my own room. Ned knew of my treasure chest and he had guarded it. When I was taken to my room, he gave it to me, “This will not be a secure place for your chest, Captain. The innkeeper might be honest but there are others who work here, and they might risk the noose to become rich men.”
