Man at arms, p.20
Man at Arms, page 20
I spoke first, “I had been thinking of leaving Gascony for I tire of these piecemeal raids which offer little reward,”
Ben said, “Compared with the earnings from Wigmore I am a rich man.”
Robin shook his head, “There are greater riches to be had. Italy, Captain?”
I nodded, “But Sir Walter tells me that next year Prince Edward brings an army to make war on the French. He thinks it is right for the plucking.”
Michael was the most thoughtful of my men. He waved a hand around, “Here there is little sign of war. We eat the finest of food and enjoy good wine. There must be places like this behind the French border. If they are as lax as this noble…”
“Aye, you are right, Michael. So, as we are all alone here with none to listen in on our words, what is the opinion of you all.”
Henry said, “But you are our Captain. We owe to you and you should decide.”
“Thank you, Henry, but I know that individually we are nothing. It is when we work together that we are unbeatable. I will listen to your opinions about the direction we take but once the horse is on the road then you shall heed my commands.”
In the end, it turned out that all were happy to serve for another year in Gascony and equally happy to try a foreign field. We stayed for two more days and it was the easiest money we had ever earned. We were invited to hunt. For the nobles who hunted with Jean d’Armagnac and Sir Walter, it was a pleasurable activity. For my archers, it was a way to hunt meat which we could eat. While the nobles almost sang ballads about their blows and strikes with spear and arrow, my men just killed quickly and with deadly efficiency. We ate well while we were there and even managed to take back with us a couple of haunches of venison. We would let them hang for a while and enjoy much more succulent meat.
The only eventful part of the journey back to our home was the weather. A storm blew in from the west and we were battered and soaked for two of the three days we journeyed. Had any attacked us then surprise would have been on their side but as they would have not been able to use either bows or crossbows then it would have been a short but bloody encounter. Perhaps our slaughter of the mercenaries had made the French think again. Sir Walter and I spoke at night. The Prince would be pleased for Jean d’Armagnac had agreed to use his good offices to ensure that his father did not change sides. The Count, it seemed was an old man. The son was eagerly anticipating the title and, for the time being, Armagnac and Quercy were safely held for the Prince.
“I will, when I communicate with the Prince, tell him of your part in this mission. You have served both him and England well. He will not forget.”
I remembered the men maimed and killed in the two battles eight years earlier, not the handful of nobles who fell but the spearmen and archers. When I had been in the north of England, I had seen some begging. Those who lived in Durham were luckier for the Bishop gave them alms and in times of bad weather shelter but the King and Prince who had been so grateful for the victories, did nothing for the ones who had achieved it. That was one reason why my men and I ensured that we profited from every battle. When we drew our weapons or nocked an arrow, we wanted a reward and that reward would be for the time we could no longer ply our trade.
Chapter 15
Dai’s wound took until February to heal properly. The healers in Saint-Émilion were clever men and although it cost us coin, they removed the piece of wood which threatened to poison the wound. It was a lesson he would carry with him for the rest of his life. I went with Robin for they had knowledge that we could use. I saw him watching the healer and knew that the knowledge would benefit my men.
We had been lucky with our horses when we had sailed from England, but we knew that many horses would die from what was called ‘shipping fever’ or ‘the strangles’. I had deduced that it was nothing more than poor care on the voyage and riding animals too hard once they had landed. Nonetheless, I knew that when the army came, sometime later in the year, they would need horses. We bought every suitable horse we could. A courser or destrier would be too expensive but there were palfreys, hackneys and sumpters which would be needed. The price would rise when the army landed, and we would be assured a profit. Sir Walter had elaborated, as we wintered on the river, about the Prince’s plan. It was nothing more than a huge chevauchée. For it to be successful we had to be highly mobile and that meant horses.
The other preparation we made was in both bows and arrows. Martin the Fletcher had proved to be an invaluable member of the company for he was not only a skilled archer but also a craftsman and he happily shared the secrets of his craft with the others. Making arrows and bows was a long process but by using others to do the simpler tasks and by sourcing the wood and feathers locally, he was able to speed up the process. The result was that we had more bows than we would need as well as more arrows. We would never run short and if Prince Edward’s army needed replacements, we could sell them, at a profit. We found a local weaponsmith and in exchange for the poorer quality mail, weapons and helmets we had taken in our raids, he provided us with bodkins and war arrows at a much-reduced rate.
It was not until August that we heard that Prince Edward was finally on his way. Being close to Sir Walter meant I was privy to knowledge denied to others. King Edward and the Duke of Lancaster had each led a chevauchée around Calais and Brittany respectively. Both had been failures; the Duke’s because Charles of Navarre did not provide the help which was needed. The result was that Prince Edward had been starved of the horses, men and arrows which he would need for his raid. He had been required to impress more archers from Cheshire, bows and arrows from Lincoln as well as horses from Cornwall. All of that took time. We learned this when Robert Pipot of Broukford came to assess the availability of resources in Gascony. He returned to England and had to order a thousand bows, two thousand sheaves of arrows and four hundred gross of bowstrings. Martin and my men used the time well!
The Prince arrived first at the end of August. Sir Walter travelled to Bordeaux to meet him from his ship. He came with his senior earls. I was with Sir Walter not in a position of authority but, with Hawkwood’s men, as bodyguards. I received a nod of recognition from the Prince and was then forgotten.
“I have, Sir Walter, one thousand men at arms and their horses sailing from Plymouth. With them are three hundred and fifty archers as well as one hundred and seventy Welsh spearmen. My father has promised me a further four hundred and thirty men at arms and four hundred mounted archers, with their horses as well as three hundred archers who will fight on foot. That is not enough for what I intend. What of the Gascons?”
“They might be able to match those numbers for there are at least ten mighty Gascon lords who will provide men to serve under you. The best of their leaders is Jean de Grailly, the Captal de Buch.”
I was close enough to see the Prince frown. “Just ten?”
Sir Walter shrugged, “Towns have been lost, Prince Edward, and while we have been able to prevent the French from raiding, we have been unable to resist their armies which took castles and towns.”
The Prince seemed to see me for the first time and noticed that I was wearing plate, “Captain Hawkwood, do you no longer use your bow or do you have dreams of becoming a man at arms?”
I bowed, “My lord, I can still draw a bow but our efforts in this land mean that I often have to fight as a man at arms.”
He nodded, “I believe that you still hope for spurs?”
That was a clear message. Sir Walter had said that by staying in Gascony I might receive a knighthood. The Prince was still dangling the hope before my eyes. “Aye, my lord. I was at the battle where Sir John Chandos achieved that honour.”
Prince Edward had become a man since that day and his smile was cold, “Then impress me when we battle the French.” He turned back to Sir Walter, “I shall need you close by me for your local knowledge may prove to be invaluable. We need lodgings and camps for our men. Where do you suggest?”
“Saint-Émilion, La Réole, Sainte-Foy, and Libourne are all close to the river and have grazing for the animals.”
“Good, then you shall allocate the men to their places when they arrive. I wish to begin the raid in September!”
Sir Walter asked, “Will you not allow time for the horses to rest, my lord? If we are to raid, then we risk shipping fever.”
“We strike now, and we hit them hard. We will drive where they least expect it.” He lowered his voice, but I still heard his words. “They will expect me to drive north to join up with my cousin, but we will head to Narbonne. The harvests will be collected, and we can reap the reward whilst hurting our enemies.” He waved a hand at me, “You may send your men back for you shall not need them.”
Sir Walter turned to me, “John, have my people and my goods sent here. You may use my house if you wish.”
I shook my head, “I am comfortable with my men and my home, lord.”
As we headed back, I spoke with the others about the profit we might make. We had hired a couple of servants and the house we had taken over had stables. Robin had a sharp mind, “It seems to me, Captain, that when we return from this raid, then there will be those who have lost horses. If we have Charles and Pierre watch over the horses and fatten them up, then we will achieve a higher price than if we try to sell them now.”
He was right. The Prince would have men appraise the animals he was to buy, and we had the opportunity to have them in prime condition. Now that the Prince was here then if horses were hurt on the campaign the Prince had to replace them or compensate us. I would ride Mary to war and leave Roman at our quarters.
We left so soon after the men and horses were disembarked that I knew horses would suffer. Men were more resilient. We were placed under the command of the Earl of Warwick. There would be three columns which struck south and east towards Narbonne. As I was familiar with Armagnac then my company was designated as the vanward of our band. Sir William, the Earl of Warwick, was with the mainward and another company of mounted archers was with the rearward. We were lucky in that we had no infantry to slow us down. Even though I led just twenty men I was paid as a centenar. The Earl of Warwick knew my worth and it was comfortable to be riding with men I had known for so many years. I would say that he rode easily but that would not be true for we were still alert and unlike many others who might be in our position there was no need for idle chatter. We had spoken enough around the campfires so that we could focus on the task at hand and, once we had cleared friendly territory, we were able to find targets for the army to attack which were both rich and easy. If we saw a castle, we led the army away.
We devastated a large swathe of land and encountered no opposition until we reach Auch. This was a walled town and there would be knights. I rode back myself to report to Sir William. Already the effects of the sea voyage from Plymouth were beginning to manifest themselves. Some horses had become so unwell that they had to be destroyed. We had taken some horses but none of them were suitable for what we had to do. They would just mean that fewer men had to walk.
“This is a large town ahead, lord, Auch!”
“Could we take it, Hawkwood?”
“We could but you would lose many men and there is no need. The River Gers can be forded further south and there are more towns there which, whilst smaller, will not provide much opposition.”
“Then lead us to the ford.”
This proved to be our first battle for the men of Auch saw us spying out their town and when we left they must have mobilised their men for in the time it took to find the ford they had assembled a force to face us and dispute the crossing.
“Dai, ride back to the mainward and tell the Earl that we are opposed. We will test their fortitude with arrows but as there are more than four hundred men that I can see I doubt that a shower of arrows will deter them.”
“Aye, Captain.”
“Robin, dismount the archers and tie the horses to the trees. I will test the depth of this ford. Try to avoid them hurting Mary.”
My horse had a mail shaffron and caparison, but it would not do to lose her so early in the campaign. He nodded and I pulled up my coif and donned my helmet. I was wearing my kettle helmet with bevor. It gave me good protection and yet afforded me excellent vision. I had my shield and as I could see crossbowmen across the river, I hefted it before me and stepped into the water. The ford was identifiable by the hoof, wagon and footprints. The footprints told me nothing for men could have walked into the water and then hung on to horses or clambered on wagons. The wagon tracks suggested that horses did not need to swim. I would discover that for myself. The river was just over fifteen paces wide. There was no cover on either side and, as I stepped into the water four bolts came my way. These were neither Flemish nor Genoese crossbowmen. These were garrison soldiers and not very good ones at that. They were more used to using their weapons where they could rest them on the battlements. Only one of the bolts came close to me and that ricocheted off the angled face of my shield. The eleven arrows from my men were sent towards the four and the others who had yet to release. As five Frenchmen fell the rest hurried back to the protection of the men at arms and spearmen. They had shields for protection. I reached the middle of the river and the water came up to my knees. We could cross it easily and the bottom of the ford appeared to be covered in flat stones. I turned and rode back. The bolt which hit my backplate had been sent from extreme range. It was not an isolated bolt as I saw others splash into the river. The bolt cracked as it hit the metal. It did not hurt but I cursed. That was another dent which would need to be knocked out. Some of the tools we had acquired over the last years had been weaponsmith’s tools taken on a raid. The dead weaponsmith would no longer need them. I would repair it that night.
Robin shook his head, “They know your white cloak now Captain. There must be a price on your head!”
I laughed, “And as all of you wear the same then all is well!”
I turned to face the French. I saw that just twenty men at arms and knights were mounted. The rest of the men at arms, forty or so, were on foot. The bulk of the men who faced us had no mail and they carried pole weapons, some of them improvised. I saw homemade wooden shields; planks nailed together. We had thinned out their crossbows now and the five by the water’s edge could not be recaptured. Archery duels were largely about confidence and belief. Thanks to a single volley the initiative lay with my men.
Dai galloped up and shouted, “The army comes.”
I heard the hooves as Sir Thomas Beauchamp brought up the mainward. There were four hundred men in our column and only twenty made up the rearward. The French outnumbered us but not where it counted, in quality.
The Earl had yet to don his helmet and he reined in next to me. “How deep is it?”
“Chest high for a man on foot.”
He turned, “Captain Robert, bring up the archers. I want the French moving out of range so that we can cross.”
The Captain of Archers turned and shouted, “Archers, dismount! Horse holders!”
The Earl said, “I will lead the men at arms across the river when they fall back. Come with me and then find us a target we can raid and a place where we can rest.”
“Yes, my lord.” I waved a hand, “Hawkwood, mount. We will go across behind the men at arms!”
That suited my men. We would conserve our own arrows and be in a position to loot whatever place we found before the rest of the army. Already the leather satchels we each carried on our horses were bulging.
Captain Robert knew his business and he lined his men along the riverbank and they loosed their arrows at the French. Even while the arrows were in the air, he had half of his archers walk towards the middle of the river and holding the bows horizontally loosed a volley. While not as effective as the normal method and only sending the arrow half the distance, it still allowed a shower to descend and the other half of the archers waded across the water to stand on the other bank. There were casualties but not as many if we had not thinned out the crossbows. When all the archers were on the other bank then Sir William waved his sword and the men at arms and my archers galloped across the now muddied water. While Sir William and his men charged directly at the French we headed obliquely off to the right. The road led to a small town or large village we could see in the distance. The roofs and the smoke marked it. All the attention of the men of Auch was upon the horsemen who were charging them, and we escaped notice.
Pessan was just three miles from Auch and as we neared it, I could see that it was undefended. There were no walls and as I dug my heels into Mary to increase her speed the villagers began to flee. They knew what was coming. Our job was to secure the place and ensure that nothing was taken from it. We needed to hurt the French and destroy their will to fight.
I shouted, “Michael, take half of the men and get to the far end of the settlement. Kill any men you find but let the women and children go.”
“Aye, Captain!”
He took four of the archers with him and I drew my sword and waved it, “Spread out!” The archers left to me would use their swords to drive the people from their homes. The sound of our hooves made those who were in their houses flee outside. I knew that my men would have been tempted to retrieve their treasure, however small it was from their hiding places but that was better done with an empty village. Some would have buried them while others would have made them inaccessible, close to the roof. The people who came out empty handed or clutching children we let go. The ones who grabbed small chests and boxes were slapped on the back of the head with the flat of a sword. We knew our business and within a short time, the place was ours. Only one man had fought, and Henry had slain him.
“Dai, ride to the ford and tell the Earl of Warwick that we have Pessan. You may take your time and rest your horse.”
He grinned for he knew we would loot while he took the message to the earl, “Aye, Captain for we are tired.” It would not take us long to search the houses and retrieve the coins and jewels which the people had hidden. In most cases, it would be copper and silver hidden to avoid taxes while others would have gained loot in the same way as we had. There would be Gascon and Navarrese jewels hidden away. By the time the army arrived, there would be nothing of value except for the food and we would share that with the rest of the army. The men who were fighting would have the dead defenders of Auch to loot. We would all profit. The knights who were taken prisoner would be ransomed and our nobles would profit.
