At Agincourt

by G. A. Henty

  CHAPTER II -- TROUBLES IN FRANCE

  As soon as it was heard that the lord and lady had returned, the vassalsof Villeroy came in to pay their respects, and presents of fowls, game,and provisions of all kinds poured in. The table in the banqueting-hallwas bountifully spread, casks of wine broached, and all who came receivedentertainment. As French was still spoken a good deal at the English courtand among the nobles and barons, and was considered part of the necessaryeducation of all persons of gentle blood, Guy, who had always used it inhis conversation with his father, had no difficulty in performing his dutyof seeing that the wants of all who came were well attended to. In a fewdays guests of higher degree came in, the knights and barons of that partof the province; a few of these expressed surprise at the height of thesturdy men-at-arms and archers loitering about the court-yard. Sir Eustacealways answered any remarks made on the subject by saying, "Yes, DameMargaret and I thought that instead of keeping all our retainers doingnothing in our castle in England, where there is at present no usewhatever for their services, we might as well bring a couple of score ofthem over here. I have no wish to take part in any of the troubles thatseem likely to disturb France, but there is never any saying what mayhappen, and at any rate it costs no more to feed these men here than inEngland."

  The English archers and men-at-arms were well satisfied with theirquarters and food, and were soon on good terms with their Frenchassociates. The garrison, before their arrival, had consisted of fiftymen-at-arms, and although these had no means of communicating verballywith the new arrivals, they were not long in striking up such acquaintanceas could be gained by friendly gestures and the clinking of wine-cups.Their quarters were beside those of the English, and the whole of the men-at-arms daily performed their exercises in the court-yard together, underthe command of the castellan, while the archers marched out across thedrawbridge and practised shooting at some butts pitched there. To theFrench men-at-arms their performances appeared astounding. The French hadnever taken to archery, but the cross-bow was in use among them, and halfof the French men-at-arms had been trained in the use of this weapon,which was considered more valuable in the case of sieges than of warfarein the field. While they were able to send their bolts as far as thebowmen could shoot their arrows, there was no comparison whatever in pointof accuracy, and the archers could discharge a score of arrows while thecross-bowmen were winding up their weapons.

  "_Pardieu_, master page," Jean Bouvard said one day as he stood withGuy watching the shooting of the archers, "I no longer wonder at the wayin which you English defeated us at Cressy and Poitiers. I have heard frommy father, who fought at Poitiers, how terrible was the rain of arrowsthat was poured upon our knights when they charged up the hill against theEnglish, but I had never thought that men could shoot with such skill andstrength. It was but yesterday that I set my men-at-arms to try and bendone of these English bows, and not one of them could draw an arrowanywhere near the head with all their efforts; while these men seem to doso with the greatest ease, and the speed with which they can shoot offarrow after arrow well-nigh passes belief. That tall fellow, who is theirchief, but now sent twenty arrows into a space no greater than a hand's-breadth, at a hundred and twenty yards, and that so quickly that he scarceseemed to take time to aim at all, and the others are well-nigh asskilful. Yesterday I put up a breastplate such as is worn by our men-at-arms and asked them to shoot at it at eighty yards. They fired a volleytogether at it. It was riddled like a colander; not one of the five-and-twenty arrows had failed to pierce it."

  "Ay, at that distance, Captain, an English archer of fair skill could notmiss it, and it needs Milan armour, and that of the best, to keep outtheir arrows."

  "By our Lady," the captain remarked, "I should be sorry to attack a castledefended by them, and our lord has done well indeed to bring them overwith him. Your men-at-arms are stalwart fellows. My own men feel well-nighabashed when they see how these men take up a stone that they themselvescan with difficulty lift from the ground, and hurl it twenty yards away;and they whirl their heavy axes round their heads as if they were reeds."

  "They are all picked men," Guy said with a laugh. "You must not take itthat all Englishmen are of equal strength, though no doubt Sir Eustacecould have gathered five hundred as strong had he wished it."

  "If that be so," the captain said, "I can well believe that if France andEngland meet again on a field of battle France shall be beaten as she wasbefore. However, there is one comfort, we shall not be among the defeated;for our lord, and his father and his grandfather before, him, have everbeen with England, and Sir Eustace, having an English wife and mother, andbeing a vassal of the English crown for his estates in England, willassuredly take their part in case of a quarrel. Of course, at present wehold ourselves to be neutrals, and though our lord's leanings towardsEngland give some umbrage to his neighbours, their enmity finds noexpression, since for years now there has been no righting to speak ofbetween the two nations. How it will be if Orleans and Burgundy come toblows I know not; but if they do so, methinks our lord will have todeclare for one or the other, or he may have both upon him. A man withbroad estates, on which many cast covetous eyes, can scarce standaltogether aloof. However, if Villeroy is attacked, methinks that with thefollowing Sir Eustace has brought with him across the sea even Burgundyhimself will find that it would cost him so dearly to capture the castlethat it were best left alone."

  "How about the vassals?"

  "They will fight for their lord," Jean Bouvard answered confidently. "Yousee their fathers and grandfathers fought under the Black Prince, and itis natural that their leanings should be on that side. Then they know thatthere is no better lord in all Artois than Sir Eustace, and his dame hasmade herself much beloved among them all. There is no fear that they willdisobey our lord's orders whatever they be, and will fight as he bidsthem, for Orleans or Burgundy, England or France. He has never exercisedto the full his rights of seigneur; he has never called upon them fortheir full quota of work; no man has even been hung on his estate for twogenerations save for crime committed; no vassal's daughter has ever beencarried into the castle. I tell you there is not a man for over fiftymiles round who does not envy the vassals of Villeroy, and this would be ahappy land indeed were all lords like ours. Were we to hoist the flag onthe keep and fire a gun, every man on the estate would muster here beforesunset, and would march against the King of France himself did Sir Eustaceorder them to do so."

  "In that case what force could we put on the walls, Captain?"

  "Two hundred men besides the garrison, and we have provisions stored awayin the keep sufficient for them and their women and children for a threemonths' siege. Sir Eustace gave me orders yesterday to procure wood of thekind used for arrows, and to lay in a great store of it; also to set thesmiths to work to make arrow-heads. I asked him how many, and he said,'Let them go on at it until further orders. I should like a storesufficient at least for a hundred rounds for each of these Englisharchers, and if we had double that it would be all the better. They canmake their own arrows if they have suitable wood.' It seemed to me thattwo hundred rounds was beyond all necessity, but now when I see that thesemen can shoot nigh twenty rounds a minute, I can well understand that agreat supply for them is needful."

  The time passed very pleasantly at Villeroy. Sometimes Guy rode with hislord and lady when they went out hawking or paid visits to neighbouringcastles. Regularly every day they practised for two hours in arms, andalthough well instructed before, Guy gained much additional skill from theteaching of Jean Bouvard, who was a famous swordsman. The latter wassurprised at finding that the page was able to draw the English bows aswell as the archers, and that, although inferior to Long Tom and three orfour of the best shots, he was quite as good a marksman as the majority.Moreover, though of gentle blood he would join with the men in their boutsof quarter-staff, and took no more heed of a broken head than they did.

  GUY HAS HIS HEAD BOUND UP AFTER A BOUT AT QUARTER-STAFF.]

  "_Pardieu
_, master page," he said one day when Guy came in from thecourt-yard to have his head, which was streaming with blood, bound up,"our French pages would marvel indeed if they saw you. They all practisein arms as you do, save with the shooting; but they would consider itwould demean them sorely to join in such rough sports with theirinferiors, or to run the risk of getting their beauty spoiled by a roughblow. No wonder your knights strike so mightily in battle when they areaccustomed to strike so heavily in sport. I saw one of your men-at-armsyesterday bury his axe to the very head in a block of oak; he wagered astoup of wine that no two of my men-at-arms would get the axe out, and hewon fairly, for indeed it took four of the knaves at the handle to tug itout, and then indeed it needed all their strength. No armour ever forgedcould have withstood such a blow; it-would have cracked both the casqueand the skull inside like egg-shells. It seemed to me that a thousand suchmen, with as many archers, could march through France from end to end, ifthey kept well together, and were well supplied with meat and drink by theway--they would need that, for they are as good trenchermen as they arefighters, and indeed each man amongst them eats as much as three of myfellows."

  "Yes, they want to be well fed," Guy laughed, "and they are rarely pleasedwith the provision that you make for them; surely not one of them ever fedso well before."

  "Food does not cost much," the captain said; "we have herds of our ownwhich run half wild on the low ground near the river, which our lordsalways keep in hand for their own uses, and they multiply so fast thatthey are all the better for thinning; we sell a few occasionally, but theyare so wild that it scarce pays the trouble of driving them to the nearestmarket, and we are always ready to grant permission to any of the vassals,whose cattle have not done as well as usual, to go out and kill one or twofor meat."

  "I hear from the Governor of Calais," Sir Eustace said, when he returnedfrom a visit to that town, "that a truce has been agreed upon betweenEngland and France for a year; it is France who asked for it, I suppose.Both parties here wanted to be able to fight it out without interference.Here, in Artois, where the Burgundians are most numerous, they willprofit, as they will have no fear of England trying to regain some of herlost territory, while in the south it will leave Armagnac and his friendsequally free from English incursions from Guienne."

  "And how will it affect us, Eustace?" his wife asked.

  "That I have not been able fully to determine. At any rate they will haveno excuse for attacking us upon the ground that we are partly English, andwholly so in feeling; but upon the other hand, if we are attacked eitherby Burgundians or Orleanists, we cannot hope, as we should have donebefore, for aid from Calais, lying as we do some fifteen miles beyond thefrontier. Amiens has already declared for Burgundy, in spite of the factthat a royal proclamation has been issued, and sent to every town andbailiwick through France, strictly commanding all persons whatsoever notto interfere, or in any manner to assist the Dukes of Orleans or Burgundyin their quarrels with each other. I hear that the Duke of Burgundy hasseized Roye, Nesle, and Ham, and a number of other places, and that bothparties are fortifying all their towns. They say, too, that there is newsthat the king has again been seized with one of his fits of madness.However, that matters little. He has of late been a tool in the hands ofBurgundy, and the royal signature has no weight one way or the other.However, now that hostilities have begun, we must lose no time, for at anymoment one party or the other may make a sudden attack upon us. Burgundyand Orleans may quarrel, but it is not for love of one or the other thatmost of the nobles will join in the fray, but merely because it offersthem an opportunity for pillaging and plundering, and for paying off oldscores against neighbours. Guy, bid John Harpen come hither."

  When the esquire entered, Sir Eustace went on:

  "Take two men-at-arms, John, and ride round to all the tenants. Warn themthat there are plundering bands about, and that either the Burgundians orthe Orleanists may swoop down upon us any day. Tell them that they hadbetter send in here all their valuables, and at any rate the best of theircattle and horses, and to have everything prepared for bringing in theirwives and families and the rest of their herds at a moment's notice. Youcan say that if they like they can at once send their wives and familiesin, with such store of grain and forage as they can transport; the morethe better. If the plunderers come, so much the more is saved fromdestruction; if we are besieged, so much the more food have we here. Thosewho do not send in their families would do well to keep a cart with twostrong horses ready day and night, so that no time would be lost when theyget the signal. We shall fire a gun, hoist the flag, and light a bonfireon the keep, so that they may see the smoke by day or the fire by night.Tell Jean Bouvard to come to me."

  "There is trouble afoot, Jean, and at any moment we may be attacked. Placetwo men-at-arms on each of the roads to St. Omer, St. Pol, and Bethune.Post them yourself at the highest points you can find near our boundary.By each have a pile of faggots, well smeared with pitch, and have anotherpile ready on the keep, and a watch always stationed there. He is to lightit at once when he sees smoke or fire from either of the three points. Letthe men at the outposts be relieved every four hours. They must, ofcourse, be mounted. Let one of the two remain by the faggots, and let theother ride three or four miles in advance, and so post himself as to see along distance down the road.

  "If he sees a force advancing he must gallop back at full speed to hiscomrade, and light the fire. Have a gun always loaded on the keep, andhave a brazier burning hard by, with an iron in it, so that the piece maybe fired the instant smoke is seen. It might be two or three minutesbefore the beacon would give out smoke enough to be noticed, and everyminute may be of the greatest importance to the vassals. As soon as youreturn from setting the posts see that everything is in readiness here. Imyself will make sure that the drawbridge works easily and the portcullisruns freely in its groove. I have already sent off John Harpen to warn thetenants, and doubtless many of them will be in this afternoon. Send Pierrewith four men, and tell them to drive up a number of the cattle from themarshes. They need not trouble to hunt them all up today. Let them bringthe principal herd, the others we will fetch in to-morrow, or let themrange where they are until we have further news."

  In a few minutes the castle resounded with the din of preparations underthe superintendence of Sir Eustace. The men-at-arms and archers carried upstones from the great pile that had been collected in the court-yard inreadiness, to the various points on the walls that would be most exposedto assault. Others were employed in fixing barricades in the court-yard atthe rear for the reception of the herd of half-wild cattle. The water wasturned from the little rivulet running down to the Somme into the moat.Two or three bullocks were killed to furnish food for the fugitives whomight come in, and straw was laid down thickly in the sheds that would beoccupied by them. Machines for casting heavy stones were taken from thestorehouse and carried up to the walls, and set up there. Large stonetroughs placed in the court-yard were filled with water, and beforenightfall everything was in readiness.

  As Sir Eustace had anticipated, most of the vassals whose farms lay at adistance from the castle came in with their wives and families in thecourse of the afternoon, bringing carts laden with their household goods,and a considerable number of horses and cattle. Lady Margaret herself sawthat they were established as comfortably as possible in the sheds, whichwere large enough to contain all the women and children on the estate. Asfor the men, no such provision was necessary, as at this time of the yearthey could sleep in the open air. Guy was busy all day seeing that theorders of his lord were carried out, and especially watching theoperations of putting the ballistas and catapults together on the walls.Cannon, though now in use, had by no means superseded these machines, forthey were cumbrous and clumsy, and could only be fired at considerableintervals, and their aim was by no means accurate or their rangeextensive, as the charge of powder that could be used in them wascomparatively small, and the powder itself ill-made and defective instrength.

  Guy was
struck with the difference of demeanour between the men-at-armsand archers, especially among the English contingent, and that of thefugitives who poured in. What was a terrible blow to the latter was thecause of a scarce concealed gratification among the former. The two monthsthat had been spent at the castle had, to the English, been a somewhatmonotonous time, and the prospect of active service and of the giving andtaking of blows made their blood course more rapidly through their veins.It was the prospect of fighting rather than of pay that had attracted themto the service of Sir Eustace. Then, as for a century previous and untilquite modern days, Frenchmen were regarded as the natural foes of England,and however large a force an English king wished to collect for service inFrance, he had never any difficulty whatever in obtaining the number heasked for, and they were ready cheerfully to give battle whatever the oddsagainst them. The English archer's confidence in himself and his skill wasindeed supreme. Before the shafts of his forefathers the flower of theFrench chivalry had gone down like rushes before a scythe, and from beinga mere accessory to a battle the English archers had become the backboneof the force. Their skill, in fact, had revolutionized warfare, had brokenthe power of cavalry, and had added to the dignity and value of infantry,who had become, as they have ever since continued to be, the prime factorin warfare. Consequently the English archers and men-at-arms went abouttheir work of preparation with a zest and cheerfulness that showed theirsatisfaction in it.

  "Why, Tom," Guy said to the tall leader of the archers, "you look aspleased as if it were a feast rather than a fray for which you werepreparing."

  "And so I feel, Master Guy. For what have I been practising with the bowsince I was eight years old but that I might, when the time came, send anarrow straight through the bars of a French vizor? In faith, I began tothink that I should never have an opportunity of exercising my skill onanything more worthy than a target or peeled wand. Since our kings havegiven up leading armies across the sea, there was no way but to takeservice with our lord when I heard that he wanted a small company ofarchers for the defence of his castle over here, and since we have come ithas seemed to us all that we were taking pay and food under falsepretences, and that we might as well have stopped at home where, at least,we can compete in all honour and good temper against men as good asourselves, and with the certainty of winning a few silver pennies, to saynothing of plaudits from the onlookers. 'Tis with our people as with theknights of old; if they win in a tournament they take the armour of thevanquished, the prize from the Queen of Beauty, and many a glance ofadmiration from bright eyes. It is the same with us; for there is not anEnglish maid but would choose an archer who stands straight and firm, andcan carry off a prize when in good company, to a hind who thinks of naughtbut delving the soil and tending the herd."

  Guy laughed. "I suppose it is the same, when you put it so, Long Tom; butthere will be none of your English maids to watch your prowess here."

  "No, Master Guy; but here we shall fight for our own satisfaction, andprove to ourselves that we are as good men as our fathers were. I knownaught of this quarrel. Had Sir Eustace taken us into the field to fightfor one or other of these factions concerning which we know nothing, weshould doubtless have done our duty and fought manfully. But we are allglad that here we are doing what we came for; we are going to defend thecastle against Frenchmen of some sort or other who would do ill to ourlord and lady, and we shall fight right heartily and joyfully, and shouldstill do so were it the mad king of France himself who marched against us.Besides, master, we should be less than men if we did not feel for thefrightened women and children who, having done no wrong, and caring naughtfor these factions, are forced to flee from their homes for their lives;so we shall strike in just as we should strike in were we to come upon aband of robbers ill-treating a woman at home.... Think you that they willcome, master?" he added eagerly.

  "That I cannot say surely, Tom; but Sir Eustace has news that theBurgundians have already seized several towns and placed garrisons there,and that armed bands are traversing the country, burning and pillaging.Whether they will feel strong enough to make an attack on this castle Iknow not, but belike they will do so, for Sir Eustace, belonging as hedoes, and as his fathers have done before him, to the English party,neither of the others will feel any good-will towards him, and some of hisneighbours may well be glad to take advantage of this troubled time toendeavour to despoil him of his castle and possessions."

  "They will want to have good teeth to crack this nut, Master Guy--goodteeth and strong; and methinks that those who come to pluck the feathersmay well go back without their own. We have a rare store of shafts ready,and they will find that their cross-bowmen are of little use againstpicked English archers, even though there be but twenty-five of us inall."

  "You know very well, Long Tom, that you would have come over here whetherthere was any chance of your drawing your bow on a Frenchman or not."

  "That is true enough, Master Guy. Our lady wanted some bowmen, and I, whohave been born and bred on the estate, was of course bound to go with her.Then you see, Master Guy, haven't I taught you to use the bow and thequarter-staff, and carried you on my shoulder many a score of times whenyou were a little lad and I was a big boy? It would not have been naturalfor you to have gone out with a chance of getting into a fight without mybeing there to draw a shaft when you needed it. Why, Ruth Gregory, whosesworn bachelor you know I am, would have cried shame on me if I hadlingered behind. I told her that if I stayed it would be for her sake, andyou should have seen how she flouted me, saying that she would have notall lout hiding behind her petticoats, and that if I stayed, it shouldnot be as her man. And now I must be off to my supper, or I shall findthat there is not a morsel left for me."

  The gates of the castle were closed that night, but it was not considerednecessary to lower the drawbridge. Two sentries were posted at the workbeyond the moat, and one above the gate, besides the watcher at the top ofthe keep. The next day things were got into better order. More barricadeswere erected for the separation of the cattle; a portion was set aside forhorses. The provisions brought in from the farms were stored away in themagazines. The women and children began to settle down more comfortably intheir sheds. The best of the horses and cattle were removed into the innercourt-yard. The boys were set drawing water and filling the troughs, whilesome of the farm men were told off to carry the fodder to the animals,most of which, however, were for the time turned out to graze near thecastle. Many of the men who had come in had returned to their work on thefarms. During the day waggons continued to arrive with stores of grain andforage; boys and girls drove in flocks of geese and turkeys and largenumbers of ducks and hens, until the yard in which the sheds were wascrowded with them. By nightfall every preparation was complete, and evenJean Bouvard himself could find nothing further to suggest.

  "If they are coming," he said to Sir Eustace, "the sooner they come thebetter, my lord; we have done all that we can do, and had best get it overwithout more ado."

  "I still hope that no one will come, Bouvard, but I agree with you, thatif it is to come the sooner the better. But there is no saying, it may beto-morrow, it may be months before we are disturbed. Still, in a war likethis, it is likely that all will try and get as much as they can asquickly as possible, for at any moment it may suit Burgundy and Orleans topatch up their quarrel again. Burgundy is astute and cunning, and if hesees that the Orleans princes with Armagnac and the Duke of Bourbon arelikely to get the best of it, he will use the king and queen to interveneand stop the fighting. Seeing that this may be so, the rogues who havetheir eye on their neighbours' goods and possessions will, you may besure, lose no time in stretching out their hands for them."

  A week later came the news that Sir Clugnet de Brabant, who styled himselfAdmiral of France, had gathered two thousand men from the Orleanistgarrisons and, with scaling-ladders and other warlike machines, hadattacked the town of Rethel. The inhabitants had, however, notice of theircoming, and resisted so stoutly that the Orleanists had been forc
ed toretreat, and had then divided into two parties, each of whom had scouredthe country, making prisoners all whom they met, firing the villages anddriving off the cattle, and then returned to the town of Ham and to thevarious garrisons from which they had been drawn. Some of the tenants hadreturned to their farms, but when the news spread they again took refugein the castle. It was probable that Artois, where almost all the townswere held by the Burgundian party, would be the next object of attack. TheOrleanists remained quiet for eight days only, then the news came thatthey had moved out again from Ham eight thousand strong, and were marchingwest.

  Two days later several fugitives from the country round arrived at thecastle with news that the Orleanists were advancing against Bapaume, andthe next morning they heard that they had, after a fierce fight, won theirway to the gate of the town. The Burgundian garrison had then sallied outand at first met with success, but had been obliged to retreat within thewalls again. The Orleanists, however, considering the place too strong tobe captured without a long siege, which might be interrupted by aBurgundian force from Flanders, had drawn off from the place, but werestill marching north burning and plundering.

  "It is likely enough that they will come this way," Sir Eustace said as heand Jean Bouvard talked the matter over. "Assuredly Arras will be toostrong for them to attempt. The straight line would take them to St. Pol,but the castle there is a very strong one also. They may sack and burnAvesne and Auvigni, and then, avoiding both St. Pol and Arras, marchbetween them to Pernes, which is large enough to give them much plunder,but has no force that could resist them. As Pernes is but four miles away,their next call may be here."

  "But why should they attack us, Sir Eustace? for here, too, they mightreckon upon more hard blows than plunder."

  "It will depend upon whom they have with them," Sir Eustace replied. "Theysay that our neighbour Hugh de Fruges went south ten days ago to join theDuke of Bourbon; his castle is but a small place, and as most of Artois isBurgundian he might be afraid he might be captured. He has never borne megood-will, and might well persuade the duke that were my castle andestates in his possession he might do good service to the cause; and that,moreover, standing as we do within twelve miles of the English frontier,its possession might be very valuable to him should the Orleanists everhave occasion to call in the aid of England, or to oppose their advanceshould the Burgundians take that step."

  "Surely neither of these factions will do that, Sir Eustace."

  "Why not, Bouvard? Every time that English armies have passed into Francethey have done it at the invitation of French nobles who have embroiledthemselves with their kings. Burgundy and Orleans, Bourbon and Brittany,each fights for his own hand, and cares little for France as a whole. Theymay be vassals of the Valois, but they regard themselves as being nearly,if not altogether, their equals, and are always ready to league themselveswith each other, or if it needs be with the English, against the throne."

  At nine o'clock on the following evening Sir Eustace and his family werestartled by the report of the gun on the keep, and, running out, saw thesignal-fire beginning to blaze up.

  "Above there!" Sir Eustace shouted, "where is the alarm?"

  "A fire has just blazed up on the road to St. Pol," the warder replied.

  "Blow your horn, then, loudly and urgently."

  The news that the Orleanists were marching north from Bapaume had causedthe greater portion of the farmers to come in on the previous day, and ina short time those who were nearest to the castle, and who hadconsequently delayed as long as possible, began to arrive. The garrisonwere already under arms, and had taken the places assigned to them on thewalls. All the tenants had brought their arms in with them, and were nowdrawn up in the court-yard, where a large bonfire, that had been for somedays in readiness, was now blazing. The new-comers, after turning theirhorses into the inclosure with those already there, joined them. All hadbeen acquainted with the share they were to bear should the place bebesieged. They were to be divided into two parties, one of which was to beon duty on the walls with the garrison, the other to be held in reserve,and was--every six hours when matters were quiet--to relieve the party onthe walls, or, when an attack took place, to be under arms and ready tohasten to any spot where its aid was required. The men were now inspectedby Sir Eustace, additional arms were served out from the armoury to thosewhose equipment was insufficient, and they were then dismissed to jointheir wives and families until called to the walls.

  "THE TWO MEN WHO LIT THE ALARM FIRES RODE INTO THECASTLE."]