Man at arms, p.16
Man at Arms, page 16
The Castilian ship was beating into the wind and was slow. Dick had used the wind well and we were flying. Most of his crew had survived and I heard him shout, “Shorten sail! Be ready for a collision.”
Robin shouted, “Loose!” and our arrows slammed into Castilian flesh. The shields of our men came up as the bolts were sent back. As soon as we heard the crack as the bolts hit, the shields were lowered and while the cumbersome crossbows were reloaded, a second flight cleared the enemy forecastle.
I clambered over the forecastle and stood close to the bow. Dick was a good seaman, and we struck the Castilian a glancing blow which stopped her. I was braced against the gunwale and I leapt up, as we slewed around the bow of the Castilian which was still under full sail. “On me!” I grabbed the bowsprit of the enemy ship and climbed aboard. I was below the enemy forecastle but there were no men left there and I ran down the steerboard side, swinging my shield around as I did so. I chose this side as It allowed me a good swing with my hand axe. The first man I met rammed a boarding pike at me. I blocked it easily with my shield for it caught on the side of the forecastle. A boarding pike needed two hands and I hacked into his upper arm with such force that I severed the limb and blood spurted. His scream was short-lived as he fell to the ground and I ended his pain with a blow to the head.
Michael’s reassuring voice was behind me, “I will guard your back Captain!”
The enemy sterncastle had not been touched and I saw crossbows levelled as men with swords, axes and spears ran at us. Robin and my archers did not miss. One bolt struck my shield with such force that the tip came through the wood, but the Flemish warrior paid with his life for that brief success. Prince Edward, Sir Walter and the household knights ran along the other side of the ship so that we had a two-pronged attack, and the knights were keen to show us that they were better. Protected by mail and plate the Prince and his knights sliced into the Castilians who were wearing, at best, mail. Some of those who wore no mail chose the sea. It would be their fate anyway and the wreckage of Cog Thomas was drifting by. With luck, they might be able to float to land. If they stayed aboard this ship, then they were doomed! As we passed from the forecastle to the belly of the ship so Roger and Henry, backed by Gareth and Stephen, joined us. We were not fighting knights. These were pirates who whilst well-armed had neither mail nor plate. Few had shields and our training began to pay off. I had practised with my men and we knew how to present a wall of shields and strike over them. Gareth and Stephen had each picked up a boarding pike and Stephen brought the axe head part down to split the head of the man I was fighting. Gareth rammed the spike into the face of Michael’s opponent and when our foes fell then Michael and I were able to help to kill the men fighting Roger and Henry. By the time we reached the sterncastle, the battle was all but over. Robin and my archers killed the remaining crew who either tried to seek shelter or surrender.
Darkness was falling and further pursuit would have been in vain. Prince Edward shouted, “We have won! God save the King! Throw the dead into the sea. Captain Richard, send a crew aboard to sail us back to port. Sir Walter, you will command this vessel. The Prince’s men and my knights let us return to our vessel.”
My men were already stripping the dead and hurling the bodies overboard even before the skeleton crew came aboard. This time the bounty was all ours. It was beneath knights to strip bodies and there was no one else with whom we had to share. My satchel bulged and the weapons, helmets, and bits of mail we had captured would require a chest to hold them.
“Michael, when you have taken all that there is to take open the hold and look for a chest. While there is still light then see if there is valuable cargo!”
“Aye, Captain.” He paused, “Dafydd is dead.”
I nodded, “He had no need to fight with a wound.”
“He was part of our company, Captain. He was one of us.”
The death took some of the edge from our victory. His body would not be sent to the deep. We would bury him in the dunes at Wynchchelse.
Dai brought my bow and I saw that there were just five arrows left. “Well, Dai, your first sea battle!”
He nodded and I saw the joy in his eyes, “I was terrified and elated, Captain. I am glad that I came to war with you. Life in Knighton would never be this exciting.”
It was like looking into a mirror which could look back through time. Was this the way I had spoken to Captain Philip after my first battle? I could not remember. “Go find us some food and ale. Fighting gives me an appetite and a thirst.”
Sir Walter had finished speaking with the mate from Cog Richard and he joined me by the mast. “I do not think we lost above two ships.” He swept a hand at the body-filled sea. “All of those are our Castilian enemies. We have cleansed the seas of a disease, piracy!”
“And they will rise again!”
He nodded, “The Prince has asked me to sail to Gascony. He wishes to know how the land lies for another chevauchée. Would you and your men like to be part of the force I take?”
“The usual rate for service abroad?”
“I see no reason why not.”
“Then we are your men!”
France in 1350
The red arrow is the first chevauchée in 1355
The blue arrow is the chevauchée in 1356
The shorter arrow is the retreat to Poitiers in 1356
Chapter 12
We were lucky for we landed at Wynchchelse and the first thing we did when we disembarked was to bury our friend. As was their agreement the other men divided his goods and money between them. We then recovered our horses and my chest. When other ships arrived, we learned that we had lost just two ships in the sea battle, the Prince’s and the King’s. We had sunk ten ships and captured seventeen. Captain William and the captain of Cog Thomas were compensated for the loss of their vessels with two captured ships. The rest were sold and after the King and his son had taken half, the knights a quarter, then the rest was divided amongst the ordinary warriors. It was unfair but we had already taken more from the dead and Michael had found a treasure chest and four barrels of Bordeaux wine aboard the last ship we had captured. We just smiled and nodded our gratitude when the Prince paid us off a month later.
I was tempted to return to Basil of Tarsus to invest it, but I decided that, as we had one spare horse now that Dafydd had been killed, I would take it with me. I found a leatherworker who happily made me a pair of satchels which would fit across the spare horse’s back. He was well rewarded, and he did a fine job. I also wished to buy some plate to go with my mail, but the town had suffered in the plague and there was none to be had. When I told Sir Walter he smiled, “Gascony will be a better place to buy such items. There is always war there and they have the best of weaponsmiths but why do you wish plate? You are an archer!”
“And I would better myself. Is that unreasonable?”
“No, and you are right. No matter what you do as an archer you will never be elevated, and Sir John Chandos showed the way to become a knight but it is a dangerous road, John Hawkwood. You have to attract the King or his son’s eye in battle and do something so brave that death is a palpable risk!”
I laughed, “Sir Walter, when we boarded those two Castilian ships, I do not think that the pirates were trying to kiss me! They tried to end my life but I was too good. I will continue to risk all until I am so comfortable that I let others take the risk for me and by then I shall be leading armies!”
He looked at me as though it was for the first time, “You know that those who lead English armies are all of royal blood or closely related?”
I nodded, “And who said it will be English armies that I will lead? Other rulers will happily pay for mercenaries such as me to fight for them.”
“You are not a mercenary! You are an English warrior.”
“I spent the plague in the north of England. When we were cut off, I spent many long nights thinking about that. I will always fight for England. I am an Englishman but if there are no wars with foreign foes what then? Will I sit behind a castle wall and grow old? Scotland, thanks to our victory at Durham, is a defeated foe. Wales is now a vassal. That leaves France, Italy and Spain. The Pope’s emissaries have managed to negotiate a peace with France.”
“You forget Gascony! There is a war for you.”
“And when that war ends? No, Captain, I am happy to come to Gascony to fight with you and I will continue to do so but when there is true peace with France then I will take my men and we shall hire ourselves to whichever lord can afford us. If I am to lead my company then I need to be, at the very least, a man at arms. I will never forget my bow but I will choose, when I can, to use a sword!”
We sailed in Captain Dick’s new ship, the first one we captured, at the start of October. The weather in England was changing and autumn was on the way. We went in convoy for although the Castilians were beaten there were still pirates out there and travelling together made sense. As armies go, we were small. There were just five hundred of us. Twenty were knights and the rest was made up of archers, spearmen, and men at arms. I was still paid as a vintenar, but I hoped to be given more men. There were already five centenars and so no place for me. That was despite the fact that most of the knights and all of my men thought I was the best man for the job. I was patient and I would happily step into dead men’s boots.
We landed at Bordeaux which was, in reality, part of England. After the three-week journey, our horses needed some time to recover and so we stayed close by the city. That allowed me to have the white jupons and cloaks made for my men and for me to buy the plate I would need if I was to become a gentleman and a man at arms. I was happy with my horse, but I knew that the next acquisition would be a courser. I bought a breast and a backplate. This covered most of the upper part of my body and as I had a mail hauberk beneath the plate, I was happy. I also bought a pair of gamboised cuisse to protect my thigh as well as a pair of gauntlets with a gadling on the knuckle of each hand. This was cheaper than a full metal glove and yet the metal gave me protection while the leather gave me flexibility. Finally, I bought a mail coif. They were going cheaply for knights who could afford it were having helmets with aventails made.
Gascony had men who fought for England but had, in fact, never seen it. They spoke their own version of French and while most of my men could speak French, the exception were the ones who had come from Wigmore; to them, Gascon was a foreign language. Those first days, while we allowed our horses to recover, we tried to learn as many of the words as we could. I tried harder than any for I knew that while I would always be English, I would need to speak many languages. Robin and Michael were the same but most of the others concentrated on the words for wine, ale, food, and doxies!
When our new jupons and cloaks were ready, I issued them to my men. Sir Walter was surprised for he said that they defeated the skill which my archers had, the ability to hide in woods and the like. I nodded, “Yet they each have their original cloak and if there is a need for such disguise then we can still adopt it.”
“But white?”
“It is easier to keep clean and I remember when we were here with Lord Henry. This hot sun burned all the colours so that they faded. White can never fade. However, my lord, the real reason I wish us to wear white is to make us noticed on the battlefield.” He gave me a surprised look. “I want men to fear the white of Hawkwood’s men. Would you agree that my archers are the best?”
“Of course. You showed that when we fought the Castilians, and those who fought with swords were as good as any save knights!”
I did not argue with him, but I disagreed. My men were the equal of his knights as we had shown when we had captured the second pirate. “And while we are here, I intend to enhance that reputation.”
“Do not worry, my friend. There is to be a tourney and then, when the weather improves, we shall venture forth and you and your men can show the French your skills. First, we have a celebratory tourney. The Gascon knights are keen to show us their skills!”
As usual, there were injuries which required healing and that delayed us, but I benefitted for one of the English knights, Sir Richmond Knolles, hurt himself so badly that he became crippled. He would have to return with his squire to England. The only ships which were sailing were the ones carrying wine and there was no room for their horses. I was one of the few men with enough money with me to buy them and I acquired a good courser, Roman, and a palfrey, Mary. Sir Richmond’s squire was distraught to be leaving his palfrey and I confess that I became very attached to her myself for she had heart and such a pleasant nature that she was a pleasure to ride. Roman was a jet-black courser with a white blaze. The fact that I managed to buy both of them for thirty English pounds was a pleasant surprise but the injuries to the knight and the shame of his defeat meant he blamed his horse. I noticed that knights often did this. It was my gain, and I was happy. I know that, as we rode north to the border, I looked more like a knight than any other of those who were not for the white jupon and cloak, atop a jet-black horse made an imposing sight. I did not ride him every day and alternated with Mary. While I did not look as splendid on Mary, I found the ride more comfortable.
We were heading for Saint-Jean d'Angély which, despite there being a truce, was being besieged by a French army. Six hundred men were defending the town, but they were running short of supplies. Annoyingly we were just taking supplies to the town with no intention of raising the siege. We were led by the Seneschal of Gascony, John de Cheverston. He led five hundred knights and men at arms. With just a thousand men we could not possibly hope to relieve the siege for several thousand Frenchmen were surrounding the town.
Gascons were given the role of scouting and my company were with the baggage. As I had expected they complained. The centenar, John of Ely, did not like me. He had not been at Neville’s Cross nor any of the other great battles. He resented the fact that men liked to ask me about those fights. He held his position because he served the Earl of Suffolk and there was a hierarchy about such matters. I would bide my time and it was not a problem to guard the baggage as that was the whole reason for this journey. We were there to deliver the supplies.
We were sixteen miles from the siege, close to the city of Saintes when the Gascon scouts returned to tell us that a huge French army was ahead of us and preparing for battle. There was no panic for the Seneschal was experienced. Sir Walter and his knights came to the rear and dismounted.
“John, dismount and leave your horses here with the carters. We fight on foot this day. John of Ely will command your company and they will guard the left flank.”
I nodded and I tied my horse to the nearest wagon. I took a silver coin and flipped it to the carter and his son. “When I return if our horses are in good condition then there will be two further coins for you and your son!”
The man grinned. It would be the easiest money he had ever earned. I would make that with the first man I killed. I took my bow from my case and slipped my shield over my back.
“Hawkwood, let us go to war.” I pulled up my coif and donned my helmet. It was an open-faced bascinet and I would have good vision.
By the time we reached the line, I could see that the French greatly outnumbered us, and they had also dismounted. The exceptions were two groups of knights. One faced our flank and the other faced the right flank. John of Ely shouted, “Come on, we await you! Were you waiting for us to die first?”
That was an insult, and my men murmured their anger. I turned to them, “I will deal with the slight at the end of the battle.” I then raised my voice, “John of Ely, I would have thought that you knew we were given the task of guarding the baggage as it was you who ordered it. At the end of this, you and I will have words for no one impugns the honour of my men.” My men cheered and I knew that this was not the way to fight a battle. Once more I regretted my lack of position.
He scowled at me, “Place your men on the extreme right and keep our flank safe!”
Our knights were in the centre. My men at arms, for they were now so well-armed and armoured that they were the best equipped of any of the hired men, formed a line before us. I joined my archers and Dai stood behind with spare arrows and his bow. We were the only company to have a boy and I knew that when the battle was the hottest other companies would have to send an archer back for more arrows while Dai could fetch them for us. We had the most dangerous position. We were on the extreme left of the line and if the horsemen charged then we would be exposed.
“Michael, I want our left echeloned so that our side is protected.”
“Aye, Captain.”
It meant we had just four men covering our front while the other four protected our flanks. We had taken boarding pikes from the Castilian cog and they would present a serious barrier to horsemen.
The French began their advance. They had crossbowmen but once they had released their first bolts then we had grace before the next volley. We had to wait for the command from Sir Walter. He shouted, “Release!” when the enemy line was one hundred and eighty paces from us. He chose his moment well for he saw the crossbowmen kneel. It was a sure sign they were about to release, and we would be able to send our arrows a few moments before their bolts were sent in return. Three hundred arrows soared. The archers were all from the English contingent. We would continue to release until we either ran out of arrows or we were forced to use our swords. I heard thuds and cracks as bolts smacked into the shields of the men before us. Unlike knights, my men used old-fashioned shields which, whilst being heavier, were also larger and now we reaped the reward. Most knights were so well protected by plate that they did not need to use a shield.
I had sent twenty arrows and shouted for Dai to fetch more when Henry shouted, “The horsemen advance!”
John of Ely commanded us, but these were my men. I shouted, “Archers, turn and face them! Bodkins!” I had eight arrows left to me and they were all bodkins. I nocked one and, with Robin and Luke beside me I aimed at the line of fifty knights who thundered towards us. They had spread out in a long line. The eight pikes of my men at arms would protect us a little but the other archers, to our right, had but a thin screen of spearmen. Most of the spearmen had, at best, a mail shirt. If we allowed the horsemen to hit then they would be swept aside.
Robin shouted, “Loose!” and our arrows slammed into Castilian flesh. The shields of our men came up as the bolts were sent back. As soon as we heard the crack as the bolts hit, the shields were lowered and while the cumbersome crossbows were reloaded, a second flight cleared the enemy forecastle.
I clambered over the forecastle and stood close to the bow. Dick was a good seaman, and we struck the Castilian a glancing blow which stopped her. I was braced against the gunwale and I leapt up, as we slewed around the bow of the Castilian which was still under full sail. “On me!” I grabbed the bowsprit of the enemy ship and climbed aboard. I was below the enemy forecastle but there were no men left there and I ran down the steerboard side, swinging my shield around as I did so. I chose this side as It allowed me a good swing with my hand axe. The first man I met rammed a boarding pike at me. I blocked it easily with my shield for it caught on the side of the forecastle. A boarding pike needed two hands and I hacked into his upper arm with such force that I severed the limb and blood spurted. His scream was short-lived as he fell to the ground and I ended his pain with a blow to the head.
Michael’s reassuring voice was behind me, “I will guard your back Captain!”
The enemy sterncastle had not been touched and I saw crossbows levelled as men with swords, axes and spears ran at us. Robin and my archers did not miss. One bolt struck my shield with such force that the tip came through the wood, but the Flemish warrior paid with his life for that brief success. Prince Edward, Sir Walter and the household knights ran along the other side of the ship so that we had a two-pronged attack, and the knights were keen to show us that they were better. Protected by mail and plate the Prince and his knights sliced into the Castilians who were wearing, at best, mail. Some of those who wore no mail chose the sea. It would be their fate anyway and the wreckage of Cog Thomas was drifting by. With luck, they might be able to float to land. If they stayed aboard this ship, then they were doomed! As we passed from the forecastle to the belly of the ship so Roger and Henry, backed by Gareth and Stephen, joined us. We were not fighting knights. These were pirates who whilst well-armed had neither mail nor plate. Few had shields and our training began to pay off. I had practised with my men and we knew how to present a wall of shields and strike over them. Gareth and Stephen had each picked up a boarding pike and Stephen brought the axe head part down to split the head of the man I was fighting. Gareth rammed the spike into the face of Michael’s opponent and when our foes fell then Michael and I were able to help to kill the men fighting Roger and Henry. By the time we reached the sterncastle, the battle was all but over. Robin and my archers killed the remaining crew who either tried to seek shelter or surrender.
Darkness was falling and further pursuit would have been in vain. Prince Edward shouted, “We have won! God save the King! Throw the dead into the sea. Captain Richard, send a crew aboard to sail us back to port. Sir Walter, you will command this vessel. The Prince’s men and my knights let us return to our vessel.”
My men were already stripping the dead and hurling the bodies overboard even before the skeleton crew came aboard. This time the bounty was all ours. It was beneath knights to strip bodies and there was no one else with whom we had to share. My satchel bulged and the weapons, helmets, and bits of mail we had captured would require a chest to hold them.
“Michael, when you have taken all that there is to take open the hold and look for a chest. While there is still light then see if there is valuable cargo!”
“Aye, Captain.” He paused, “Dafydd is dead.”
I nodded, “He had no need to fight with a wound.”
“He was part of our company, Captain. He was one of us.”
The death took some of the edge from our victory. His body would not be sent to the deep. We would bury him in the dunes at Wynchchelse.
Dai brought my bow and I saw that there were just five arrows left. “Well, Dai, your first sea battle!”
He nodded and I saw the joy in his eyes, “I was terrified and elated, Captain. I am glad that I came to war with you. Life in Knighton would never be this exciting.”
It was like looking into a mirror which could look back through time. Was this the way I had spoken to Captain Philip after my first battle? I could not remember. “Go find us some food and ale. Fighting gives me an appetite and a thirst.”
Sir Walter had finished speaking with the mate from Cog Richard and he joined me by the mast. “I do not think we lost above two ships.” He swept a hand at the body-filled sea. “All of those are our Castilian enemies. We have cleansed the seas of a disease, piracy!”
“And they will rise again!”
He nodded, “The Prince has asked me to sail to Gascony. He wishes to know how the land lies for another chevauchée. Would you and your men like to be part of the force I take?”
“The usual rate for service abroad?”
“I see no reason why not.”
“Then we are your men!”
France in 1350
The red arrow is the first chevauchée in 1355
The blue arrow is the chevauchée in 1356
The shorter arrow is the retreat to Poitiers in 1356
Chapter 12
We were lucky for we landed at Wynchchelse and the first thing we did when we disembarked was to bury our friend. As was their agreement the other men divided his goods and money between them. We then recovered our horses and my chest. When other ships arrived, we learned that we had lost just two ships in the sea battle, the Prince’s and the King’s. We had sunk ten ships and captured seventeen. Captain William and the captain of Cog Thomas were compensated for the loss of their vessels with two captured ships. The rest were sold and after the King and his son had taken half, the knights a quarter, then the rest was divided amongst the ordinary warriors. It was unfair but we had already taken more from the dead and Michael had found a treasure chest and four barrels of Bordeaux wine aboard the last ship we had captured. We just smiled and nodded our gratitude when the Prince paid us off a month later.
I was tempted to return to Basil of Tarsus to invest it, but I decided that, as we had one spare horse now that Dafydd had been killed, I would take it with me. I found a leatherworker who happily made me a pair of satchels which would fit across the spare horse’s back. He was well rewarded, and he did a fine job. I also wished to buy some plate to go with my mail, but the town had suffered in the plague and there was none to be had. When I told Sir Walter he smiled, “Gascony will be a better place to buy such items. There is always war there and they have the best of weaponsmiths but why do you wish plate? You are an archer!”
“And I would better myself. Is that unreasonable?”
“No, and you are right. No matter what you do as an archer you will never be elevated, and Sir John Chandos showed the way to become a knight but it is a dangerous road, John Hawkwood. You have to attract the King or his son’s eye in battle and do something so brave that death is a palpable risk!”
I laughed, “Sir Walter, when we boarded those two Castilian ships, I do not think that the pirates were trying to kiss me! They tried to end my life but I was too good. I will continue to risk all until I am so comfortable that I let others take the risk for me and by then I shall be leading armies!”
He looked at me as though it was for the first time, “You know that those who lead English armies are all of royal blood or closely related?”
I nodded, “And who said it will be English armies that I will lead? Other rulers will happily pay for mercenaries such as me to fight for them.”
“You are not a mercenary! You are an English warrior.”
“I spent the plague in the north of England. When we were cut off, I spent many long nights thinking about that. I will always fight for England. I am an Englishman but if there are no wars with foreign foes what then? Will I sit behind a castle wall and grow old? Scotland, thanks to our victory at Durham, is a defeated foe. Wales is now a vassal. That leaves France, Italy and Spain. The Pope’s emissaries have managed to negotiate a peace with France.”
“You forget Gascony! There is a war for you.”
“And when that war ends? No, Captain, I am happy to come to Gascony to fight with you and I will continue to do so but when there is true peace with France then I will take my men and we shall hire ourselves to whichever lord can afford us. If I am to lead my company then I need to be, at the very least, a man at arms. I will never forget my bow but I will choose, when I can, to use a sword!”
We sailed in Captain Dick’s new ship, the first one we captured, at the start of October. The weather in England was changing and autumn was on the way. We went in convoy for although the Castilians were beaten there were still pirates out there and travelling together made sense. As armies go, we were small. There were just five hundred of us. Twenty were knights and the rest was made up of archers, spearmen, and men at arms. I was still paid as a vintenar, but I hoped to be given more men. There were already five centenars and so no place for me. That was despite the fact that most of the knights and all of my men thought I was the best man for the job. I was patient and I would happily step into dead men’s boots.
We landed at Bordeaux which was, in reality, part of England. After the three-week journey, our horses needed some time to recover and so we stayed close by the city. That allowed me to have the white jupons and cloaks made for my men and for me to buy the plate I would need if I was to become a gentleman and a man at arms. I was happy with my horse, but I knew that the next acquisition would be a courser. I bought a breast and a backplate. This covered most of the upper part of my body and as I had a mail hauberk beneath the plate, I was happy. I also bought a pair of gamboised cuisse to protect my thigh as well as a pair of gauntlets with a gadling on the knuckle of each hand. This was cheaper than a full metal glove and yet the metal gave me protection while the leather gave me flexibility. Finally, I bought a mail coif. They were going cheaply for knights who could afford it were having helmets with aventails made.
Gascony had men who fought for England but had, in fact, never seen it. They spoke their own version of French and while most of my men could speak French, the exception were the ones who had come from Wigmore; to them, Gascon was a foreign language. Those first days, while we allowed our horses to recover, we tried to learn as many of the words as we could. I tried harder than any for I knew that while I would always be English, I would need to speak many languages. Robin and Michael were the same but most of the others concentrated on the words for wine, ale, food, and doxies!
When our new jupons and cloaks were ready, I issued them to my men. Sir Walter was surprised for he said that they defeated the skill which my archers had, the ability to hide in woods and the like. I nodded, “Yet they each have their original cloak and if there is a need for such disguise then we can still adopt it.”
“But white?”
“It is easier to keep clean and I remember when we were here with Lord Henry. This hot sun burned all the colours so that they faded. White can never fade. However, my lord, the real reason I wish us to wear white is to make us noticed on the battlefield.” He gave me a surprised look. “I want men to fear the white of Hawkwood’s men. Would you agree that my archers are the best?”
“Of course. You showed that when we fought the Castilians, and those who fought with swords were as good as any save knights!”
I did not argue with him, but I disagreed. My men were the equal of his knights as we had shown when we had captured the second pirate. “And while we are here, I intend to enhance that reputation.”
“Do not worry, my friend. There is to be a tourney and then, when the weather improves, we shall venture forth and you and your men can show the French your skills. First, we have a celebratory tourney. The Gascon knights are keen to show us their skills!”
As usual, there were injuries which required healing and that delayed us, but I benefitted for one of the English knights, Sir Richmond Knolles, hurt himself so badly that he became crippled. He would have to return with his squire to England. The only ships which were sailing were the ones carrying wine and there was no room for their horses. I was one of the few men with enough money with me to buy them and I acquired a good courser, Roman, and a palfrey, Mary. Sir Richmond’s squire was distraught to be leaving his palfrey and I confess that I became very attached to her myself for she had heart and such a pleasant nature that she was a pleasure to ride. Roman was a jet-black courser with a white blaze. The fact that I managed to buy both of them for thirty English pounds was a pleasant surprise but the injuries to the knight and the shame of his defeat meant he blamed his horse. I noticed that knights often did this. It was my gain, and I was happy. I know that, as we rode north to the border, I looked more like a knight than any other of those who were not for the white jupon and cloak, atop a jet-black horse made an imposing sight. I did not ride him every day and alternated with Mary. While I did not look as splendid on Mary, I found the ride more comfortable.
We were heading for Saint-Jean d'Angély which, despite there being a truce, was being besieged by a French army. Six hundred men were defending the town, but they were running short of supplies. Annoyingly we were just taking supplies to the town with no intention of raising the siege. We were led by the Seneschal of Gascony, John de Cheverston. He led five hundred knights and men at arms. With just a thousand men we could not possibly hope to relieve the siege for several thousand Frenchmen were surrounding the town.
Gascons were given the role of scouting and my company were with the baggage. As I had expected they complained. The centenar, John of Ely, did not like me. He had not been at Neville’s Cross nor any of the other great battles. He resented the fact that men liked to ask me about those fights. He held his position because he served the Earl of Suffolk and there was a hierarchy about such matters. I would bide my time and it was not a problem to guard the baggage as that was the whole reason for this journey. We were there to deliver the supplies.
We were sixteen miles from the siege, close to the city of Saintes when the Gascon scouts returned to tell us that a huge French army was ahead of us and preparing for battle. There was no panic for the Seneschal was experienced. Sir Walter and his knights came to the rear and dismounted.
“John, dismount and leave your horses here with the carters. We fight on foot this day. John of Ely will command your company and they will guard the left flank.”
I nodded and I tied my horse to the nearest wagon. I took a silver coin and flipped it to the carter and his son. “When I return if our horses are in good condition then there will be two further coins for you and your son!”
The man grinned. It would be the easiest money he had ever earned. I would make that with the first man I killed. I took my bow from my case and slipped my shield over my back.
“Hawkwood, let us go to war.” I pulled up my coif and donned my helmet. It was an open-faced bascinet and I would have good vision.
By the time we reached the line, I could see that the French greatly outnumbered us, and they had also dismounted. The exceptions were two groups of knights. One faced our flank and the other faced the right flank. John of Ely shouted, “Come on, we await you! Were you waiting for us to die first?”
That was an insult, and my men murmured their anger. I turned to them, “I will deal with the slight at the end of the battle.” I then raised my voice, “John of Ely, I would have thought that you knew we were given the task of guarding the baggage as it was you who ordered it. At the end of this, you and I will have words for no one impugns the honour of my men.” My men cheered and I knew that this was not the way to fight a battle. Once more I regretted my lack of position.
He scowled at me, “Place your men on the extreme right and keep our flank safe!”
Our knights were in the centre. My men at arms, for they were now so well-armed and armoured that they were the best equipped of any of the hired men, formed a line before us. I joined my archers and Dai stood behind with spare arrows and his bow. We were the only company to have a boy and I knew that when the battle was the hottest other companies would have to send an archer back for more arrows while Dai could fetch them for us. We had the most dangerous position. We were on the extreme left of the line and if the horsemen charged then we would be exposed.
“Michael, I want our left echeloned so that our side is protected.”
“Aye, Captain.”
It meant we had just four men covering our front while the other four protected our flanks. We had taken boarding pikes from the Castilian cog and they would present a serious barrier to horsemen.
The French began their advance. They had crossbowmen but once they had released their first bolts then we had grace before the next volley. We had to wait for the command from Sir Walter. He shouted, “Release!” when the enemy line was one hundred and eighty paces from us. He chose his moment well for he saw the crossbowmen kneel. It was a sure sign they were about to release, and we would be able to send our arrows a few moments before their bolts were sent in return. Three hundred arrows soared. The archers were all from the English contingent. We would continue to release until we either ran out of arrows or we were forced to use our swords. I heard thuds and cracks as bolts smacked into the shields of the men before us. Unlike knights, my men used old-fashioned shields which, whilst being heavier, were also larger and now we reaped the reward. Most knights were so well protected by plate that they did not need to use a shield.
I had sent twenty arrows and shouted for Dai to fetch more when Henry shouted, “The horsemen advance!”
John of Ely commanded us, but these were my men. I shouted, “Archers, turn and face them! Bodkins!” I had eight arrows left to me and they were all bodkins. I nocked one and, with Robin and Luke beside me I aimed at the line of fifty knights who thundered towards us. They had spread out in a long line. The eight pikes of my men at arms would protect us a little but the other archers, to our right, had but a thin screen of spearmen. Most of the spearmen had, at best, a mail shirt. If we allowed the horsemen to hit then they would be swept aside.
