by Griff Hosker
We had to use the saddles which came with the new horses. In an ideal world, we would have used panniers but we improvised. We used them for the lightest things we had, the food and our spare clothes. The water and mail were put upon our own sumpters. Alciades and Leonidas were our only war horses. Louis would lead those by a halter. Before we went to bed I went over the arrangements for our caravan. “Garth and Ralph, you will be the scouts. William and Walter, you will be with the rear guard. Guy will lead the sumpters. Henri you take the new horses.”
Henri laughed, “I think new is too strong a word, lord.”
The men all laughed too. “You are right but if we did not have them then think how much weight would need to be borne by our other horses. When we know the land and its people better we will hire servants to lead them. Robert, Tom, Philippe and Alf., we will flank the caravan.”
They all nodded except for Alf who asked, “Could I not ride at the fore with Garth? We may meet Greeks with whom we have to speak.”
I glanced at Garth who nodded. It would not hurt to have an extra pair of young eyes at the front. Alf was close to Garth. They seemed to get on well. “Very well but do not get into the habit of questioning my orders. Tom, we will unfurl the gonfanon tomorrow. We should let this new world know who we are.”
As I prepared for bed that night I prayed to God for a sign that what I was doing met with his approval. I was in the Holy Land. I would soon be seeing the place where Christ died and where the most ancient of religions began. I did not sleep well and my sleep was haunted with dreams of my family. Once more they died in my arms and I was helpless. I could do nothing.
I was up early. I washed and broke fast. Jean’s wife kept a good table and the freshly baked bread made me smile. As I stepped out it was still dark but I saw David Ben Samuel and his men already waiting for us. I could have struck myself. They would travel early while it was cool. They would rest during the heat of the noon sun and travel again after dark. He had been afraid to hurry us. He needed our protection.
I turned and went back to the inn. I roused my men, “Come. We work this day.”
“But lord it is still dark!”
“Aye Walther and that means it is cool. Grab some food. We eat on the road.”
I went and saddled Remus. He was a strong and placid horse. I had not ridden him yet but I was confident that he would be a good ride. Basil had been correct about the war horses I knew he would be right about the other two. Once saddled I donned my mail and surcoat. Even though the sun had not risen I still felt heat as I climbed upon my horse. Tom handed me my shield and I hung it from my cantle to drape over my left leg.
I rode over to the caravan, “You should have told us that you wished an early start.”
He held his hands out apologetically, “This is our land and we know it. You and your men will need time to get used to it. It is coming to our winter now but the sun will still be too hot for you. We have learned to respect it.”
I did not want us cosseting. “Do not change your schedule for us. We can ride as long and as far as you.”
“Sadly, that is not true. We use camels and donkeys. They are slower than your horses but they can keep going longer than a horse.”
“Let me be the judge of that.”
“The sands are littered with the bones of Franks who thought they were back in France and tried to ride the same way.”
My men began to arrive. I pointed them to their positions. “I have three men at the front. If you could send one of your men with them it would help.”
“I will send my son, Saul, but he does not speak French. Nor does he speak English.”
“Can he speak Greek?”
“Yes.”
“Then Alf can converse with him.”
I took off my helmet. I could now see why the Templar had not worn his. I hung it from my saddle and I lowered my coif. I saw that David Ben Samuel and the other men were all swathed in voluminous garments. They each had a hooded cloak. We had them too but they were in our bags. We only used those when we needed protection from the rain.
Seeing that they were ready I waved to Garth at the front and we set off. David Ben Samuel rode next to me. Already the light was grey and soon the sun would rise over the mountains to the east of us. “I would like to thank you again, lord, for this service. We did not agree a price.”
“No, we did not.” I could see that I was not cut out for this. Basil’s words came back to me. “Whatever you think is fair.”
He laughed and I saw that while he was old, he had a grey beard, he had a twinkle in his eye and he had wit. “You are a strange Frank. I mean no offence but the ones I have met have been either greedy or arrogant or both and always cruel.”
“Perhaps you have been unlucky.”
“Perhaps but I think not.” We rode in silence for a while, “I will pay you some of the price in advice, lord. You should use a hooded cloak to shield your head from the sun. The more layers a man has then the cooler he is. In this land, you respect the sun. We are lucky that we will be travelling, until Beirut, along the coastal road. It will be cooler. When we reach the Jordan valley you will feel heat like you have never felt before.”
“Thank you. I know that we are novices but we will learn.”
“You have a small number of men.”
“Small in number but with the hearts of lions. I trust each one of them. They are good at what they do. And you, what is it that you do?”
“I am a merchant. I have ships and they sail to Constantinople. I use captains who are not Jews. It is easier for them to trade for me. The Franks who live in the Kingdom of Jerusalem still wish for many of the things they can only buy in the west. They may dislike me, curse me, kick me and spit on me but they need my services. I charge them a healthy fee and I smile.”
“You live in Jerusalem?”
“I have a home just to the east of the city. It is close enough for us to be able to visit the bazaar and yet far enough away so that we are not disturbed when there is trouble. There are many of my tribe who live there. We are close enough to the castles that we have protection and yet we are not bothered by those who call us Christ Killers, like the Templar.”
“Is there much trouble?”
“Occasionally a new Frank who has recently arrived will decide that Jews should be made an example of. It does not last long but I would keep my family safe.”
“You have a family?”
His face darkened. “I have a wife, two daughters and three sons. God has been kind to me.” He hesitated, as though he was going to say something and then thought better of it.
I smiled, “Speak, you will not offend me.”
“I was curious about you and your story. We have a long journey. If you could I would like to hear your story.”
The sun had now risen and already I could see a heat haze to the east. I sighed. This would be a long journey. I told him the story. I told of my father and grandfather. By the time I had finished we had reached a village and we were ready to rest. I, for one, needed it. My head felt as though it was going to boil and, when I saw the others I saw that they had the red faces of freshly boiled crabs. After we had watered our horses and placed them in the shade of the trees which had been planted to give shade I said, “Tom, break out the cloaks. We will need them. It will stop us burning.”
“Are you sure lord?”
“I am certain. When we reach Jerusalem, we shall buy the thinner ones such as the Jews wear.”
David Ben Samuel handed me a gourd of water, “You are learning lord. There is hope for you.”
Chapter 4
There were castles guarding the pilgrim route. The caravans had used the same route for hundreds of years already. David Ben Samuel apologized to us. He told us that we could have found shelter there because we were Franks. He, as a Jew, was barred. We camped. The cloaks helped us but we all suffered with the heat.
On the third night out of Tripoli we camped by a spring and a stand of date
trees. Sheep were grazing on the rocky slopes above us. It was our loneliest night yet. We had passed the mighty castle of Botron and the next one we would pass would be Gibelet, just north of Beirut. It was there we would turn east to head down the Jordan Valley. As usual we camped after dark. We had a routine. My men hobbled the horses and then two of them would guard the caravan along with two of Ben Samuel’s men. I would also do a duty. The caravan master was surprised at this but, as I explained to him, if my men lost sleep then so would I.
I did not mind as it was difficult to sleep. The heat and the insects, not to mention the spiders and snakes made for an uncomfortable night at best. I shared a duty with Tom. Since the arrival of Alf he had grown up a little more. He was older than Alf. Hitherto he had been the youngest of my men Now he had someone to teach and that changed him. Neither of us wore our helmets and our coifs hung down our backs. Tom had tried to talk with me but my mind was filled with the conversation I had had with David; I was distracted. The merchant had told me that in the next few days we would be passing close to the lands of the Seljuq Turk and the bandits. I was working out how best to defend against them. The land might not have trees as did Sherwood but the rocks and clefts afforded the perfect places to ambush us.
It was that reflective quiet which allowed me to hear the skitter of stones from the rocks above us. It could have been an animal but I knew that it was not. I slid my sword from my scabbard and turned so that my back faced the fire and I could peer into the dark. My dark blue cloak effectively hid me and I remained as still as could be. I smelled them. I had grown used to the smell of the men of the caravan, they smelled of camel. I knew the smell of my own men but this smell was the smell of sweat, stale beer and animal fat. These were Franks and they were unwashed. I saw two of them as they crept and slid down the rocks towards the horses. Now that I had spied them I could shout, “To arms! To arms!”
I was pulling back my arm as I strode towards the two of them. I had taken them by surprise and the slippery stone prevented them from stopping themselves. They had no mail and I swung my sword sideways. It hacked into the arm and then the side of one of them. The other found himself falling and he hurled himself at me. I stepped to my right and punched at him as he came towards me. My mail mitten knocked him to the ground and I pulled back my sword to stab him through the neck. Tom had managed to slay another. My men arrived as did David with torches. My archers sent their arrows towards the men who were seen in the light of the burning torches.
I turned, “Is anyone injured?”
No one answered.
“Garth, take your archers. Recover the arrows and check for any more enemies.”
I turned to Tom. “You did well.”
“How did you see them, lord? Until you shouted I had seen nothing and was dreaming of my bed.” The merchant looked astounded.
“I smelled them and they made a noise. We were lucky. We must make a better camp next time.”
David Ben Samuel smiled and gave a slight bow, “God sent you to us, lord. I will sleep easier at night from now on.”
The men had little on them although we took their weapons and their few coins. My men covered their bodies with rocks and a better watch was kept for the rest of the night. “They look to have been soldiers once lord. They had the vestiges of surcoats but their weapons were neither sharp nor cared for. These were carrion.”
Robert’s voice was filled with disdain for these men who had fallen so far as to become bandits.
The road east led to Baalbek. This was a mighty fortress held by the Turks. It was less than thirty miles from our caravan route. In addition, there were many high places from which bandits and rogue Franks could attack. We had already met some and were now warier. Accordingly, I had us ride closer together. Here, where there was little rain, my archers could keep their bows strung and they carried them across their cantles. The attack the night before had made us all more alert. Even so we were still surprised by attackers who appeared from nowhere.
A rider appeared from nowhere. He sat atop his horse two hundred paces from us on a rock which overlooked the road. He was a Seljuq horse archer. He had a horn bow. His armour was lamellar. His horse’s tail was knotted and he carried a javelin. On his head, he wore no helmet but his long hair was held in a circlet of metal. He wore earrings and his horse furniture was ornate. This was the first Seljuq Turk I had seen and I wondered what it meant.
He shouted something in his own language. David turned to me, “He said if we hand over our horses and goods then we will all live.”
I said, “Speak loudly so that my men can hear and understand.” He nodded. “Garth, ready an arrow but do not aim it yet.”
“Aye lord.”
“Can you see others?”
“I can hear their horses. They are hidden behind him in the rocks.”
I glanced to the right. There were no rocks there, just scrub and I could not see anyone. They were to our left. Robert led the men on the right. “Be ready to follow my lead, Robert and Tom.”
The merchant was nervous, “What do I tell him? He waits.”
“Tell him we wish no trouble but we will not give up our horses.”
The Jew shouted something. Even as the Turk started to lift his bow Garth’s arrow had hit him in the chest. At two hundred paces the Turk had thought himself safe. He was not.
“Ride! Robert and Tom, with me.”
I held my spear over hand and I kicked Remus in the flanks. I hung my shield from my shoulder. My left side was safe from arrows. Remus scrambled up the slope. I saw more horse archers appear. Walther and William’s arrows, sent over my head, struck two while Ralph and Garth hit another two. It bought time for us to close with them. The three of us knew the skill of our archers and we trusted them to miss us. The horse archers had miscalculated. They were used to crossbows and the poorer bows other Franks used. My men were from England. Only the Welsh came close to their skill and power. I rode Remus at the archer who pulled back his horn bow. I did not hesitate. I hurled the spear from ten feet. It impaled him and I drew my sword.
There had been twenty archers for I saw fourteen or so before me. Robert and Tom were as reckless as I was and they had both found flesh. When Garth and Ralph followed us and sent their arrows after them the horse archers turned and fled. Ralph was eager to get after them. I yelled, “Halt!” but it was too late. Three of them turned in their saddles and sent arrows towards Ralph. He was lucky although his horse was not. Two arrows hit it and Ralph was spilled from the saddle. Garth’s last arrow managed to hit one of the Turkish horses in the rump but it did not stop.
I galloped to Ralph who rode unsteadily to his feet, “Sorry lord! How did they do that?”
Garth had arrived and he picked up a discarded bow from one of the dead. “It is shorter.”
I remembered a conversation with the Varangians in the inn, “And they are trained to do so from childhood. Next time heed my words.” The Turkish horses had fled. “Take your saddle and unload one of the sumpters. Robert search the bodies. They look to have jewels about them.”
One of the caravan guards had an arrow in his leg and was being tended to. “I am sorry about that, David Ben Samuel. We will keep a better watch next time.”
He laughed, “Next time? You have driven off the deadliest horse archers in the land. I thought our time had come.”
As I retrieved my spear I asked, “Will we see them again?”
He shook his head. “We have hurt them. They are here for profit. I fear that next time they will bring more men. We might have to use the coast route next time.”
“Is it longer?”
“Just more expensive. The knights who guard that road with their castles demand payment for travel through their domains. The Templars do not pay but they escort only Christians. Those who are not Christian are forced to use this more hazardous route. We will need to move more swiftly.”
“That suits us.”
We left the Turks where they lay. My m
en butchered the dead horse. Archers were not squeamish about eating horsemeat. We ate well that night.
We were now used to travelling early. I was glad we had agreed to escort this caravan. We were leaning much about the land and the people. The horse archers had both shocked and surprised my men. Garth had gathered all the arrows, theirs and ours. Their arrows were longer. My archers could use them but they would need to be desperate to do so. The horse archers skills releasing backwards over a horse had unsettled them. Ralph, in particular, brooded about it.
“Lord, two out of three arrows hit my horse. They were riding away and uphill yet they hit my mount. Had the hit me then I would be dead too.”
Walther looked on the brighter side, “They yielded treasure. They wear gold about them. I can see now why men stay here. It is not for the heat, it is for the riches.”
“And yet, Walther, the men we have seen who were leaving were as poor as church mice. Think on that.”
I nodded, “Aye, Robert, but the ones we did not see were the knights. If they charge a toll for the use of their roads then it is the lords who are rich. Their men, from what we have seen, pick up the crumbs.”
We had one more run in with life threatening danger before we reached Jerusalem. We had passed the Sea of Galilee. My men had been in awe of the tiny stretch of water. The priests at home had mentioned that as a place where Christ and his saints had fished. It was where Jesus had lived. When we halted there to rest they had all filled their water skins as though it was holy water. Alf had said, “Lord, Christ walked upon this water.”
Perhaps it was the fact that they were all distracted that we almost fell foul of an ambush by bandits. The Jordan Valley was narrow and there were trees. It was almost verdant. Remus warned us of danger. Now that we rode closer together I was just five camel lengths from the front and Remus whinnied. I had learned from my father not to ignore animals. I hefted my shield and shouted, “Ware, danger!” A stone clanged off my shield. A heartbeat later and it would have struck my head. Then there was a rattle and cracks as stones hit metal and wood. It sounded like hailstone on a wooden roof. Horses, camels and men were hit.