St. George for England

by G. A. Henty

  CHAPTER IX: THE SIEGE OF HENNEBON

  The besiegers of Hennebon were greatly discouraged at the success of theenterprise of the countess. They had already attempted several desperateassaults, but had each time been repulsed with very heavy loss. Theynow sent to Rennes for twelve of the immense machines used in batteringwalls, which had been left behind there on a false report of theweakness of Hennebon. Pending the arrival of these, Charles of Blois,with one division of the army, marched away to attack Auray, leaving DonLouis to carry on the siege with a force considered amply sufficient tocompel its surrender after the arrival of the battering machines.

  In a few days these arrived and were speedily set to work, and immensemasses of stone were hurled at the walls.

  Walter continued to act as the countess's especial squire. She hadinformed Sir William Caddoudal and Sir John Powis that it was at hissuggestion that she had made the sudden attack upon the French camp, andhe had gained great credit thereby.

  The effect of the new machines was speedily visible. The walls crumbledunder the tremendous blows, and although the archers harassed by theirarrows the men working them, the French speedily erected screens whichsheltered them from their fire. The spirits of the defenders began tosink rapidly, as they saw that in a very short time great breaches wouldbe made in the walls, and that all the horrors and disasters of a citytaken by assault awaited them. The Bishop of Quimper who was within thewalls, entered into secret negotiations with his nephew, Henry de Leon,who had gone over to the enemy after the surrender of Nantes, and wasnow with the besieging army. The besiegers, delighted to find an allywithin the walls who might save them from the heavy losses whichan assault would entail upon them, at once embraced his offers, andpromised him a large recompense if he would bring over the othercommanders and nobles. The wily bishop set to work, and the consequenceswere soon visible. Open grumbling broke forth at the hardships whichwere endured, and at the prospect of the wholesale slaughter which wouldattend a storm when all hope of a successful resistance was at an end.

  "I fear, Walter," Sir John said one morning, "that the end is at hand.On all sides submission is spoken of, and all that I can say to keep uptheir spirits is useless. Upon our own little band we can rely, butI doubt if outside them a single determined man is to be found in thetown. In vain do I speak of the arrival of Sir Walter Manny. Nearlyninety days have elapsed since we sailed, and all hope of his comingis gone. I point out to them that contrary winds have been blowing, andthat at any moment he may arrive; but they will not hear me. The bishophas gained over the whole of them by his promises that none shall bemolested in property or estate should they surrender."

  "It is sad to see the countess," Walter replied; "she who has shownsuch high spirit throughout the siege now does nothing but weep, for sheknows that with her and her child in the hands of the French the causeof the count is lost. If she could carry off the child by sea she wouldnot so much care for the fall of the town, but the French ships liethick round the port, and there is no hope of breaking through."

  Two days later the conspiracy came to a head, and the people, assemblinground the countess's house, clamoured for surrender. The breaches wereopen, and the enemy might pour in at any time and put all to thesword. The countess begged for a little further delay, but in vain, andwithdrew to the turret where she had for so many weary weeks watched thehorizon, in hopes of seeing the sails of the approaching fleet. Walterwas at the time with Sir John Powis on the walls.

  Presently a large body of French were seen approaching headed by Henryde Leon, who summoned the town to surrender. Many standing on the wallsshouted that the gates should be thrown open; but Sir John returned foranswer that he must consult the countess, and that upon her answer mustdepend whether he and his men would defend the breach until the last.

  "Come with me, Walter," he said, "we must fain persuade the countess. Ifshe says no, we Englishmen will die in the breach; but though readyto give my life for so brave a lady, I own that it is useless to fightlonger. Save our own little band not one in the town will lift a swordagain. Such resistance as we can offer will but inflame them to fury,and all the horrors of a sack will be inflicted upon the inhabitants.There she is, poor lady, on the turret, gazing, as usual, seaward."

  Suddenly they saw her throw up her arms, and then, turning towards thecity, she cried, as she perceived the English knight: "I see them! I seethem! The English fleet are coming!"

  "Run up, Walter," Sir John exclaimed, "maybe the countess is distraughtwith her sorrows."

  Walter dashed up to the turret, and looking seaward beheld rising overthe horizon a number of masts.

  "Hurrah! Sir John," he shouted, "we are saved, the English fleet is insight."

  Many others heard the shout, and the tidings ran like lightning throughthe town. In wild excitement the people ran to the battlements androofs, and with cheering and clapping of hands hailed the appearance ofthe still far-distant fleet. The church bells rang out joyfully and thewhole town was wild with excitement.

  The Bishop of Quimper, finding that his plans were frustrated, gatheredaround him some of those who had taken a leading part in the intrigue.These, leaving the city by a gate at which they had placed some of theirown faction to open it to the French, issued out and made their way tothe assailants' camp, to give news of the altered situation. Don Louisat once ordered an attack to be made with his whole force, in hopesof capturing the place before the arrival of the English succour. But,animated by their new hopes, those so lately despondent and ready toyield manned the breaches and repulsed with great slaughter all attemptson the part of the French to carry them. While the struggle was stillgoing on, the countess, aided by the wives of the burghers, busiedherself in preparing a sumptuous feast in honour of her deliverers whowere fast approaching, their ships impelled by a strong and favourablebreeze. The vessels of the French hastily drew off, and the Englishfleet sailed into the port hailed by the cheers of the inhabitants.The countess herself received Sir Walter Manny on his landing, andthe townspeople vied with each other in offering hospitality to themen-at-arms and archers.

  "Ah! Sir John Powis," Sir Walter exclaimed, "what, are you here? I hadgiven you up for lost. We thought you had gone down in the gale thenight you started."

  "We were separated from the fleet, Sir Walter, but the master held on,and we arrived here four days after we put out. We took part in thesiege of Rennes, and have since done our best to aid the countess here."

  "And their best has been much," the countess said; "not to say howbravely they have fought upon the walls, it is to Sir John and hislittle band that I owe it that the town was not surrendered days ago.They alone remained steadfast when all others fell away, and it is dueto them that I am still able, as mistress of this town, to greet you onyour arrival. Next to Sir John himself, my thanks are due to your youngesquire, Walter Somers, who has cheered and stood by me, and to whosesuggestions I owe it that I was able at the first to sally out anddestroy the French camp while they were attacking the walls, and sogreatly hindered their measures against the town. And now, sir, will youfollow me? I have prepared for you and your knights such a banquet ofwelcome as our poor means will allow, and my townspeople will see thatgood fare is set before your soldiers."

  That evening there was high feasting in the town, although the crashof the heavy stones cast by the French machines against the walls neverceased. Early the next morning Sir Walter Manny made a survey of theplace and of the disposition of the enemy, and proposed to his knightsto sally forth at once and destroy the largest of the enemy's machines,which had been brought up close to the walls. In a few minutes theknights were armed and mounted. Three hundred knights and esquires wereto take part in the sortie, they were to be followed by a strong body ofmen-at-arms.

  As soon as the gates were opened a number of archers issued out, andtaking their place at the edge of the moat, poured a rain of arrows uponthe men working the machine and those guarding it. Most of these took toflight at once, the remainder were
cut down by the men-at-arms, who atonce proceeded to hew the machine in pieces with the axes with whichthey were provided. Sir Walter himself and his mounted companionsdashed forward to the nearer tents of the French camps, cut down all whoopposed them, and setting fire to the huts retired towards the city.

  By this time the French were thoroughly alarmed, and numbers of knightsand men-at-arms dashed after the little body of English cavalry. Thesecould have regained the place in safety, but in the chivalrous spirit ofthe time they disdained to retire without striking a blow. Turning theirhorses, therefore, and laying their lances in rest, they charged thepursuing French.

  For a few minutes the conflict was desperate and many on both sides wereoverthrown; then, as large reinforcements were continually arrivingto the French, Sir Walter called off his men and retired slowly.On reaching the moat he halted his forces. The knights wheeled andpresented a firm face to the enemy, covering the entrance of theirfollowers into the gate. The French chivalry thundered down upon thelittle body, but were met by a storm of arrows from the archers liningthe moat. Many knights were struck through the bars of their vizors orthe joints of their mail. The horses, though defended by iron trappings,fell dead under them, or, maddened by pain, dashed wildly through theranks, carrying confusion with them, and the French commanders, seeinghow heavy were their losses, called off their men from the assault. SirWalter Manny with his party remained without the gate until theenemy had re-entered their camp, and then rode into the town amidthe acclamations of the inhabitants, the countess herself meeting herdeliverers at the gate and kissing each, one after the other, in tokenof her gratitude and admiration.

  The arrival of the reinforcements and the proof of skill and vigourgiven by the English leader, together with the terror caused by theterrible effect of the English arrows, shook the resolution of Don Louisand his troops. Deprived of half their force by the absence of Charlesof Blois, it was thought prudent by the leaders to withdraw at once, andthe third morning after the arrival of Sir Walter Manny the siege wasraised, and the French marched to join Charles of Blois before theCastle of Auray.

  Even with the reinforcements brought by Sir Walter Manny, the forces ofthe Countess of Montford were still so greatly inferior to those of thedivisions of the French army that they could not hope to cope with themin the field until the arrival of the main English army, which the Kingof England himself was to bring over shortly. Accordingly the Frenchlaid siege to and captured many small towns and castles. Charles ofBlois continued the siege of Auray, and directed Don Louis with hisdivision to attack the town of Dinan. On his way the Spaniard capturedthe small fortress of Conquet and put the garrison to the sword. SirWalter Manny, in spite of the inferiority of his force, sallied outto relieve it, but it was taken before his arrival, and Don Louis hadmarched away to Dinan, leaving a small garrison in Conquet. It was againcaptured by Sir Walter, but finding it indefensible he returned withthe whole of his force to Hennebon. Don Louis captured Dinan and thenbesieged Guerande. Here he met with a vigorous resistance, but carriedit by storm, and gave it up to be pillaged by his soldiers. He nowsent back to Charles of Blois the greater part of the French troopswho accompanied him, and embarked with the Genoese and Spanish, 8000in number, and sailed to Quimperle, a rich and populous town in LowerBrittany.

  Anchoring in the River Leita, he disembarked his troops, and leavinga guard to protect the vessels marched to the interior, plunderingand burning, and from time to time despatching his booty to swellthe immense mass which he had brought in his ships from the sack ofGuerande.

  Quimperle lies but a short distance from Hennebon, and Sir Walter Mannywith Almeric de Clisson, a number of English knights, and a body ofEnglish archers, in all three thousand men, embarked in the ships inthe port, and entering the Leita captured the enemy's fleet and all histreasure. The English then landed, and dividing into three bodies, setout in search of the enemy.

  The English columns marched at a short distance apart so as to be ableto give each other assistance in case of attack. The news of the Englishapproach soon reached the Spaniards, who were gathered in a solid body,for the enraged country people, armed with clubs and bills, hung ontheir flanks and cut off any stragglers who left the main body. DonLouis at once moved towards the sea-coast, and coming in sight of one ofthe English divisions, charged it with his whole force.

  The English fought desperately, but the odds of seven to one weretoo great, and they would have been overpowered had not the other twodivisions arrived on the spot and fallen upon the enemy's flanks.After a severe and prolonged struggle the Genoese and Spaniards werecompletely routed. The armed peasantry slew every fugitive they couldovertake, and of the 7000 men with whom Don Louis commenced the battleonly 300 accompanied him in his flight to Rennes, the troops of SirWalter and de Clisson pursuing him to the very gates of that city. SirWalter marched back with his force to the ships, but finding the windunfavourable returned to Hennebon by land, capturing by the way thecastle of Goy la Foret. Their return was joyfully welcomed, not onlyfor the victory which they had achieved, but because the enemy was againdrawing near to the town. Auray had fallen. The brave garrison, afterexisting for some time upon the flesh of their horses, had endeavouredto cut their way through the besiegers. Most of them were killed in theattempt, but a few escaped and made their way to Hennebon.

  Vannes, an important town, and Carhaix quickly surrendered, and theFrench force was daily receiving considerable reinforcements. This arosefrom the fact that large numbers of French nobles and knights had, withtheir followers, taken part with Alfonso, King of Castile and Leon, inhis war with the Moors. This had just terminated with the expulsion ofthe latter from Spain, and the French knights and nobles on their wayhome for the most part joined at once in the war which their countrymenwere waging in Bretagne.

  Seeing the great force which was gathering for a fresh siege ofHennebon, Sir Walter Manny and the Countess of Montford sent an urgentmessage to King Edward for further support. The king was not yet ready,but at the beginning of August he despatched a force under the commandof the Earl of Northampton and Robert of Artois. It consisted oftwenty-seven knights bannerets and 2000 men-at-arms. Before, however, itcould reach Hennebon the second siege of that city had begun. Charles ofBlois had approached it with a far larger army than that with which hehad on the first occasion sat down before it. Hennebon was, however,much better prepared than at first for resistance. The walls hadbeen repaired, provisions and military stores laid up, and machinesconstructed. The garrison was very much larger, and was commanded byone of the most gallant knights of the age, and the citizens beheldundaunted the approach of the great French army.

  Four days after the French had arrived before Hennebon they were joinedby Don Louis, who had been severely wounded in the fight near Quimperle,and had lain for six weeks at Rennes. Sixteen great engines at oncebegan to cast stones against the walls, but Sir Walter caused sandbagsto be lowered, and so protected the walls from the attack that littledamage was done. The garrison confident in their powers to resist,taunted the assailants from the walls, and specially enraged theSpaniards and Don Louis by allusions to the defeat at Quimperle.

  So furious did the Spanish prince become that he took a stepunprecedented in those days of chivalry. He one morning entered the tentof Charles of Blois, where a number of French nobles were gathered,and demanded a boon in requital of all his services. Charles at onceassented, when, to his surprise and horror, Prince Louis demanded thattwo English knights, Sir John Butler and Sir Hubert Frisnoy, who hadbeen captured in the course of the campaign and were kept prisoners atFaouet, should be delivered to him to be executed. "These English," hesaid, "have pursued, discomforted, and wounded me, and have killed thenephew whom I loved so well, and as I have none other mode of vengeanceI will cut off their heads before their companions who lie within thosewalls."

  Charles of Blois and his nobles were struck with amazement and horrorat the demand, and used every means in their power to turn the savageprince from his pur
pose, but in vain. They pointed out to him that hisname would be dishonoured in all countries where the laws of chivalryprevailed by such a deed, and besought him to choose some other boon.Don Louis refused to yield, and Charles of Blois, finding no alternativebetween breaking his promise and delivering his prisoners, at lastagreed to his request.

  The prisoners were sent for, and were informed by Don Louis himself oftheir approaching end. At first they could not believe that he was inearnest, for such a proceeding was so utterly opposed to the spiritof the times that it seemed impossible to them. Finding that he was inearnest they warned him of the eternal stain which such a deed wouldbring upon his name. The Spaniard, however, was unmoved either by theirwords or by the entreaties of the French nobles but told them that hewould give them a few hours to prepare for death, and that they shouldbe executed in sight of the walls after the usual dinner hour of thearmy.

  In those days sieges were not conducted in the strict manner in whichthey are at present, and non-combatants passed without difficulty toand fro between town and camp. The news, therefore, of what was intendedspeedily reached the garrison, whom it filled with indignation andhorror. A council was immediately called, and Sir Walter Manny proposeda plan, which was instantly adopted.

  Without loss of time Almeric de Clisson issued forth from the great gateof Hennebon, accompanied by 300 men-at-arms and 1000 archers. The lattertook post at once along the edge of the ditches. The men-at-arms rodestraight for the enemy's camp, which was undefended, the whole armybeing within their tents at dinner. Dashing into their midst the Englishand Breton men-at-arms began to overthrow the tents and spear all thatwere in them. Not knowing the extent of the danger or the smallness ofthe attacking force, the French knights sprang up from table, mounted,and rode to encounter the assailants.

  For some time these maintained their ground against all assaults until,finding that the whole army was upon them, Almeric de Clisson gave orderfor his troop to retire slowly upon the town. Fighting every step of theground and resisting obstinately the repeated onslaught of the French,Clisson approached the gate. Here he was joined by the archers, who withbent bows prepared to resist the advance of the French. As it appearedthat the garrison were prepared to give battle outside the walls, thewhole French army prepared to move against them.

  In the meantime Sir Walter Manny, with 100 men-at-arms and 500 horsearchers, issued by a sally-port on the other side of the town, and withall speed rode round to the rear of the French camp. There he foundnone to oppose him save servants and camp-followers, and making his waystraight to the tent of Charles of Blois, where the two knights wereconfined, he soon freed them from their bonds. They were mounted withoutwasting a moment's time upon two spare horses, and turning again thewhole party rode back towards Hennebon, and had reached the postern gatebefore the fugitives from the camp reached the French commanders andtold them what had happened.

  Seeing that he was now too late, because of De Clisson's sortie, Charlesof Blois recalled his army from the attack, in which he could only havesuffered heavily from the arrows of the archers and the missiles fromthe walls. The same day, he learned from some prisoners captured in thesortie, of the undiminished spirit of the garrison, and that Hennebonwas amply supplied with provisions brought by sea. His own army wasbecoming straitened by the scarcity of supplies in the country round,he therefore determined at once to raise the siege, and to besiege someplace where he would encounter less serious resistance.

  Accordingly, next morning he drew off his army and marched to Carhaix.

  Shortly afterwards the news came that the Earl of Northampton and Robertof Artois, with their force, had sailed, and Don Louis, with the Genoeseand other Italian mercenaries, started to intercept them with alarge fleet. The fleets met off the island of Guernsey, and a severeengagement took place, which lasted till night. During the darknessa tremendous storm burst upon them and the combatants separated. TheEnglish succeeded in making their way to Brittany and landed nearVannes. The Spaniards captured four small ships which had been separatedin the storm from their consorts, but did not succeed in regaining thecoast of Brittany, being driven south by the storm as far as Spain. TheEarl of Northampton at once laid siege to Vannes, and Sir Walter Mannymoved with every man that could be spared from Hennebon to assist him.

  As it was certain that the French army would press forward with allspeed to relieve the town, it was decided to lose no time in batteringthe walls, but to attempt to carry it at once by assault. The walls,however, were so strong that there seemed little prospect of successattending such an attempt, and a plan was therefore determined upon bywhich the enemy might be thrown off their guard. The assault commencedat three points in the early morning and was continued all day. No greatvigour, however, was shown in these attempts which were repulsed at allpoints.

  At nightfall the assailants drew off to their camp, and Oliver deClisson, who commanded the town, suffered his weary troops to quit thewalls and to seek for refreshment and repose. The assailants, however,did not disarm, but after a sufficient time had elapsed to allow thegarrison to lay aside their armour two strong parties attacked theprincipal gates of the town, while Sir Walter Manny and the Earl ofOxford moved round to the opposite side with ladders for an escalade.The plan was successful. The garrison, snatching up their arms, hurriedto repel their attack upon the gates, every man hastening in thatdirection. Sir Walter Manny with his party were therefore enabled tomount the walls unobserved and make their way into the town; here theyfell upon the defenders in the rear, and the sudden onslaught spreadconfusion and terror among them. The parties at the gates forced theirway in and joined their friends, and the whole of the garrison werekilled or taken prisoners, save a few, including Oliver Clisson, whomade their escape by sally-ports. Robert of Artois, with the Earlof Stafford, was left with a garrison to hold the town. The Earl ofSalisbury, with four thousand men, proceeded to lay siege to Rennes, andSir Walter Manny hastened back to Hennebon.

  Some of Sir Walter's men formed part of the garrison of Vannes, andamong these was Sir John Powis with a hundred men-at-arms.

  The knight had been so pleased with Walter's coolness and courage at thesiege at Hennebon that he requested Sir Walter to leave him with him atVannes. "It is possible," he said to Walter, "that we may have fightinghere. Methinks that Sir Walter would have done better to leavea stronger force. The town is a large one, and the inhabitantsill-disposed towards us. Oliver Clisson and the French nobles will feeltheir honour wounded at the way in which we outwitted them, and willlikely enough make an effort to regain the town. However, Rennes andHennebon are not far away, and we may look for speedy aid from the Earlof Salisbury and Sir Walter should occasion arise."

  Sir John's previsions were speedily verified. Oliver Clisson and hisfriends were determined to wipe out their defeat, and scattered throughthe country raising volunteers from among the soldiery in all theneighbouring towns and castles, and a month after Vannes was taken theysuddenly appeared before the town with an army of 12,000 men, commandedby Beaumanoir, marshal of Bretagne for Charles of Blois. The samereasons which had induced the Earl of Northampton to decide upon aspeedy assault instead of the slow process of breaching the walls,actuated the French in pursuing the same course, and, divided into anumber of storming parties, the army advanced at once to the assault onthe walls. The little garrison prepared for the defence.

  "The outlook is bad, Walter," Sir John Powis said. "These men approachwith an air of resolution which shows that they are bent upon success.They outnumber us by twelve to one, and it is likely enough that thecitizens may rise and attack us in the rear. They have been ordered tobring the stones for the machines to the walls, but no one has laid hishand to the work. We must do our duty as brave men, my lad, but I doubtme if yonder is not the last sun which we shall see. Furious as theFrench are at our recent success here you may be sure that littlequarter will given."

  CHAPTER X: A PLACE OF REFUGE