by Griff Hosker
“Quickly, back to the camp!” Roger led, and I brought up the rear. We were a good mile and a half from our camp. Roger had told me that just killing an animal was not the end of it. They had to evade the gamekeepers who rode the trails. I had asked him why they did not ambush the gamekeepers. He had told me, quietly, that the men he led were better at slitting throats than combat. The two of us were the only ones who had fought. I began to see myself in a different light in those few days I spent in Delamere.
We were lucky. We reached our camp unseen and then began to make the most of the hunt. We gutted the deer first and put the heart, liver, kidneys and brains to cook. They would not keep. If we discarded them then they would attract vermin. We skinned them. I was the better skinner and my hide was less butchered than the one skinned by Iago. Roger of Talacre proved to be a good butcher and he jointed the animals. They only had a little salt and I was forced to use some of mine. We cooked one animal and salted the other.
That night we gorged on offal and the soup made from my venison bone. The other bones were hacked open and we ate the marrow before putting them in water for more soup.
“Tell me, Roger, how did you happen to find me?”
“Normally we head to the road each day to see if there are any on the road we might rob. Peter of Euxton has good eyes, and he can scamper up a tree like a squirrel. He spied you from afar when you crossed the fields.”
I had been wondering how they had found me, and now that I knew I was relieved, but it was a warning too. I had been careless and allowed others to see me. Riding across a field had marked me as a suspicious character. I wondered if the farmer had seen me. If he had and told his lord, then we were all in danger.
“I think I will leave on the morrow, Roger. This is not as safe a haven as I had thought. I will take my share of the meat and one of the hides.”
“That is fair, but cannot we persuade you to stay?”
“Roger of Talacre, you do not wish to stay, do you?” He shook his head and I lowered my voice.“You do it because you feel responsible for these four fellows.”
He looked startled. “Do you read my mind?”
I smiled. “No. I have been here but a couple of days, and I feel a little responsible. If I stayed longer then it would be hard for me to leave.” I was thinking of the men I had left on the Clwyd. Had I not been forced to leave then, I would have found it hard to desert them.
“Well, then I thank you. We have food now, that may last until the leaves begin to fall. And we now have two good arrows.” Although one had struck bone, it could be sharpened and beaten to make it deadly once more. The shaft and the feathers were undamaged and that was what made them good.
“I will leave you ten more hunting arrows. I can make more, but the ones I leave with you are the best of arrows. Do not be wasteful of them.”
I stayed one more day. The hide would not be tanned. I still had work to do, but it was in a good condition to transport. I had taken enough of the venison to see me to the east coast. If I was to stay hidden, then the journey might take four or even five days. I now just had my horse. I had given my word to leave the pony with Roger of Talacre. I would have to ride easier and slower. I left at dawn.
“Farewell, Gerald War Bow. I wish that I was coming with you, but we are in a better condition now than we were. We can hunt and we have food. May God ride at your side.”
“And I thank you Roger of Talacre. If the fates allow, then I hope that one day we will fight side by side.”
I walked Harry, for so I had named the horse, to the north-east. I would conserve him as best I could. I was sad at leaving Roger. I liked him. Sometimes you made a bond with another warrior and there was no reason to it. Thus it was with Roger. He was a man at arms and I an archer, yet I felt as though I could fight happily alongside him.
The forest was large. Roger had told me that there were others who eked out a living in the woods. He did not fear for me as I had great skills. He had recognised that. I had not thought of them much before. I had never met with my father’s approval. He always criticised me. Now I saw the reason for that. Since I had tracked the Scots, I had realised that I was good at what I did.
At noon, I reached the edge of the woods and I rested. I planned on staying to the south of the Maeresea. I was heading for the Woodhead pass. I had not decided from which port I would leave England. York still had ships which headed east and it would be a shorter land journey. It was, however, a busier port than most. I had decided to seek a smaller one, like the one at the mouth of the Humber which was used by the monks to send their wool abroad. Even Grimsby was quieter than York. After I had eaten and given my horse water I headed along the path by the river. I risked riding him. The ground was flat, but there would be harder paths ahead. He now had to carry my blankets, arrows, water and food, not to mention my two bows.
I reached Thelwæl in the middle of the afternoon. It had a wooden wall around the village but I spied no standard. I risked a stop. I had seen no armed men, and if the four outlaws I had met were anything to judge ordinary men by, then I had nothing to fear from those I met. There was a water trough in the centre of the village. I dismounted and asked a pair of men who were talking, “Is it acceptable for me to water my horse?”
They looked at each other. “Aye, it is. Are you a soldier?”
There was no point in trying to deny it. I had a sword and there were quivers of arrows. “I am. I am heading for Lincoln. I thought to seek employment with the sheriff there.”
The other said, “Did you come through Delamere?”
This time it was a test. I had to have come through Delamere to reach this village. “I did, but I saw no outlaws. I must have been lucky eh?”
“There are fewer of them these days. Sir Robert of Lymm has been scouring the forest for them. He came here yesterday for the dogs and our hunters. I am surprised you did not meet him and his men.”
“No, I saw no one. You are the first I have seen. Tell me, do you have a baker here? I have not eaten bread for some days. I have coin.”
“No bakers, but if you go to the end cottage then Gammer Lucy might sell you a loaf. She uses the town oven. She is a widow and can always use coin.”
“Thank you, sirs. You have made a weary and hungry traveller happy.”
I walked Harry to the rude hut. I could smell the bread. I shouted, “Gammer Lucy?”
A toothless old woman came out. She looked like an older version of Ada. “I am Gammer Lucy. Do I know you?”
“No, Gammer, but I am a traveller who has coin to buy bread.”
She nodded. “Is it just bread? I make a fine cheese from goat’s milk if you are not averse to that beast. I know some who think it is the devil’s own animal. For myself, I find that a foolish thought.”
“I like goat’s cheese and milk.”
“Then six silver pennies will buy you a loaf, some cheese and a drink of milk to go with it.”
“That seems expensive.”
She gave me a sly look. “I am a widow and you look like a well-paid archer. That is a fine palfrey and your clothes are well made. You can afford it.”
I laughed. “Aye, I suppose I can.”
She went inside and brought me out a wooden beaker which she filled. “You can have more. I have no larger beakers.” The milk was good and I had two beakers. She brought me the cheese. It was hard and wrapped in a dock leaf. The bread was a two-pound loaf. She laughed as I sniffed it. “And I wager that you have nibbled the end before you are out of sight of my home!”
“And there you are wrong. I have had short rations before, and I will wait until I eat. I just want the smell of the fresh bread to keep me going some more miles.”
I put the cheese and the bread in the net I had hung from the saddle that my father had made from old lengths of rope. It worked.
I rode another six miles before I stopped. I had come far enough and I found a good camp site close to the river. I had a tree for shelter above me. I had water
and grass for my horse and there was enough driftwood on the bank to give me a fire. I did not need to hide. I got the fire going and made myself a bed under the tree. I took off my sword and placed it close to hand. After hobbling Harry I washed my face and hands. I intended to enjoy my food. I cut the loaf in two. I would have the second half in the morning. I divided the cheese in two also and then took out some of the venison. I had just begun to eat when I heard a noise.
It was Harry who alerted me. His ears pricked and he snorted. I reached out and drew my sword from its scabbard. I stood and hid behind the tree. I heard the sound of hooves. Someone was coming down the river trail. They might have been an innocent traveller but I was not willing to take any chances. A mounted shadow appeared.
A voice shouted, “War Bow! Are you there?”
It was Roger of Talacre. Was this a trap? I neither moved nor responded. I looked beyond the shadow. Nothing else was moving. He was alone. I stepped out as he came into the light.
“What brings you here?”
“I am wounded!”
He fell from the pony. The pony looked all in too. I took the beast to the river to allow it to drink and to bring some water back in my metal cooking pot. Roger had fallen close to the fire. I moved his cloak and saw that he had a bloody side. I undid the leather metal-studded jerkin. The leather had prevented the blade from penetrating too deeply but the skin had been scored and he had bled for some time. I used the river water to clean it and then went to my saddlebag. I had a medical kit. Every archer did. It was simple enough. I had a leather skin of vinegar and a pot of honey. Neither would ever go off and both could be used for a huge range of tasks. I returned to him and laid them down. I went to the north side of the tree and scraped off some moss with my knife.
He was coming to when I returned. “Don’t speak. Let me bind the wound, then we will get some food inside you, and then you can talk.”
He nodded and closed his eyes. I used the vinegar to clean the wound. He winced but said nothing. He was a man at arms, and I guessed he had endured such as this before. Then I smeared honey into the wound to seal it. It also seemed to help the healing. Finally I packed the moss along the wound. I went to my saddlebag and took out my oldest shirt. It was already torn and I ripped it up to make a bandage. I needed something to hold the honey and moss in place.
When that was done I sat him up and gave him some of the bread with cheese upon it. “Eat while I see to your poor beast.” I went to the pony and took off the saddle. I rubbed it down with its saddle cloth and then led it to the grass, where Harry still grazed. I had spied a crab apple tree a few paces from the river and I went and picked five or six of them. I laid them on the ground for the pony.
When I returned to Roger he looked happier. “What happened?”
“Knights came hunting for us. I was riding the pony, or I too would have been slain like the other four. I heard the screams and the shouts. From a hidden vantage point I saw them butchering the four of them. There was nothing I could do. I fled. They had men all over. I managed to kill one of them, but his horse galloped off, and I could not catch it. The horse alerted others. Two of the men chased me. I killed one but the second stabbed me. I just managed to knock him from his horse and escape. I headed for the river. I rode hard. I think I lost them. I followed your trail and the old lady in Thelwæl told me that you had passed through.”
“Then we will need to leave before dawn.”
“But why?”
“If she told you, then she will tell Sir Robert of Lymm, for it was he and his men who hunted you. His castle is not far away. He will follow in the morning. We will have to cross the river.”
Chapter 4
Roger did not sleep well. The wound was hurting. I woke before dawn and saddled the horse and pony. I roused Roger and we shared the last of the bread and the cheese. Neither would survive the dousing they were about to receive. Roger looked at me. “I will slow you down.”
“Aye, you will, but I will not leave you here to be butchered like your friends. Now the pony is a practised swimmer. Hang onto the saddle and kick with your feet. Do not worry if we are swept a little downstream. Just so long as we cross. Come. Let us go.”
I led Harry by his reins and patted his flank. “Come, this is the third time you have done this. We will show Roger of Talacre how it is to be done.” I turned. “Follow me and be brave.”
I found it easier than the first two times I had done this. I had no pony to distract me. I held onto the saddle and kicked. We were across in a few heartbeats. As Harry scrambled up the bank I turned and watched Roger. The sun had not fully risen yet. The grey light was sufficient for me to see close by. The pony was not as strong and he was being taken downstream. I walked down the bank and, jumping into the shallows, pulled the man at arms from the pony and to the shore. Freed from the weight, the pony scrambled lithely onto the bank.
“Quickly, mount your pony and let us ride. We need to be well hidden before the Lord of Lymm seeks us.”
As we headed away from the river my original plan was in tatters. The Warre family had a castle at Mamucium. That lay at the junction of the Irk and the Irwell rivers. We would have to travel further north. I knew there was a high pass over the hills at Saddleworth. We would head there. I knew that the weather would soon be turning. We had no furs with us. I was confident I could survive the high ground but I was uncertain about Roger of Talacre. When I had tended his wound I had seen his ribs. He was not well fed.
We rode hard, skirting every village and settlement we saw. I could not risk buying bread any longer. I questioned Roger as we rode. “The men who hunted you, what was their livery?”
“White surcoats with green stripes. Why?”
“We look for those. We might be able to bluff our way past others, but the ones in those tunics will be seeking us.”
We rode for twenty miles without stopping, the ground steadily rising. I knew that we would have to rest our animals. We skirted a village, and I was about to stop when I saw a castle rising to the south of us. I took us up a sheep track. It dropped down into a sheltered dell. It would have to do. It was noon when we stopped. Roger fell asleep after we had eaten a frugal meal of venison and drunk some water. I left him, and taking my bow, quiver and three water skins, headed to find fresh water. I descended the slope. The water would be lower down. I used the terrain to guide me, and when I heard the bubbling water, I knew that I had found it.
The water had white bubbles. I looked upstream. There were no dead animals. It was good to drink. I filled all three skins. I worked out that there was a more direct route back to Roger. I strung my bow and took out a hunting arrow in case I spied a rabbit. Fresh meat was always welcome.
I heard horses. I knew the noises Harry and the pony made. These were different, and there were three of them. I switched the hunting arrow for a bodkin. I crept and used the ground to shelter me. I heard voices.
“Outlaw where is your companion? Where is the man with the horse? The old lady told us he was an archer.” I heard something, but it was incoherent. Then I heard a slap and a cry. “I will happily take your bollocks from you to make you speak. You are a dead man. But I can make your end quick.”
I risked looking over the top and I saw three men with their backs to me. They wore the white and green tunics Roger had told me of. I dropped my head down and took out two more bodkin arrows. I jammed them in the earth and then I stood and drew. The men were just thirty paces from me. I could not miss. The question was how many would I hit before they could get to me? I sent the first one into the back of the man who had just struck Roger. He seemed to me to be the leader. He fell face down on Roger. Seeing the arrow the other two turned to face me. That gave me the chance to nock another arrow and send it into the chest of the second man. Roger pushed the dead man from him and tried to rise.
Even as I took my third arrow the last man grabbed Roger and held him before him. His sword was at Roger’s throat. Only half of his face was visibl
e. “Drop your bow or he dies!”
I nodded and lowered my bow. I saw his hand relax a little and I pulled the bow up and released in one motion. The arrow plunged into his eye and he fell dead. I raced across the ground with another arrow nocked, though I knew it would not be needed; all three were dead. Even as I ran I knew that, although we now had three horses and would be able to travel faster, the three dead men at arms would point Sir Robert in our direction.
Roger looked up. His wound was bleeding. “I owe you my life again!”
“Thank me later. See if they have coin and if their swords are better than yours. I will gather the horses.” I walked slowly towards the skittish horses. Blood always made horses anxious, though I had a way with them and gathered the three of them. Harry was a better horse, but they were all much more useful than the pony. I was already working out that we would be able to cover another thirty miles before nightfall. If one animal became lamed we would still have spares. We had to outrun our pursuers.
Roger had taken one of the swords. “This is a good one. They had coin.”
“Keep it. We need to move. Choose the best horse and mount it. I will tie the others and lead them.”
“I can lead one!”
“You are as weak as a newborn calf. You will do your share when you are fitter. Now mount.” I was younger, but Roger of Talacre had been an outlaw for six months. He had lost his warrior skills. If we were to go to France then he needed to regain them. I mounted one of the captured horses and tied Harry and then the pony to it. I led the other horse. I would change after fifteen miles or so. The land undulated and then the road dropped into a valley. We had done the hard part. We had negotiated the high pass of Saddleworth.
As we descended I was able to spy out the settlements. I left the road before we came to each of them. Roger was in pain. He needed his wound tending but we dared not stop. Sir Robert had obviously sent men on both sides of the Maeresea. When the three did not return he would seek them out. As we headed east I knew that soon I would have decisions to make. When we approached Loidis I would have to decide if we were to go to York or head due east to Hull. Both involved risk. Which was the lesser?