by Griff Hosker
When dawn broke they had still not returned to the attack and, as the sun rose in the east we saw that they had withdrawn to their camp. In the dark they had moved most of their dead but those who lay next to our walls had not been touched.
“Godfrey, take ten men at arms. Leave by the east town gate. Strip the bodies of anything which is of value. Throw the bodies to the other side of the moat. Let the French endure the stench and destroy the bridge and any ladders which remain.”
“Aye lord.”
“Fótr, go and tell Edward son of Edgar to do the same on the other side of the castle.”
David of Wales said, “They will build more siege machines. Next time they will find a different point to attack.”
“I know and they will make just one attack next time. However, David, we fight one battle at a time. We are alone and we must depend upon ourselves.”
They did not come that day, nor did they return at night. We heard them hammering in the woods to the north of us. It was tempting to ride and raid but that would have been a mistake. We rested. We kept a watch at night but all of us, men at arms, archers and townsfolk had sleep. We had hot food and we had our wounds tended. Father Michel stitched my arm. It would be stiff but I would be able to use it. The French had to endure the open air and cold fare. Morale would help us to win through.
They had learned their lesson. They would not come at night. Nor, it appeared, would they try a dual attack. Instead they moved down the road to the east of us. They kept men at arms with pavise and shields to shield them from view as they headed towards the river. Godwin and the stone thrower slew ten of them. David of Wales and his archers killed another eight but they managed to join the road where it was beyond the range of both archers and stone thrower. They were heading for the east town gate. As soon as it became apparent I sent for every man at arms and archer to head for the town. I sent Fótr to order the townsfolk into the castle. We had planned for this and I would implement that plan.
“Godfrey, you stay here until the walls and the keep are manned by the towns folk. Fótr and Johann will take charge. When you have done that put some pig fat on to heat. Leave one of your men to watch it.”
During the last day we had discussed this and I had decided to trust the two squires. The townsfolk might baulk at taking commands from a man at arms but a squire was a different matter. When I reached the gatehouse, I mused again that I should have had another two throwers built. It was too late now. This time they would be able to push the ram down the road. We had no stone thrower to destroy it. Our only hope was that they would not be able to bridge the moat. Another advantage we had was that we could line the walls with our archers and fill the gatehouse with our men at arms. If they managed to breach our defences they would pay a heavy price. I had worked out that they had lost twelve knights already. They would be losing heart. William des Roches might not be willing to come to our aid but he might seize the opportunity to raid France. Similarly, King John, at Le Mans, might see the chance to gain French land.
I could hope.
Sir William and his men were the last to join us. “I sent four men to watch the west town gate. I did not wish us to be surprised and I thought it prudent to have it guarded. I pulled the guards from the castle gate. That is now manned by the ones who worked the quay!”
I occupied the tower closest to the river. Here the moat was much wider than where they had made their first attempt to subdue us. They would not be able to use a hurdle. They would have to build a bridge. I saw that they had done just that. They must have had scouts out in the darkness to measure the gap. The town watch had not been as vigilant as my men. I could see the forces arrayed against us. They had built another ram. Without a stone thrower we would have to destroy it the hard way; with men. They were not as numerous as they had been. I saw fewer banners. Their knights had suffered. The woods to the north must have been severely thinned for the men advancing did so behind large, man sized wooden shields they had made. Useless in combat they would be very effective in protecting the men hauling the bridge.
David of Wales had his men looking for an opportunity to send arrows at them. He shouted to me, “Sir Thomas we cannot get through the shields but we can get over them.”
“Then do so!”
The bridge required twenty men to carry it. It was made of logs split in two and bound with ropes. It was crude but it would breach the gap. They could not carry it and a shield. When the arrows rained down men were hit. As soon as two were struck the movement of the bridge stopped and more men died. I saw a knight wave his banner and shout something. Crossbowmen ran forward to try to engage my archers. That brought them within range of the town’s archers who now occupied my south-eastern tower. David and his archers continued to send their deadly missiles at the bridge men while the crossbow men fell to the flanking arrows of my towns folk. The French sent more men to help with the bridge. They moved their wooden shields to protect the carriers from the arrows but, the closer they came the easier it was for David and his men to send arrows plunging from on high. It cost them twenty-seven men but the bridge finally reached the moat.
They no longer needed to carry it and, with shields held by others, strong men lifted it vertically. Here was where their measuring skills would come into play. If it was too short them it would simply float and end up in the river. They had one end a couple of paces from the moat. I saw the top sway and then suddenly it fell. As it did so the men pushing it were revealed and David and his archers slew many of them before they had the wit to grab their shields. There was a resounding crash and crack as the massive wooden structure struck the bank. It was long enough. Only by a pace but that would be enough. The French gave a cheer. With men protected by the ram and no stone thrower they would break through the gate.
As I donned my helmet I said, “Edward son of Edgar, fetch fire and pig fat. Sir William, fetch half of your men. Godwin bring half of yours. When the ram is on the bridge we will attack it and fire both the ram and the bridge.”
I had twenty men with me as we waited for the pig fat. Jack son of Harold brought the fat. I could see the heat rising from it. “You and Robert stay behind us. We will clear the ram and then you soak the ram with the hot fat. We will fire it when we return.”
“Aye lord.”
Peter shouted from the tower, “Lord, the ram is almost on the bridge.”
“Open the gates.” The gates had double bars and it took some time to remove them and swing open the metal studded gates. I stepped out. The ram had rolled on to the bridge. The crudely made bridge creaked but held. I had Edward on one side of me and Sir William and Ridley on the other. “When we reach the ram split into two and slay those within. They will have no shields. Clear those who are following and then get back to the gatehouse.”
“Aye lord.”
As we moved out into the open bolts thudded into my shield. Those crossbowmen would be slain by my archers but they were a threat. The ram was already on the bridge. The crude wheels did not move as well on the split wooden logs and the men inside were straining. As we reached the front I saw the fear on the faces of those within. They stopped. It is in a man’s nature to defend himself. Their hands went to their swords and daggers. It was to no avail. Edward and I slashed, stabbed and stuck the first five men. The rest on our side fled.
“After them!”
There were mailed men coming behind but the ten survivors from the ram broke up their lines. David of Wales and his archers sent flights of arrows over our heads to further disrupt them. Even so one knight and four of his men remained ready to fight us. The knight’s shield had a white bird and a star on a red background. He was one of de Senonche’s knights. He had a mace in his hand. One of the men at arms next to him lunged at me with his sword. I deflected the blow with my shield and swung my sword overhand. I found the gap between shoulder and head. As my blade severed links and tore into flesh the knight swung his mace at my head. I could not bring my shield up in time and I r
eceived the full force of the blow. Had I not had such a good helmet then that might have been the end of me. As it was I saw stars and tasted blood. I reeled and staggered back. This was now a mêlée. There were no men at arms behind me and I landed on the wooden bridge. The knight was on me in two strides. I did the only thing I could. I swung my sword at his chausses. I managed to hit him behind his knee. My sword ripped through the mail and into the tendons behind the knee. My blade bit through to bone and he dropped to one knee. I stood and, swinging my shield into his face knocked his mailed body into the moat.
Already the Comte de Senonche was sending more men to man the ram. My nose was broken and I had lost teeth but I shouted, “Back to the gatehouse!”
Edward was close by and he shouted more loudly, “Sir William, we have done enough, back! His lordship is hurt!”
As we passed the ram I felt the heat from the brands held by Robert and Jack son of Harold. We had just made the gate when there was a mighty whoosh as the brands were thrown on to the ram. The hot pig fat had ignited immediately. As the bars were put in place on the gates I hurried up the steps. My helmet was so badly damaged that I found it hard to see.
“Edward, take my helmet from my head.”
He had to have Ridley help him for it had been buckled by the blow. When it was removed the air felt cooler but Sir William gasped, “My lord, your nose is spread across your face. You must get to Father Michel.”
I shook my head. That was a mistake for it made my head hurt worse. “Let us wait until we see the effects of the fire.” The ram burned well and spread to the logs. It was not a swift fire, it was a slow one. The French used buckets to try to quench the flames but David and his archers slew more of them. A further fifteen men were slain before they realised the futility of such action.
Sir William pointed to the far end of the bridge, where the knight had struck me. “They lost mailed men there, lord. I think we have broken their hearts with this fire.”
“Let us hope so.”
When the bridge collapsed, hissing into the moat then we knew that the attack had ended. Even better, when we saw the French head not north to their camp but on the road east to France, we knew we had won. My men cheered. We had succeeded in fighting off a French army. There was hope for my people.
The New Defences
Chapter 8
Even my wife was shocked by my injuries. While the rest of the garrison and the town celebrated I had to eat gruel. My face was so swollen that I could barely see. The pain I endured was the worst of any wound I had yet suffered yet I knew that I was fortunate to be alive. I took the helmet to my smith and he agreed to make an even better one. “Lord we know how lucky we are to have you and your men defending us. We lost nothing and that is all thanks to you. I swear that this helmet I make will be surpassed by none.”
Edward and my men at arms also expressed their disappointment at not having protected me better. “Lord, you need more men at arms and archers. We are too few to protect you from the army of enemies who gather.”
I nodded, “I agree but we both know that they are not easy to get. We will try to get more but for the while we make our defences better. Are all the bodies of the dead collected and stripped of mail and weapons?”
“Aye lord. David and his archers found great quantities of material they had left at their northern camp. We slew more than a hundred and fifty of their men. We think that fourteen knights perished. We hurt the French and that is why they withdrew.”
“Good.”
Three days after the siege had been lifted and the chains removed, the first of the ships arrived from the west. They brought news. It was Roger of Meaux who came to my hall to speak with me. My wife had insisted that, until the swelling had completely gone, I did not leave my hall. “Husband you would terrify the townsfolk if they saw you. You are just lucky that the teeth you lost were not at the front. Father Michel says that in a few days you will begin to look like yourself but for now stay in the hall.”
I obeyed her. Roger’s face showed that he was shocked by my appearance. I tried to smile but I knew that it appeared lopsided. “You have news?”
“Yes lord. Our ships say that there is an uneasy peace. With the Prince in Le Mans there is no fighting south of Ballon. William des Roches has let it be known that he does not regard you as an enemy. King John is busy in the north battling with the forces of King Philip. You have saved us.”
“Temporarily. We will not rest easy though. I want every man in the town available on a Sunday after church. We need to improve the skills of our townsfolk.”
“Is this not over, lord? Will more enemies come?”
I gave him a grim smile, “Let us say, Roger of Meaux, that there will be those who wish to take our livelihoods from us but, until Prince Arthur rules this land again, we pay no taxes!”
The merchant in him smiled, “Then we will train, lord.”
The success of the stone throwers encouraged me to build two more. By positioning them at the town gates and towers we could protect all of our walls and the river. When they were finished we had some of the townsfolk train with them. As Godwin of Battle reminded me, they would not have the range that the ones operated by the men at arms had but they would deter an enemy. They would use slightly smaller stones than my men at arms used. The boys of the town were paid to collect the right sized stones. It became almost a game for them and we soon had a healthy pile next to each war machine.
Once my wife gave me permission I rode abroad with my men at arms and Sir William. We rode mainly towards the French. I was no friend of King John but so long as he did not bother me I would allow my enmity to lie dormant. I was in no position to do other.
Christmas was approaching. The land, it seemed, was covered not by snow but an uneasy peace. Just before we celebrated the feast my sentries spied a column of men trudging down the road. They were warriors and so Edward called out the guard. They were spotted from well down the road and so I joined Sir William and my men at arms as they watched them approach.
“Are they a threat Edward? I see spears and helmets.”
“Aye lord along with swords, axes and bows but there are no war horses and their trudging gait suggests weariness.”
“Then what are they?”
He shrugged, “I could hazard a guess lord but if I was wrong then I would look foolish. They will be upon us within the hour. I will shout down and ask them eh, Sir Thomas?”
My man at arms was chastising me. He was probably right. The closer they came the less of a threat they were. Four of them had no boots but marched with cloth about their feet. They had but three cloaks between them. What they all had and marked them as soldiers were weapons and, more than that, weapons which looked cared for. They halted at the crossroads. It was less than thirty paces from the keep.
Their leader was a grey-haired man. He had a leather jerkin studded with metal and a basinet helmet. His sword was the type which required two hands to wield effectively. I spoke to him, “You and your men look weary. Have you travelled far?”
“Aye my lord. We left Le Mans before dawn.”
I became wary. Le Mans was controlled by Prince John. “And why leave there in winter. You are warriors. I am certain that John Lackland would offer you employment.”
“No, lord, for we served Gilbert de Vesci. He was the nephew of Eustace de Vesci who served with King Richard in the Holy Land. His family own Alnwick Castle. He brought us to Normandy to fight for Prince Arthur. When we lost the battle of Mortain, two months since, our lord, his squire, Geoffrey, and twenty of our number were killed. We were captured. We have been kept prisoner until yesterday. William des Roches was visiting and he persuaded the Seneschal of Le Mans to let us go with our weapons. He said it was the Christian thing to do as we had only been obeying our lord’s lawful commands.”
“And what would you do now?”
“If I am to be truthful, Sir Thomas, we would serve you. Sir Gilbert spoke well of you but I can see that w
e do not present an attractive prospect at the moment. We have little to offer save our weapons and our loyalty.”
“We cannot turn away fellow Englishmen. Come into the castle. We will feed you and we will talk. You have walked far enough this day. Follow the road to the town gate and Edward will meet you there.”
As we went back inside Sir William said, “This could be a trap, lord. It is just the sort of device that King John would use. He has men feigning friendship and when we are asleep they open the gates to their confederates.”
I looked at Edward, “You may be right. Edward, you have a nose for such things. Is Sir William right?”
“He could be but, with due respect Sir William, I think not. Either these men are travelling mummers who act out the holy plays or they are what they say they are. Besides they will be in the warrior hall. If they are trying to deceive us then it will soon become clear.”
I went to my hall and spoke with my wife. I told her Sir William’s worries, “But I think that is because he is worried about his son and his wife.”
My wife nodded, “It is almost Christmas. We cannot turn any away. Our Lord was turned away as a bairn. We will welcome them into our home. It is the Christian thing to do.”
“And you, my love, are a saint!”
She clasped her cross, “Do not blaspheme, now go and greet them. I have orders to give to the kitchen.”
We reached the gate to the town before they did. The towns people were peering at them with fear and apprehension as well as a great deal of curiosity. Edward was keeping them from asking too many questions and I saw the gratitude on the old warrior’s face as they stepped through my main gate.
He nodded appreciatively, “A well-made castle lord. We heard that the French had tried to take it and lost more men than they could afford.” He bowed, “I am James Broadsword of Amble, my lord. You have saved lives this day.”