by Griff Hosker
I took off my helmet and lowered my coif for I was both hot and tired. There had been little danger in this fight but I was tired. The Duke dismounted and clasped my arm, “You have not lost your touch, hero of Arsuf. Other men would have blanched when the gates began to close but you rode at them as though you were Hercules himself. You and your brave knights deserve much honour and treasure and I will ensure that you receive it.”
I looked around and saw that all of my knights, squires and pages had survived and had no wounds, I bowed, “For that, my lord, we thank you!”
My men had exceeded all of my expectations. William looked at me, grinned and nodded. We had a small conroi but in two actions we had ensured that they would fight as well as any knights of Cleveland. In future, I could go into battle knowing that I had men riding behind me upon whom I could rely! We stayed for two days and took animals and treasure, not to mention many weapons back to Ascalon and the rest of the army.
Chapter 5
Our return caused a celebration but also created tension and dissension. King Thibaut was already annoyed for the work on Ascalon was not progressing as fast as he had hoped. Although he approved of Peter of Brittany’s motives, preventing weapons and armour reaching our enemies, he did not like the fact that he had been excluded from the plan. The Dukes of Bar and Burgundy were also in high dudgeon for they had wished to participate in such a raid. I could see that the arguments and debates would go on for a long time and so I rejoined my conroi. On the ride back I had impressed upon my young knights the need to share the booty with the men they had left behind. None had more than eight and the cost would not be much. William and I had far more men but I did not begrudge them any of it. The treasure we had taken from the castle meant that all of us were rich men. In addition, we had horses and weapons.
William and I sat with Padraig, Cedric and Richard and spoke of the raid and the progress on Ascalon’s walls. “We laboured, lord, and the knights just watched. That is why the work has barely begun. It will take six months or more to rebuild the castle. Is that what King Henry and the Pope would have wished for this crusade? Why bring warriors when they could have sent masons?”
Padraig was correct; the King of Navarre was vacillating. “Perhaps we can persuade the knights to help with the building work.”
Richard Red Leg shook his head, “The holy orders will not labour, lord. We watched their sergeants toil under the hot sun while the knights knelt and prayed.”
Cedric said, quietly, “And the Earl of Fife knows that we are here, lord.” I had almost forgotten that snake. “His men spied us working and recognised the livery. The Earl himself came by and asked where you were.” He grinned, “He learned nothing and called us English peasants.”
Padraig laughed, “Which showed how ignorant he is for I am Irish or I once was!”
“Keep a good watch for them and be aware that there might be treachery.”
“We have already arranged a man to sleep inside your tent, lord. Besides, they have not come prepared for the sun. Their faces are as red as a cooked lobster! Their skin has cracked and they look as though they are in pain.”
William nodded, “That is God’s punishment for their actions when they raided our lands! Father, I could challenge the Earl. That would end the problem.”
“No, for that could be seen as helping our enemies, the Ayyubid. We will just watch and be patient. This is not Elsdon. Let us see how events unfold.”
I confess that despite the presence of Declan of Dublin in our tent I did not sleep well that night. It was not for myself that I worried but Henry Samuel. During the attack on the caravan, he had behaved and fought as well as any knight. Mark told me how he saw my grandson taking on warriors who were far more experienced than he was. The expense of the mail he wore had proved justified for the arrows from the horse archers had not penetrated and he had slain three enemy warriors and captured two horses. The fact that two of the enemy had been fleeing us did not detract from his victory; he had done well. I knew that he would become more skilled on the battlefield but the tent, at night, was something different. I could sleep with one eye open but Henry Samuel slept the sleep of the innocent. I would have to keep him close to me and use my reactions and instincts.
The debates and arguments amongst the lords still raged the next day. I kept out of it. All work on the castle stopped and I feared that the crusade would degenerate into chaos. It had happened under King Richard and King Thibaut did not seem to have the same charismatic personality. That lack of authority manifested itself in the late afternoon.
Raoul de Soissons sought me out, “Sir Thomas, the Duke has sent for you.”
“What is it?”
“A large part of the army intends to head south and to raid closer to Egypt! They wish to emulate our raid!”
“But that is foolish! We took out a caravan which was close to our castles and we used a handful of men. To travel south into the heartland of the enemy is foolish!” As I hurried to the King’s tent I asked, “Who are the leaders of this dissenting group?”
“Henry of Bar, Hugh of Burgundy, Lord Montfort and the Earl of Fife. Almost a fifth of the knights wishes to follow them. It is only ourselves, the King’s men and the Holy Orders who see the danger of such an action.”
“And what can I do?”
“The King wishes you to tell them of the folly of their actions. He said you are the most experienced knight in the army and your words might sway them.”
My heart sank. I might be able to persuade some but not the Earl of Fife, however, I would have to try and that way I would have a clear conscience. I headed to the hubbub. The noise sounded like Stockton Market! Men shouted and fingers were pointed as voices were raised. When Raoul and I appeared, it reached a crescendo.
King Thibaut shouted, “Silence! Let us hear the words of the knight who fought in this land before many of you were even born! Sir Thomas, speak!”
It took some moments for all the voices to be silenced and I spoke as reasonably as I could. I knew that if I condescended to them, they would resent me. “Trying to pin down the mounted archers of the Turks and Egyptians is like trying to catch quicksilver in your fingers. If you wish to battle the enemy then you need to choose your battleground; it needs to be close to aid and our castles. The land to the south of us is without either and, worse, it is filled with the enemy. Riding forth in the hope of catching them will result in disaster.”
It was the Earl of Fife who spoke. I saw that his skin was all cracked and flaked, Padraig was right. They had been touched by the sun! He pointed an accusing finger at me. “This man is treacherous! He has raided the Muslims and yet he counsels us to stay here and to build the walls of Ascalon.” I did not point out that I had done no such thing for he would not have heard me. This was a diatribe. “I know this man. He is a venal treasure hunter! Do not heed his words.”
The Master of the Hospitallers, Bertrand de Comps stood, “Sir Thomas is right. We live cheek by jowl with the Egyptians and the Turks. A raid on a caravan, especially one which carries arms to fight against us, is a good thing but to ride south in the hope of a similar success is doomed to failure.”
The Duke of Burgundy shook his head, “I do not agree with the Earl of Fife; from what I have seen Sir Thomas has honour but I do not agree with his conclusions. We have come on Crusade and all that we have done thus far is to squat in Acre and now grub around the ruins of a fortress. I came here to fight the Muslim horde and if the King of Navarre will not lead us then I will. The Duke of Brittany and the Earl of Cleveland have shown us that the Muslim arrow cannot penetrate mail. What have we to fear? Our blades are superior to those of our enemies! The men of Brittany and England have had their glory. Now it is the time of Burgundy and France! All who wish to follow my banner we leave at the third hour of the dark when it is cool!”
He and the other rebellious lords stormed off and it was only then that their true numbers could be seen. The ones who followed the Duke were hal
f of the crusaders who had arrived with King Thibaut. The Holy Orders, Bretons and the men of Navarre were the only men who had not followed the Duke.
Duke Peter said, “King Thibaut, we cannot allow the Duke of Burgundy to do this. It would be a disaster for the crusade. If we lose a thousand knights then we might as well go home for we cannot win a war with just three thousand knights.”
“And how do we stop them, Duke? Do we draw swords and fight them? That would serve only our enemies.” He turned to me, “I thank you for your efforts, Earl, and I am sorry for the words of the Earl of Fife; I know them to be untrue.”
“Words cannot hurt me, King Thibaut, but I do not trust this man. When he raided our lands in England, he took women and children as slaves.”
“Perhaps he is here for absolution.”
“Perhaps.” I did not believe it but King Thibaut thought the best of men. I knew that the Earl of Fife was here for one thing and that was treasure. He had not an ounce of honour in his body.
We were woken by the noise they made when the host left us to head south. I rose for I would not be able to sleep any more. I feared mischief from the Earl of Fife. In the event my fears were groundless. I put the conniving Scot from my mind. It was the potential loss of so many knights which concerned me. I knew I had to do something. I went to the Duke of Brittany. He, too, was awake. We had slaughtered some of the animals we had captured at the castle and he was eating cold mutton for his breakfast when I found him
“Food, Sir Thomas?”
“Perhaps later. We must do something about this raid, lord.”
“What can we do? The King is right. We cannot fight them to stop them.”
“Then we must be there to protect them from themselves. I was not at Hattin but I was told of the battle. Their horsemen tempted the knights who broke formation and when they were isolated, they were cut down. It is true that horse archers cannot hurt knights but as Sir Hubert discovered, sergeants at arms and horses can be hurt. At Arsuf they led King Richard away from the main band so that they could send in more horsemen to surround the other knights. If we are close then it may prevent the Muslims from prosecuting their attack.”
He wiped his greasy hands on a napkin and drank some of the local wine. “What you say makes sense but King Thibaut is a proud man. He will not wish to be seen to back down.”
“Do your best, my lord, for if the King’s neck is too stiff then good men will die.”
The three leaders of the military orders must have felt the same for they spent the morning arguing with the King. In the face of such pressure, he relented and agreed to follow the Duke of Burgundy’s army but, by the time our men were roused and we began to move south, almost fourteen hours had passed. We were at the fore and I rode next to Duke Peter, “Lord, we move at a snail’s pace and we move blindly. Let me take my conroi and close with the men who left us. We need eyes and ears before us!”
This time the King agreed and, leaving our spare horses with the baggage train, I rode Willow and led my men down the road to Jaffa and Gaza. I felt better with just my men. I had my own archers and Cedric as scouts and the other archers guarding the rear. We took our three priests with us. They asked to come and I was proud of them for they were unarmed. We rode through the night. I feared for the knights who rode ahead of us because they were riding into the unknown. This was new to all of them and none of them understood the power of the Muslim horse archers and their heavy cavalry. I did and I was afraid. I did not push our horses for I knew that they would need to be protected. The last thing we needed was to attack the enemy with blown horses.
I waved our pages forward.
“When we find the enemy, you will ride back to the King and tell him where we are. Do not hesitate! As soon as we sight them you turn and ride back. Our lives depend upon it.”
“Yes, lord!”
“Yes, Grandfather!”
We rode through the night and I knew that the cooler conditions would help us but I feared that the main army would lag too far behind. We were like a monstrous mailed behemoth. Dawn broke and we halted. There was a village with a well and we took advantage of it. I checked that all of my men and their mounts were in good condition.
Dick, son of John rode in. He was the leading scout with Alf Fletcher, “Lord, the knights have met with the Egyptians and there is a battle.” I cocked my head to the side. He nodded, “They are surrounded and they are losing.”
“John and Henry Samuel ride back to the main column and tell them that the Duke of Burgundy and his men are in dire straits. The King must come sooner rather than later.”
My grandson nodded, “We will not let you down, lord.” He turned his horse and he and John headed north. He looked so young and, not for the first time, I regretted his participation in this ill-fated crusade.
When they had ridden off, I turned to my knights. “We now have that hardest of tasks. We have to try to save an army whilst fighting odds which would terrify St. Michael himself. You are English knights and I do not doubt your courage but listen to the horn of my squire When I sound the withdraw signal then obey, instantly. We are here to try to save as many of those who followed him as we can. The Duke of Burgundy has chosen his bed and I will not lie with him!”
For some reason that made my men and knights laugh and showed that they were not downhearted. We had hope.
“Cedric, keep the enemy occupied. Padraig and Richard have our men at arms as close behind us as though we were born from the same mother!”
My three veterans all chorused, “Aye, Lord!”
I turned to Mark who handed me a spear. William nodded and nudged his horse next to mine. He shouted, “Knights, form a wedge behind us.” We had too few knights to make a difference unless we broke through their rear. That was my hope.
Cedric and the archers galloped off. There would be just twenty-five of them and they would have to give the impression that they represented a far greater number of archers. Cedric would clear our flanks and give us the greatest chance to break through and cause dissension. We had to buy time until the bulk of the army could join us. They would be hours behind us and the task looked hopeless. I took the spear which Mark proffered.
“Stay behind me and watch yourself!”
“Aye, lord!” His grin told me that my words were wasted.
I raised my spear and pointed it forward. The battle was some way ahead. We could hear the cries of the dying and the soon to be dead. Haste would gain us nothing. We had to appear as though we were the vanguard of an army rather than less than one hundred men. We would be the insect which irritated and not the teeth of the wolf which could hurt! We soon saw the men fleeing the battle. These were the ones whose masters had died or whose masters they thought would soon be dead. I let them run for they were beyond rallying. Perhaps the King might give them steel but my handful of men could not. I saw the rear of the Egyptian army which had surrounded the men who had put their head into the serpent’s mouth. I knew we could not save many men. I hoped for a handful but whatever we saved would help Christendom in its fight against Islam.
Lowering my spear, I spurred my palfrey. She was no warhorse but she was a good horse with a stout heart and she responded. I knew that my son, next to me, was as brave a knight as I could wish and I would be protected on that side. My shield would bear the brunt of an attack from my left. The rest was in the hands of God, or if you were a pagan, then Fate. I looked ahead to see the standards of those closest to us. Whoever controlled that day determined that the men we would first save would be the men of the Earl of Fife and his Scotsmen. I pulled back my spear and drove it through the mailed body of the Mameluke who was to hack into the young squire sheltering behind his slain horse. I pulled back the spear as the Muslim warrior slipped from his horse to perish on the plain before Gaza. I saw the squire nod at me gratefully as he grabbed the reins of the Mameluke horse. One young warrior might have been saved. How many more could we rescue? I rammed my spear into the face of the next
warrior who turned to try to deal with this threat to their rear. My spear hit him between the eyes and I think his death was quick. William was younger than me and had better reactions. Three men had fallen to his spear as he ruthlessly slew those with their backs to him. Matthew was behind him and he was using William’s spare spear to clear Muslim horses. We were doing all that we could do. I saw Scotsmen, grateful that their enemies had been slain, grab their reins and gallop north as we punched a hole in the Egyptians ranks. Cedric and his archers had dismounted and their arrows now began to appear above our heads. I know they saved my life for a handful of arrows hit the five warriors who had turned to block our attack. It gave us a chance for we drove deeper into their lines. Henry of Bar and the Duke of Burgundy had stout knights with them. Their mail made them hard to kill and they were blunting blades and making a solid defence. More of their sergeants fled through the escape route we had made. My wedge had worked. We had burst the Muslim dam. Now we would have to endure the repercussions.
The enemy had seen us and they reacted. I heard trumpets signal and swords were pointed in our direction. A few mailed askari turned to face us. The huge Egyptian who came at me wore a fish plate mail shirt and when my spear rammed at it, although it punctured his flesh, the head broke. Even as he tried to tear the weapon from his chest my sword was drawn and I had an easy kill as I sliced across his neck. I saw the Egyptian standard ahead. It was like Arsuf but in reverse. If I could take their standard then they would lose heart and our men might be saved. I spurred my horse towards the standard. I had to take the heart from the enemy.