Sword and Scimitar
Page 23
‘There must be at least three hundred ships,’ Thomas heard one of the knights estimate as he approached.
‘At the very least,’ a taller man replied, whom Thomas recognised as Marshal de Robles, the senior military officer of the Order and one of the men who had been a rival to La Valette before the latter had been elected to the post of Grand Master. Thomas had expected to see Stokely in attendance as well but there was no sign of him.
When La Valette caught sight of Thomas he nodded discreetly and then turned to address them all.
‘The enemy is making for the south of the island. It is clear that they intend to land in Marsaxlokk Bay, or some of the smaller inlets along the adjoining coast. We can’t hope to prevent them gaining the shore but we can try to delay them. Accordingly, I have given the order for Marshal de Robles to take a thousand men and shadow the enemy fleet as it passes along the coast.’ He faced the marshal. ‘You may fall on any attempt to land but you are not to risk a general engagement. Strike quickly, kill as many as you can, and then fall back before they can be reinforced. Is that clear?’
‘Yes, sir. But the men’s blood is up,’ de Robles added. ‘They will want to test themselves against the enemy as soon as they can.’
‘Then it is your duty to restrain them. They will have their chance to prove their valour soon enough. ’
‘Yes, sir. I will keep them firmly in hand.’
‘See that you do.’ La Valette indicated another of his knights, a striking-looking man with shoulder-length blond hair. He looked to be no more than thirty and wore a neatly clipped moustache. He smiled as the Grand Master singled him out.
‘Chevalier La Riviere. You have been tasked with commanding a smaller, separate force of mounted men. It will be your job to ambush and harass the enemy once they have come ashore and the marshal falls back to Birgu. You, too, must take no unnecessary risks. I just want the enemy to think that we have men waiting behind every rock and wall on the island to fall on them and cut their throats. This contest will be as much a battle of nerves as it is .1 c onventional siege, and subterfuge and trickery will have as much a part to play as courage and skill at arms.’ He paused and looked round at his officers. ‘This will be a fight to the death. Outnumbered as we are, the only route to victory is to maintain the will to resist longer than the Turks can maintain the will to conquer. Make no mistake, this struggle will be as bitter, savage and brutal as any in history.’
He let his words sink into the minds of the other men before he turned his attention back to La Riviere. ‘There is one other purpose you and your men must achieve besides unnerving the enemy’s scouts. We need some prisoners to interrogate. Capture a handful and bring them back here for questioning. We need detailed intelligence on the strength and intentions of our enemy as soon as possible.’
‘It will be my pleasure, sir.’ La Riviere grinned.
‘I am sure. You will take Sir Thomas Barrett as your second-in- command. He once showed a useful disposition for this kind of work in the past. I am sure his old instincts will reawaken with such an opportunity. Listen to his advice, La Riviere. There are few knights better than you on horseback, and your men would follow you into the jaws of death itself if you asked them to. However, you have an impetuous side to your nature and require a moderating influence, and that is the role of Sir Thomas. You both understand?’ Thomas and La Riviere nodded.
‘Are there any questions, gentlemen?’
Thomas spoke up. ‘Yes, sir. When do we leave?’
‘Hah!’ La Valette laughed deeply. ‘Can’t wait to test yourself against the Turk, eh? Marshal de Robles will be leading his men out of the gates of Birgu within the hour. You and La Riviere will move out three hours before dawn so that you can set your ambush under cover of darkness.’ He looked at each of them in turn. There were no more questions. ‘Good luck, gentlemen, and God be with you.’
Marshal de Robles led his men out of the office and La Riviere and Thomas followed. He introduced the French knight to Richard and explained their mission.
‘Return to the auberge and prepare our armour and weapons. I take it that we will be provided with mounts?’ Thomas asked La Riviere.
‘Of course. It would not do to have a knight walk into battle. There’ll be horses provided for both of you.’
‘I thank you.’ Thomas bowed his head and turned to address Richard. ‘Then there is nothing for me to do for the present. I’ll return to the auberge at midnight before we join the force inside the main gate of Birgu.’
‘Yes, sir. And where will you be until then?’
‘I have something I must attend to.’
‘Oh?’ La Riviere cocked an eyebrow. ‘What could be so important? Or perhaps I should ask, who could be so important?’
Thomas stared at him, concerned that his motives were so apparent. He faced the French knight with a firm expression. ‘It is personal business, and any knight who values his sense of honour should know better than to pry into it.’
The oarsman was about to settle down for a rest in the bottom of his boat when Thomas returned to the quay and ordered him to row back across the harbour. A handful of other craft were making the crossing as the late-aftemoon sun dipped towards the horizon. Some were carrying supplies out to St Elmo and returning laden with civilians anxious to reach the greater safety of Birgu. His heart felt light at the prospect of seeing Maria, and sharing a few hours with her before he had to return and prepare for La Riviere’s raid. The earlier awkwardness had been caused by his shock at finding her alive, and not knowing what he wanted to say to her. Now he felt confident that they would be able to talk more freely and he would discover what had become of Maria during the intervening years and whether she still held true to the intense feeling they had once shared.
As the boat reached the tiny strip of shingle below the fort, Thomas did not wait for it to beach but leaped over the bows and splashed into the shallows. He surged ashore and ran to the path that wound up the rocky cliff to the fort. The courtyard was already in shadow and there were hundreds of Maltese crammed within, and more were arriving through the passage from the main gate. There was fear in the expressions of all gathered there; some were weeping and many others were on their knees praying earnestly to be delivered from the wrath of the Turks. Thomas threaded his way through them as he made his way across the courtyard to the chapel. The large door was open and the glitter of many candles was visible inside. The benches of the chapel were filled with more of the devout, praying fervently. Thomas’s eyes searched for Maria but could not see the green of her cloak anywhere. He walked slowly down the aisle, looking closely to each side, but there was no sign of her. With a growing sense of anxiety he approached a priest who had just emerged from the confession box.
‘Father, I’m looking for a woman. She should have been here, where I told her to wait for me.’
‘A woman?’
Thomas nodded. ‘She was wearing a green cloak. She arrived not long after midday, with her household staff. I told her to wait here for me. Did you see her?’
‘Oh, yes. In fact she came to confession.’
‘Then where is she?’
‘She left.’
‘What?’ Thomas felt a stab of anxiety. ‘Where did she go?’
‘I don’t know. She didn’t say. All I know is that she seemed greatly disturbed, but then who wouldn’t be in the circumstances? She ordered those with her to gather up their belongings and then they left the chapel. That’s the last I saw of her.’
‘Did she leave any message for me?’
The priest looked at him. ‘And you are?’
‘Sir Thomas Barrett. A . . . friend of the lady.’
‘I see. No, there was no message.’
‘Nothing?’
‘Nothing. I’m sorry.’
‘And you have no idea where she went? Could she still be in the fort perhaps?’
‘I doubt it. I saw her party making for the main gate. My best guess is that they were
making for the landing, to find some boats to take them across to Birgu. If you want to find her I suggest you look there. Now, if that’s all, I have to offer comfort to the refugees. Do you mind, sir?’
Thomas stood aside and let the priest pass. He felt sick in the pit of his stomach. Why had Maria not waited for him? Why had she left in a hurry? He could not think of any reason that did not carry the possibility that she did not want to see him. That was too dreadful a prospect to face and Thomas clung to the hope that there was a sound reason why she had felt compelled to leave the fort. Very well, then he must track her down. He would not be satisfied until he heard the truth about her feelings, either way, from her lips. One thing was certain. A fortress under siege was a small world. It would only be a matter of time before he found her.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
‘This will do.’ La Riviere held up his hand to halt the small column. It was still dark and the barely discernible shapes of the knights and foot soldiers were strung out behind them so that they did not stumble into each other. The knight behind the two leaders drew a breath to relay the command. ‘Column! Halt!’
Thomas turned swiftly in his saddle and hissed fiercely, ‘Quiet, you fool!’
‘Sorry, sir.’
Thomas turned his mount towards him. Peter Von Harsteiner Was a tall big-boned German with cropped dark hair. He had been keen to volunteer for the ambush party and clearly idolised La Riviere, which was why Thomas had been doubtful about including him. He would have preferred more seasoned soldiers who had experience in such work, but La Riviere had already chosen his men and cheerfully brushed aside the Englishman’s concerns. Thomas reined in close to the German and spoke gently.
‘Look here, Von Harsteiner, the Turks have already landed advance parties. Do you want to give us away?’
The German shook his head vigorously. ‘No, sir.’
‘The question was rhetorical,’ Thomas said wearily. ‘Just keep calm and keep quiet. Move slowly and carefully and do not speak unless you have to. I know your blood is up, but this work needs careful timing and self-control. Do you understand? That question uwsti't rhetorical.’
In the gloom Thomas saw the German’s amused smile. ‘I understand.’
'Good lad.’ He pulled the reins and walked the horse back along- side La Riviere and spoke in an undertone. ‘Impetuous, but willing to learn. Be sure to position him where he can’t do us any harm.’
‘Oh, he’ll be no problem,’ the French knight replied dismissively as he surveyed the surrounding landscape. The column had been advancing along a narrow lane bordered by the waist-high stone walls that were a common feature of the island. On either side the ground was broken by outcrops of rock and stunted bushes. A small farm building loomed ahead and the odour of swine carried on the night air. Beyond, the lane rose to a low ridge that overlooked one of the bays on the southern coast.
‘We’ll deploy on either side of the lane,’ La Riviere decided. ‘Let the Turks wander into the trap and then attack them from the flanks. The arquebusiers can open fire and then the mounted men can charge home. Should be over very quickly.’
‘If we deploy on both sides, isn’t there a risk that our men might fire on each other by mistake?’ Thomas said patiently.
‘You think so?’
‘I’ve heard of it happening.’
‘Hmmm. In that case we’ll deploy to the left. Arquebusiers in the centre and the mounted men on each flank. Once I give the signal, the men will open fire and we will charge on to the lane in front and behind the enemy and turn in to crush them like a vice. That should do the trick, eh?’
Thomas nodded.
While the men armed with arquebuses clambered over the wall and found positions with a good view over the road, the knights and their squires, eight in number, dismounted and led their horses into concealment. Once La Riviere and Thomas were satisfied that their small force was well deployed, they handed their mounts to Richard to hold for them and continued cautiously along the lane towards the crest half a mile beyond the ambush point. As they passed the farm they saw a small heap of pig carcasses hurriedly burned to leave as little as possible for the enemy. The acrid stench of charred meat filled the air and they hurried on. From their left came the occasional crackle of musket fire and the rattle of drums in the distance as Marshal de Robles and his men engaged the first of the Turks to land on the island near Marsaxlokk Bay. The surrounding countryside seemed still and quiet and Thomas was conscious of the noise that their footsteps made on the dry and dusty surface of the lane. They slowed down as they reached the crest and turned off the road, making for a jumble of rocks fifty yards away where they would be concealed while they watched for the enemy. As they rounded the largest boulder, the small bays of the southern coast came into view and La Riviere caught his breath and muttered a curse.
Even though the coming dawn was no more than a hint of lighter sky along the eastern horizon, the stars and the thin sliver of a crescent moon provided enough illumination to reveal at least a hundred ships hove to in the small bay directly before them. The dark blots of several small houses less than a mile away marked the location of the tiny fishing village at the end of the lane. Straining his eyes, Thomas could just make out movement on the shore to one side of the village.
‘There, they’ve already started landing to the west of Marsaxlokk.’
They squatted in silence, keeping watch on the enemy in the village, and as the dawn crept over the horizon it gradually revealed the full spectacle of the enemy’s invasion of the island. The ships anchored in the bay seemed so tightly packed that they merged into a confused mass whose masts looked like the bare trees of a forest in winter. Between the ships and the shore scores of smaller craft were ferrying soldiers and their stores ashore. A number of galleys had beached and men were picking their way carefully down the gangplanks into the surf and wading ashore. It had been a long time since Thomas had last seen the Muslim warriors he had fought in his youth and as he looked on, memories of past battles stirred.
Already a screen of men with conical helmets, round spiked shields and light flowing robes had spread out ahead of the main force and advanced cautiously. Behind them, other bands of men were forming up into their units. Warriors from every comer of the Turkish empire had been gathered for the invasion. Armoured horsemen with chain-mail veils protecting their faces, archers who had trained to shoot from horseback but were to fight this campaign on foot, men from the mountains of Kurdistan, with wild hair and dressed in animal skins. By far the most impressive body of men was landing from the galleys. Tall, fair-skinned soldiers with high white hats, above which long ostrich feathers bobbed. Each man carried the long-barrelled arquebuses favoured by the Turks. Although more cumbersome than those used by the armies of Europe, they were more accurate and quite deadly in the hands of men who had trained for years to use them. Besides their firearms, each man carried a scimitar and a shield on the pack slung across their shoulders. As soon as they reached the shore they quickly formed up in their companies and waited for their turbaned officers to issue orders.
‘Janissaries,’ Thomas muttered.
‘So I can see,’ said La Riviere. ‘Have you ever fought them before?’
‘Once.’ Thomas recalled the event as he replied. ‘La Valette raided an enemy outpost on Rhodes. We didn’t know that a company of Janissaries was in the fort until we scaled the gatehouse and surprised the sentries on duty. Once the gates were open, La Valette charged in at the head of our crew. That’s when we discovered what we were up against.’ He shook his head. ‘They fought like furies, even though few of them had the chance to put on any armour. We cut them down and still they came on, using their fists and even their teeth if they had lost their weapons. I’ve never see such fanatics, and hoped I never would again.’ He turned to the Frenchman. ‘It looks like the odds against us have just lengthened.’
La Riviere grinned. ‘I am a gambler by nature. I’ve always played by the principle that the
longer the odds, the greater the pay-off.’
Thomas sighed. ‘I take it that you haven’t made your fortune at the gambling tables.’
‘I’ve never lost more than I can afford.’
‘That may be about to change.’ Thomas turned his attention back to the enemy forces landing on the beach. The first of the Janissary companies was moving forward, towards the lane leading back towards the site of the ambush. Half a mile ahead of them the Turkish scouts edged forward, picking their way across the broken ground towards the ridge. ‘They’re starting their advance.’
‘Then I hope de Robles has the sense to fall back on Birgu before he is in danger of being outflanked.’
‘He knows his business,’ Thomas responded.
There was a brief silence before the Frenchman turned to him. ‘Of course, you must have fought alongside him, before . . .’
‘Before I was obliged to leave the Order. Yes. I knew him then. A fine soldier. He won’t take any unnecessary risks.’
‘Unlike you.’
Thomas turned abruptly. ‘Is there something you want to ask me? If so, let’s attend to it before we have to deal with the enemy.’ La Riviere chuckled. ‘Ah, I think I have found a chink in your armour. But you don’t have to worry about me, Sir Thomas. I am not as preoccupied with the code of honour as some of the other members of the Order. I joined so that I might have a chance to fight. That is my calling. As far as I am concerned, the only mistake you made over that affair with the Italian noblewoman was not getting away with it.’
‘Really?’ Thomas replied coldly. ‘I thought my mistake was in not holding to the values expected of a knight.’
‘Those values have become more flexible in recent years. It is a pity that your, ah, indiscretion did not happen ten years later. I doubt whether there would be any question of you being asked to leave the Order.’
‘You think so?’
‘I know. There’s a little more to your unfortunate tale than you know.’