At Agincourt

by G. A. Henty

  CHAPTER XVIII -- KATARINA

  As soon as the king's army approached Arras, Guy repeated all theprecautions that had before been taken, but as this time there had beenlong warning, these were carried out more effectually. A considerablenumber of the cattle and sheep of the tenants were driven to Calais andthere sold, the rest, with the horses, were taken into the castle. Thecrops were hastily got in, for it was near July, and these were thrashedand the grain brought in, with the household furniture and all belongings.A great store of arrows had been long before prepared, and Guy feltconfident that he could hold out for a long time. The women and childrentook up their abode in the castle, and the former were all set to work tomake a great number of sacks. A hundred cart-loads of earth were broughtin, and this was stored in a corner of the court-yard. The earth was to beemployed in filling the sacks, which were to be lowered from the walls soas to form a protection against heavy missiles, should an attempt be madeto effect a breach.

  GUY WELCOMES THE COUNT OF MONTEPONE AND HIS DAUGHTER TOVILLEROY.]

  A few days after the king's army sat down before Arras, the look-outinformed Guy that a horseman, together with a lady and two attendants,were riding towards the castle. Wondering who these visitors could be, Guycrossed the drawbridge to the outwork, where a small party were nowstationed. As they rode up, he saw, to his surprise and pleasure, thatthey were the Count of Montepone and his daughter. He ran out to meetthem.

  "I am delighted to see you, Count, and you also Mistress Katarina. Iregret that Sir Eustace and Dame Margaret are not here to receive youproperly."

  "We were aware that she was absent," the count said as he dismounted,while Guy assisted Katarina from her saddle. "I received a letter threemonths since; it came by way of Flanders from Sir Eustace, expressing histhanks for what slight services I had rendered to his wife. He told methat they had crossed over to England, and that you were his castellanhere. But I thought that ere this he might have returned."

  "I heard from him but a few days ago," Guy said. "He is detained inEngland by the illness of Dame Margaret, or he would have hastened hitheron hearing that the French army was moving north. I need scarcely ask howyou are, Mistress Katarina, for you have changed much, and if I may say itwithout offence, for the better."

  The girl flushed a little and laughed, and her father said: "It is nighthree months since we left Paris; the country air has done her good. Sincewe left she has till now been in disguise again, and has ridden as mypage, for I could not leave her behind, nor could I in an army, with somany wild and reckless spirits, take her in the dress of a girl."

  By this time they had crossed the drawbridge, the servants leading theirhorses after them.

  "My stay must be a short one," the count said as they entered thebanqueting-hall, and Guy gave orders for a repast to be served.

  "I hoped that you were come to stay for a time, Count; I would do all inmy power to make your visit a pleasant one."

  The Italian shook his head. "No, I must ride back tonight. I have comehere for a double purpose. In the first place I must send Katarina toEngland; she is almost a woman now, and can no longer wander about with mein times like these. In the second place, I have come to tell you that Ithink you need have no fear of an attack upon the castle. That news yougave me, which enabled me to save those three Orleanist nobles, has, addedto what I had before done in that way, helped me vastly. One of them is agreat favourite with Aquitaine, and the latter took me under his specialprotection; and he and many other great lords, and I may tell you even thequeen herself, consult me frequently. Shortly after you left I moved to alarger house, and as there was no longer any need for me to assume thecharacter of a vendor of medicines I abandoned that altogether, and tookhandsome apartments, with my negro from the booth to open the door, andtwo other lackeys.

  "My knowledge of the stars has enabled me with some success to predict theevents that have taken place, and Aquitaine and the queen have bothimplicit confidence in me and undertake nothing without my advice. TheDuke of Orleans, too, has frequently consulted me. I have used myinfluence to protect this castle. I have told them that success willattend all their efforts, which it was easy enough to foresee, as Burgundyhas no army in the field that can oppose them. But I said that I haddescribed a certain point of danger. It was some time before I revealedwhat this was, and then said that it appeared to me that the evil in someway started from the west of Arras. I would go no further than this formany days, and then said that it arose from a castle held by one who wasnot altogether French, and that were an attack made upon it evil wouldarise. I saw that it would lead to a disturbance, I said, in thenegotiations for the marriage, and perhaps the arrival of an English army.More than this I said the stars did not tell me.

  "Aquitaine made inquiries and soon found that my description applied toVilleroy, and he and the queen have issued strict orders that noplundering party is to come in this direction, and that on no account isthe castle to be interfered with, and I shall take care that theirintentions in this matter are not changed. I had the royal orders toaccompany the army. This I should have done in any case, but of course Iprofessed a certain reluctance, by saying that I had many clients inParis. However, I received various rich presents, and was thereforeprevailed upon to travel with them."

  "I thank you most heartily, Count, for, as you saw on crossing the court-yard, I have already called all the vassals in and made preparations tostand a siege. As to your daughter, I will, if you wish it, appoint two ofthe tenants' daughters as her attendants, and send an elderly woman as hercompanion, with an escort under Robert Picard,--one of those who were withme in Paris,--and four other men-at-arms to accompany her to Summerley andhand her over to the charge of Dame Margaret, who will, I trust, be inbetter health than when Sir Eustace wrote to me. It will be a great reliefto our lord and lady to know that their presence is not urgently requiredhere. The escort can start to-morrow at daybreak if you wish that theyshould do so."

  The count hesitated, and Guy went on: "I will appoint the woman and thetwo maids at once. Mistress Katarina can occupy Dame Margaret's chamber,and the woman and the maids can sleep in those adjoining it."

  "That will do well," the count said cordially. "We have ridden twentymiles already, and she could hardly go on to-day, while if she starts atdaybreak they may reach Calais to-morrow."

  "I will give Picard a letter to the governor, asking him in my lord's nameto give honourable entertainment to the young lady, who is under DameMargaret's protection, and to forward her upon her journey to join them bythe first vessel sailing to Southampton, or if there be none sailingthither, to send her at once by ship to Dover, whence they can travel byland. One of the four men-at-arms shall be an Englishman, and he can actas her spokesman by the way."

  "That will do most excellently," the count said, "and I thank youheartily. As soon as I have finished my meal I must ride for the campagain. I started early this morning in order not to be observed; in thefirst place because I did not wish my daughter to be seen in her femaledress, and in the second because I would not that any should notice mycoming in this direction, and indeed we rode for the first mile backwardsalong the road to Bapaume, and I shall return by the same way."

  "What will the end of these troubles be, Count?"

  "As I read the stars there will be peace shortly, and indeed it is clearto me that the Duke of Burgundy must by this time see that if the war goeson he will lose all Artois and perhaps Flanders, and that therefore hemust make peace, and perhaps keep it until the royal army has marched awayand dispersed; after that we may be sure that the crafty duke will notlong remain quiet. I have a trusty emissary in Burgundy's household, andas soon as the duke comes to the conclusion that he must beg for peace Ishall have intelligence of it, and shall give early news to the queen andto Aquitaine, who would hail it with gladness; for, seeing that thelatter's wife is Burgundy's daughter, he does not wish to press him hard,and would gladly see peace concluded."

  An hour later the count rode off
with his two followers, after taking anaffectionate leave of his daughter, and telling her that it would not belong before he joined her--if only for a time--in England. Before he wentGuy had chosen the woman who, with her two daughters, was to accompanyKatarina, and had installed them in the private apartments.

  "What shall we do with ourselves for the day?" he asked the girl, who was,he saw, shy and ill at ease, now that her father had left. "If you are nottired we might take a ride. We have some hawks here, and now that theharvest has been gathered we shall doubtless find sport with the game-birds."

  "I am not at all tired," she said eagerly, "and should like it much."

  Calling upon Long Tom and another to accompany them, horses were broughtup, and they started and remained out until supper-time, bringing homewith them some seven or eight partridges that had been killed by thehawks. Guy suggested that perhaps she would prefer to have the meal servedin her own apartments and to retire to bed early. She accepted the offer,and at once went to her room, which she did not leave again that evening.Guy, as he ate alone, wondered to himself at the change that some nine orten months had made in her.

  "I suppose she feels strange and lonely," he said to himself. "She wasmerry enough when we were out hawking; but directly we got back again sheseemed quite unlike herself. I suppose it is because I always used totreat her as if she were a boy, and now that she has grown up into a womanshe wants to forget that time."

  The town of Arras resisted sturdily. The garrison made frequent sorties,took a good many prisoners, and inflicted heavy loss upon the besiegersbefore these could gather in sufficient numbers to drive them in again,and all assaults were repulsed with loss. The Castle of Belle Moote, nearArras, also repulsed all the efforts of the king's army to take it.Foraging parties of Orleanists committed terrible devastations in thecountry round, but gained no advantage in their attacks on any fortifiedplace.

  On the 29th of August the Duke of Brabant arrived with some deputies fromFlanders to negotiate a peace between Burgundy and the king. They werewell received, and an armistice was at once arranged. The French troopswere suffering severely from disease, and the failure of all theirattempts to capture Arras made them ready to agree willingly upon a peace.This was accordingly concluded on the 4th of September, and the next daythe royal army marched away.

  Three weeks after Katarina had gone to England, Sir Eustace himself, toGuy's great joy, arrived at the castle, bringing with him his esquire andeight men-at-arms, as well as the three serving-women and their escort. Assoon as his pennon was seen Guy leapt on a horse that was standing saddledin the court-yard, and rode to meet them. As he came up he checked hishorse in surprise, for his father was riding by the side of Sir Eustace.Recovering himself, however, he doffed his cap to his lord.

  "Welcome back, my lord!" he said. "I trust that our dear lady is better."

  "Much better, Guy. You see I have brought your father over with me."

  Guy bent low to his father.

  "I am right glad to see you," the latter said, "and to hear such goodaccounts of you. Dame Margaret and Mistress Agnes were never tired ofsinging your praises, and in truth I was not weary of hearing them."

  "Are you going to make a long stay, father?"

  "I shall stay for some little time, Guy. Our lady is going to be her owncastellan for the present. And in truth things are so quiet in Englandthat Summerley could well go on without a garrison, so Sir Eustacesuggested that I should accompany him hither, where, however, just atpresent things have also a peaceful aspect. The young countess arrivedsafely, Guy, and was heartily welcomed, the more so since, as your lettertold me, it is to her father that we owe it that we did not have theking's army battering our walls, or, even if they did not try that,devastating the fields and ruining the farmers."

  By this time they were at the gate. Long Tom had the garrison drawn up inthe court-yard, and they hailed the return of their lord with heartycheers, while the retainers of Summerley were no less pleased at seeingSir John Aylmer. "And now, Guy," said Sir Eustace, "I will tell you why Ihave come hither. It is partly to see after the estate, to hear thecomplaints of my vassals and to do what I can for them, and in the nextplace I wanted to see these fortifications that you have raised, and,thirdly, I shall shortly ride to Paris in the train of the Earl of Dorset,the Lord Grey, Admiral of England, some bishops, and many other knightsand nobles, amounting in the whole to 600 horse. They go to treat for themarriage of the princess of France with the English king. I had anaudience with the king at Winchester as soon as we heard that the royalarmy was marching towards Artois, and he gave assurance that he wouldinstruct the governor of Calais to furnish what assistance he could shouldthe castle be attacked, and that he himself would at once on hearing of itsend a remonstrance to the King of France, urging that I, as a vassal ofhis as well as of France, had avoided taking any part in the troubles, andhad ever borne myself as a loyal vassal of his Majesty.

  "He was at Winchester when the young countess arrived, and I rode over tohim to tell him that I had news that it was not probable that Villeroywould be attacked. It was then that his Majesty informed me that the Earlof Dorset with a large body of nobles would ere long cross the Channel forthe purpose that I have named, and begged me to ride with them. The king,being disengaged at the time, talked with me long, and questioned me as tothe former defence of the castle, and how Dame Margaret had fared when, ashe had heard, she was obliged to go as a hostage to Paris. I told him allthat had befallen her, at which he seemed greatly interested, and bade mepresent you to him at the first opportunity.

  "'He must be a lad after my own heart,' he said, 'and he shall have anopportunity of winning his spurs as soon as may be, which perchance is notso far away as some folks think.'"

  Guy thanked Sir Eustace for having so spoken of him to the English king,and asked: "What do you think he meant by those last words, my lord?"

  "That I cannot say, Guy; but it may well be that he thinks that thismarriage which has been so long talked of may not take place, and that thenegotiations have been continued solely for the purpose of keeping himquiet while France was busied with her own troubles. Moreover, I know thatthe king has been already enlisting men, that he is impatient at havingbeen put off so often with soft words, and that embassy is intended tobring matters to a head; therefore if, as I gathered from some of myfriends at his court, he is eager for fighting, it may be that hisambassadors will demand conditions which he is sure beforehand the King ofFrance will not grant. At any rate I shall ride with Dorset to Paris;whatever the sentiments of the Burgundians or Orleanists may be towards mewill matter nothing, riding as I shall do in the train of the earl. I amgoing to take you with me, as well as John Harpen, for I must do as wellas others, and have had to lay out a goodly sum in garments fit for theoccasion, for the king is bent upon his embassy making a brave show. Yourfather will be castellan here in my absence. I shall also take with meLong Tom and four of his archers, and five French men-at-arms. I havebrought some Lincoln-green cloth to make fresh suits for the archers, andalso material for those for the men-at-arms."

  Both Sir Eustace and Sir John Aylmer expressed great satisfaction at themanner in which the new outworks had been erected.

  "Assuredly it is a strong castle now, Sir Eustace," Sir John said, "andwould stand a long siege even by a great army."

  "What is all that earth for in the corner, Guy?" Sir Eustace asked as theyre-entered the castle after having made a survey of the new works. "I hadthat brought in, my lord, to fill sacks, of which I had three hundredmade, so that if guns and battering machines were brought against us, wemight cover the wall at the place they aimed at with sacks hanging closelytogether, and so break the force of the stones or the cannon balls."

  "Excellently well arranged, Guy. You thought, Sir John, that I wassomewhat rash to leave the defence solely to the charge of this son ofyours, but you see the lad was ready at all points, and I will warrant methat the castle would have held out under him as long a time as if you andI both
had been in command of it."

  It was not until January, the year being 1414, that the Earl of Dorset anda great company arrived at Calais. As they passed not far from the castlethey were joined by Sir Eustace and his retinue. The king's wishes hadbeen carried out, and the knights and nobles were so grandly attired andtheir retinues so handsomely appointed that when they rode into Paris thepeople were astonished at the splendour of the spectacle. A few days afterthey reached the capital the king gave a great festival in honour of thevisitors, and there was a grand tournament at which the king and all theprinces of the blood tilted. The English ambassadors were splendidlyentertained, but their proposals were considered inadmissible by theFrench court, for Henry demanded with Katherine the duchy of Normandy, thecounty of Pontieu, and the duchy of Aquitaine.

  No direct refusal was given, but the king said that he would shortly sendover an embassy to discuss the conditions. Many handsome presents weremade to all the knights and noblemen, and the embassy returned to England.Sir Eustace left them near Villeroy with his party, and stayed two days atthe castle. Sir John Aylmer said that he would prefer that Guy shouldreturn home with Sir Eustace and that he himself should remain ascastellan, for he thought that there was little doubt that war would soonbe declared; he said that he himself was too old to take the field onactive service, and preferred greatly that Guy should ride with SirEustace. Long Tom made a petition to his lord that he too should go toEngland for a time.

  "If there was any immediate chance of fighting here, my lord," he said, "Iwould most willingly remain, but seeing that at present all is quiet, Iwould fain return, were it but for a month; for I have a maid waiting forme, and have, methinks, kept her long enough, and would gladly go home andfetch her over here."

  The request was at once granted, and Sir Eustace, his two esquires, andthe archer rode to Calais, and crossed with the company of the Earl ofDorset.

  For some months Guy remained quietly at Summerley. Agnes, though nearlysixteen, was still but a young girl, while Katarina had grown still morewomanly during the last six months. The former always treated him as abrother, but the latter was changeable and capricious. Occasionally shewould laugh and chat when the three were alone, as she had done of old inParis, but more often she would tease and laugh at him, while sometimesshe would be shy and silent.

  "I cannot make out the young countess, my lady," he said to Dame Margaretwhen Katarina had been teasing him even more than usual. "She was neverlike this in Paris, and I know not that I have done aught to offend herthat she should so often pick up my words, and berate me for a meaningthey never had."

  "You see, things have changed since then," Dame Margaret said with asmile; "'tis two years since you were in Paris, and Katarina, although butlittle older than Agnes, is already a young woman. You were then stillunder seventeen, now you are nineteen, and in growth and stature well-nigha man. You can hardly expect her to be the same with you as when she wasrunning about Paris in boy's attire, for then you regarded her rather as acomrade than as a girl. I think, perhaps, it is that she a little resentsthe fact that you knew her in that guise, and therefore feels all the lessat her ease with you. Do not trouble about it, the thing will right itselfin time; and besides, you will shortly be going off to the war."

  In fact, preparations were being already made for it. A French embassy ofnobles and knights, with three hundred and fifty horsemen, had come over,and, after passing through London, had gone to Winchester, and there metthe king and his great lords. The Archbishop of Bourges, who was theirspokesman, at once set forth that the king could not hand over so large aportion of his kingdom, but that he would give with his daughter largeestates in France, together with a great sum in ready money. This offerwas refused, and preparations for war went on in both countries. Francewas, indeed, but in poor condition to defend itself, for the Duke ofAquitaine had seriously angered both parties. He had made a pretext to getthe great lords to ride out from Paris, he being with them; but he hadsecretly returned, and had ordered the gates to be closed, had called thecitizens to arms, and had resumed the supreme authority of the realm.

  Having done this, he sent his wife, Burgundy's daughter, to a castle at adistance, and surrounding himself with young nobles as reckless anddissipated as himself, led a life of disorder, squandering money on hispleasures, and heavily taxing the city for his wants. The Duke ofBurgundy, indignant at the treatment of his daughter, sent an ambassadorto demand that she should be taken back, and that all the persons, fivehundred in number, who had been exempted from the terms of the treaty,should be allowed to return to Paris. Both requests were refused, and theconsequence was that the Duke of Burgundy, with his partisans, returned tohis own country in deep anger; he would take no part in the war againstthe English, although he permitted his vassals to do so.

  In July the English levies gathered at Southampton. The king was to haveembarked immediately, and a great fleet had been collected for thepurpose; but, as he was on the point of sailing, Henry obtained news of aplot against his life on the part of Sir Thomas Grey, Lord Scroop, andRichard, Earl of Cambridge, the king's cousin. As Scroop was in constantattendance upon the king and slept in his room, the conspirators hadlittle doubt that their purpose could be carried out, their intentionbeing to proclaim the Earl of March king, and to summon assistance fromScotland. The three conspirators were tried by a jury and were all foundguilty. Grey was beheaded, but his companions claimed to be tried again bytheir peers. No time was lost in carrying out the trial; all the lordsassembled at Southampton were called together, and, after hearing theevidence, at once found the two nobles guilty, and they were immediatelybeheaded.

  Orders were then given for the embarkation. Sir Eustace had brought withhim thirty archers and as many men-at-arms, and, as they were waiting onthe strand for the boats that were to take them out to the ships to whichthey had been appointed, the king, who was personally superintending theoperations, rode past. Sir Eustace saluted him.

  "Is this your following, Sir Eustace?" the king asked.

  "It is, my lord king, and would that it were larger. Had we landed atCalais I should have been joined by another fifty stout Englishmen fromVilleroy, and should we in our marches pass near it I will draw them tome. Your majesty asked me to present to you my esquire, Guy Aylmer, who,as I had the honour of telling you, showed himself a brave and trustygentleman, when, during the troubles, he was in Paris with my wife. Stepforward, Guy!"

  The latter did so, saluted the king, and stood erect in military attitude.

  "You have begun well," the king said graciously; "and I hereby requestyour lord that in the day of battle he will permit you to fight near me,and if you bear yourself as well when fighting for your king as you didwhen looking after your lady mistress, you shall have your share ofhonours as well as of blows."

  The king then rode on, and Sir Eustace and Guy took their places in a boatwhere the men had already embarked.

  "This is something like, Master Guy," said Long Tom, who was in command ofthe archers. "It was well indeed that I asked to come home to England whenI did, else had I been now mewed up at Villeroy while my lord was fightingthe French in the open field. Crecy was the last time an English kingcommanded an army in battle against France; think you that we shall do aswell this time?"

  "I trust so, Tom; methinks we ought assuredly not to do worse. It is truethat the French have been having more fighting of late than we have, butthe nobles are less united now than they were then, and are likely to bejust as headstrong and incautious as they were at Crecy. I doubt not thatwe shall be greatly outnumbered, but numbers go for little unless they arewell handled. The Constable d'Albrett is a good soldier, but the nobles,who are his equals in rank, will heed his orders but little when theirblood is up and they see us facing them. We may be sure, at any rate, thatwe shall be well led, for the king has had much experience against theScotch and Welsh, and has shown himself a good leader as well as a bravefighter. I hope, Tom, that you have by this time come to be wellaccustomed to y
our new bow."

  "That have I. I have shot fourscore arrows a day with it from the time Ireached home, not even omitting my wedding day, and I think that now Imake as good shooting with it as I did with my old one. 'Tis a pity we arenot going to Calais; if we had been joined by thirty archers there weshould have made a brave show, and more than that, they would have donegood service, for they are picked men. A few here may be as good, but notmany. You see when we last sailed with our lord the times were peaceful,and we were able to gather the best shots for fifty miles round, but nowthat the king and so many of the nobles are all calling for archers wecould not be so particular, and have had to take what we could get; still,I would enlist none who were not fair marksmen."

  This conversation took place as they were dropping down Southamptonwaters. Their destination was known to be Harfleur, which, as it wasstrongly fortified and garrisoned, was like to offer a sturdy resistance.The fleet was a great one, consisting of from twelve to fourteen hundredsail, which the king had collected from all the ports of England andIreland, or hired from Holland and Friesland. The army consisted of sixthousand five hundred horsemen and twenty-four thousand footmen of allkinds. On the 13th of August the fleet anchored in the mouth of the Seine,three miles from Harfleur. The operation of landing the great army andtheir horses occupied three days, the French, to the surprise of all,permitting the operation to be carried on without let or hindrance,although the ground was favourable for their attacks, As soon as thelanding was effected the army took up its position so as to prevent anysupplies from entering the town. They had with them an abundance ofmachines for battering the walls, and these were speedily planted, andthey began their work.

  The garrison had been reinforced by four hundred knights and picked men-at-arms, and fought with great determination and valour, making severalsorties from the two gates of the town. There were, however, strong bodiesof troops always stationed near to guard the engines from such attacks,and the French sorties were not only repulsed, but their knights had muchdifficulty in winning their way back to the town. The enemy were unable touse their cannon to much effect, for a large supply of gunpowder sent bythe French king was, on the day after the English landed, captured on itsway into the town. The besiegers lost, however, a good many men from thecrossbowmen who manned the walls, although the English archers endeavouredto keep down their shooting by a storm of arrows. The most formidableenemy, however, that the English had to contend with was dysentery,brought on by the damp and unhealthy nature of the ground upon which theywere encamped. No less than two thousand men died, and a vastly largernumber were so reduced by the malady that they were useless for fighting.The siege, however, was carried on uninterruptedly. The miners who hadbeen brought over drove two galleries under the walls, and the gates wereso shattered by stones and cannon-balls that they scarce hung together.

  The garrison surrendered after having by the permission of the Englishking sent a messenger to the King of France, who was at Vernon, to saythat unless they were succoured within three days they must surrender, asthe town was already at the mercy of the English, and received for answerthat no army was as yet gathered that could relieve them.

  In addition to the ravages of dysentery the English army had suffered muchfrom want of food. Large bodies of French troops were gathered at Rouenand other places, and when knights and men-at-arms went out to forage,they fell upon them and drove them back. Still a large amount of booty wasgathered, together with enough provisions to afford a bare subsistence tothe army. A considerable amount of booty was also obtained when Harfleurfell. The greater portion of the inhabitants of the town were forced toleave it, the breaches in the walls were repaired and new gates erected. Aportion of the treasure obtained was divided by the king among the troops.The prisoners and the main portion of the booty--which, as Harfleur wasthe chief port of Normandy, and indeed of all the western part of France,was very great--he sent direct to England, together with the engines ofwar. The sick and ailing were then embarked on ships, with a considerablefighting force under the Earl of Warwick. They were ordered to touch atCalais, where the fighting-men were to be landed and the sick carriedhome, and Henry then prepared to march to Calais by land.