At Agincourt

  CHAPTER XVII -- A LONG PAUSE

  A quarter of a mile beyond the gate the party was joined by eighteen men-at-arms, all fully armed and ready for any encounter; eight of them fellin behind Dame Margaret's retainers, the other ten took post in rear ofthe sumpter horses. With such a train as this there was little fear of anytrouble with bands of marauders, and as the road lay through a countrydevoted to Burgundy there was small chance of their encountering anOrleanist force. They travelled by almost the same route by which DameMargaret had been escorted to Paris. At all the towns through which theypassed the Burgundian knights and their following were well entertained,none doubting that they were riding on the business of their duke. One orother of the knights generally rode beside Guy, and except that the heatin the middle of the day was somewhat excessive, the journey wasaltogether a very pleasant one. From Arras they rode direct to Villeroy.As soon as their coming was observed from the keep the draw-bridge wasraised, and as they approached Sir Eustace himself appeared on the wallabove it to hear any message the new-comers might have brought him. Asthey came near, the knights reined back their horses, and Dame Margaretand Agnes rode forward, followed by Guy having Charlie in front of him. Ashe recognized them Sir Eustace gave a shout of joy, and a moment later thedrawbridge began to descend, and as it touched the opposite side SirEustace ran across to the outwork, threw open the gate, and fondlyembraced his wife and children, who had already dismounted.

  "Ah, my love!" he exclaimed, "you cannot tell how I have suffered, and howI have blamed myself for permitting you and the children to leave me. Ireceived your first letter, saying that you were comfortably lodged atParis, but since then no word has reached me. I of course heard of thedreadful doings there, of the ascendency of the butchers, of the massacresin the streets, and the murders of the knights and ladies. A score oftimes I have resolved to go myself in search of you, but I knew not how toset about it when there, and I should assuredly have been seized byBurgundy and thrown into prison with others hostile to his plans. But whoare these with you?"

  "They are three Burgundian knights, who from love and courtesy, and inrequital of a service done them by your brave esquire here, have safelybrought us out of Paris and escorted us on our way. They are Count Charlesd'Estournel, Sir John Poupart, and Sir Louis de Lactre."

  Holding his hand she advanced to meet them and introduced them to him.

  "Gentlemen," Sir Eustace said, "no words of mine can express the gratitudethat I feel to you for the service that you have rendered to my wife andchildren. Henceforth you may command me to the extent of my life."

  "The service was requited before it was rendered, Sir Eustace," CountCharles said; "it has been service for service. In the first place youresquire, with that tall archer of yours, saved my life when attacked by aband of cutthroats in Paris. This to some small extent I repaid when, withmy two good friends here and some others, we charged a mob that wasbesieging the house in which your dame lodged. Then Master Aylmer laid afresh obligation on us by warning us that the butchers demanded our livesfor interfering in that business, whereby we were enabled to cut our wayout by the Port St. Denis and so save our skins. We could not rest thus,matters being so uneven, and therefore as soon as the king's party arrivedin a sufficient force to put down the tyranny of the butchers, we returnedto Paris, with the intention we have carried out--of finding Dame Margaretin her hiding-place, if happily she should have escaped all these perils,and of conducting her to you. And now, having delivered her into yourhands, we will take our leave."

  "I pray you not to do so, Count," the knight said; "it would mar thepleasure of this day to me, were you, who are its authors, thus to leaveme. I pray you, therefore, to enter and accept my hospitality, if only fora day or two."

  The knights had previously agreed among themselves that they would returnthat night to Arras; but they could not resist the earnestness of theinvitation, and the whole party crossed the drawbridge and entered thecastle, amid the tumultuous greeting of the retainers.

  "You have been away but a few months," Sir Eustace said to his wife, asthey were crossing the bridge, "though it seems an age to me. You are butlittle changed by what you have passed through, but Agnes seems to havegrown more womanly. Charlie has grown somewhat also, but is scarcelylooking so strong!"

  "It has been from want of air and exercise; but he has picked up a greatdeal while we have been on the road, and I, too, feel a different woman.Agnes has shared my anxiety, and has been a great companion for me."

  "You have brought all the men back, as well as Guy?"

  "You should rather say that Guy has brought us all back, Eustace, for 'tisassuredly wholly due to him that we have escaped the dangers thatthreatened us."

  The knights and men-at-arms dismounted in the courtyard, and Sir Eustaceand Dame Margaret devoted themselves at once to making them welcome withall honour. The maids hurried to prepare the guest-chambers, the servitorsto get ready a banquet. Guy and his men-at-arms saw to the comfort of theknights' retainers and their horses, and the castle rang with sounds ofmerriment and laughter to which it had been a stranger for months. Afterthe cup of welcome had been handed round Sir Eustace showed the knightsover the castle.

  "We heard the details of the siege, Sir Eustace, from your esquire, and itis of interest to us to inspect the defences that Sir Clugnet de Brabantfailed to capture, for, foe though he is to Burgundy, it must be ownedthat he is a very valiant knight, and has captured many towns and strongplaces. Yes, it is assuredly a strong castle, and with a sufficientgarrison might well have defeated all attempts to storm it by foes who didnot possess means of battering the walls, but the force you had was quiteinsufficient when the enemy were strong enough to attack at many points atthe same time, and I am surprised that you should have made good yourdefence against so large a force as that which assailed you.

  "But it was doubtless in no slight degree due to your English archers. Wesaw in Paris what even one of these men could do."

  "I am all anxiety to know what took place there," Sir Eustace said, "and Ishall pray you after supper to give me an account of what occurred."

  "We will tell you as far as we know of the matter, Sir Eustace; but intruth we took but little share in it, there was just one charge on ourpart and the mob were in flight. Any I can tell you that we did it withthorough good-will, for in truth we were all heartily sick of thearrogance of these butchers, who lorded over all Paris; even our Lord ofBurgundy was constrained to put up with their insolence, since their aidwas essential to him. But to us, who take no very great heed of politicsand leave these matters to the great lords, the thing was well-nighintolerable; and I can tell you that it was with hearty good-will weseized the opportunity of giving the knaves a lesson."

  As soon as the visitors had arrived, mounted men had ridden off to thetenants, and speedily returned with a store of ducks and geese, poultry,wild-fowl, brawn, and fish; the banquet therefore was both abundant andvaried. While the guests supped at the upper table, the men-at-arms wereno less amply provided for at the lower end of the hall, where all theretainers at the castle feasted royally in honour of the return of theirlady and her children. The bowmen were delighted at the return of LongTom, whom few had expected ever to see again, while the return of RobertPicard and his companions was no less heartily welcomed by their comrades.After the meal was concluded Dame Margaret went round the tables with herhusband, saying a few words here and there to the men, who received herwith loud shouts as she passed along.

  Then the party from the upper table retired to the private apartment ofSir Eustace, leaving the men to sing and carouse unchecked by theirpresence. When they were comfortably seated and flagons of wine had beenplaced on the board, the knight requested Count Charles to give him anaccount of his adventure with the cut-throats and the part he hadsubsequently played in the events of which he had spoken. D'Estournelgave a lively recital, telling not only of the fray with the White Hoods,but of what they saw when, after the defeat of the mob, they entered thehouse
. "Had the passage and stairs been the breach of a city attacked byassault it could not have been more thickly strewn with dead bodies," thecount said; "and indeed for my part I would rather have struggled up abreach, however strongly defended, than have tried to carry the barricadeat the top of the stairs, held as it was. I believe that, even had we notarrived, Master Aylmer could have held his ground until morning, exceptagainst fire."

  "I wonder they did not fire the house," Sir Eustace remarked.

  "Doubtless the leaders would have done so as soon as they saw the taskthey had before them; but you see plunder was with the majority the mainobject of the attack, while that of the leaders was assuredly to get ridof the provost of the silversmiths, who had powerfully withstood them. Thecry that was raised of 'Down with the English spies!' was but a pretext.However, as all the plate-cases with the silverware were in the barricade,there would have been no plunder to gather had they set fire to the house,and it was for this reason that they continued the attack so long; butdoubtless in the end, when they were convinced that they could not carrythe barricade, they would have resorted to fire."

  Then he went on to recount how Guy had warned himself and his friends ofthe danger that threatened, and how difficult it had been to persuade themthat only by flight could their safety be secured; and how at last he andthe two knights with him had returned to Paris to escort Dame Margaret.

  "Truly, Count, your narrative is a stirring one," Sir Eustace said; "but Iknow not as yet how Guy managed to gain the information that the house wasgoing to be attacked and so sent to you for aid, or how he afterwardslearned that your names were included with those of the Duke of Bar andothers whom the butchers compelled the Duke of Aquitaine to hand over tothem."

  "Dame Margaret or your esquire himself can best tell you that," the countsaid. "It is a strange story indeed."

  "And a long one," Dame Margaret added. "Were I to tell it fully it wouldlast till midnight, but I will tell you how matters befell, and to-morrowwill inform you of the details more at length."

  She then related briefly the incidents that had occurred from the day ofher interview with the Duke of Burgundy to that of her escape, telling ofthe various disguises that had been used, the manner in which Guy hadoverheard the councils of the butchers before they surrounded the hotel ofthe Duke of Aquitaine and dragged away a large number of knights andladies to prison, and how the four men-at-arms had re-entered Paris aftertheir escape, and remained there in readiness to aid her if required.

  Guy himself was not present at the narration, as he had, after staying fora short time in the room, gone down into the banqueting-hall to see thatthe men's wants were well attended to, and to talk with the English men-at-arms and archers.

  "It seems to me," Sir Eustace said when his wife had finished the story,"that my young esquire has comported himself with singular prudence aswell as bravery."

  "He has been everything to me," Dame Margaret said warmly; "he has been myadviser and my friend. I have learned to confide in him implicitly. It washe who secured for me in the first place the friendship of Count Charles,and then that of his friends. He was instrumental in securing for us theassistance of the Italian who warned and afterwards sheltered us--one ofthe adventures that I have not yet told, because I did not think that Icould do so without saying more than that person would like known; but Guyrendered him a service that in his opinion far more than repaid him forhis kindness to us. The messenger he employed was a near relation of his."

  And she then related how Guy had rescued this relation from the hands ofthe butchers, how he had himself been chased, and had killed one andwounded another of his assailants; and how at last he escaped from fallinginto their hands by leaping from the bridge into the Seine.

  "You will understand," she said, "that not only our host but we all shouldhave been sacrificed had not the messenger been rescued. He would havebeen compelled by threats, and if these failed by tortures, to reveal whohis employer was and where he lived, and in that case a search would havebeen made, we should have been discovered, and our lives as well as thatof our host would have paid the penalty."

  "It is impossible to speak too highly of the young esquire," Sir JohnPoupart said warmly. "For a short time we all saw a good deal of him atthe fencing-school, to which D'Estournel introduced him. He made greatprogress, and wonderfully improved his swordsmanship even during the shorttime he was there, and the best of us found a match in him. He was quietand modest, and even apart from the service he had rendered toD'Estournel, we all came to like him greatly. He is a fine character, andI trust that ere long he may have an opportunity of winning his spurs, forthe courage he has shown in the defence of his charges would assuredlyhave gained them for him had it been displayed in battle."

  The knights were persuaded to stay a few days at the castle, and then rodeaway with their retainers with mutual expressions of hope that they wouldmeet again in quieter times. Guy had opened the little packet thatKatarina had given him at starting. It contained a ring with a diamond ofgreat beauty and value, with the words "With grateful regards."

  He showed it to Sir Eustace, who said:

  "It is worth a knight's ransom, lad, and more, I should say. Take it notwith you to the wars, but leave it at home under safe guardianship, forshould it ever be your bad luck to be made a prisoner, I will warrant itwould sell for a sufficient sum to pay your ransom. That is a noble suitof armour that the silversmith gave you. Altogether, Guy, you have noreason to regret that you accompanied your lady to Paris. You have gaineda familiarity with danger which will assuredly stand you in good steadsome day, you have learned some tricks of fence, you have gained thefriendship of half a score of nobles and knights; you have earned thelasting gratitude of my dame and myself, you have come back with a suit ofarmour such as a noble might wear in a tournament, and a ring worth I knownot how much money. It is a fair opening of your life, Guy, and your goodfather will rejoice when I tell him how well you have borne yourself. Itmay be that it will not be long before you may have opportunities ofshowing your mettle in a wider field. The English have already madeseveral descents on the coast, and have carried off much spoil and manyprisoners, and it may not be long before we hear that Henry is gathering apowerful army and is crossing the seas to maintain his rights, and recoverthe lands that have during past years been wrested from the crown.

  "I propose shortly to return to England. My dame has borne up bravelyunder her troubles, but both she and Agnes need rest and quiet. It istime, too, that Charlie applied himself to his studies for a time andlearnt to read and write well, for methinks that every knight should atleast know this much. I shall take John Harpen back with me. Such of themen-at-arms and archers as may wish to return home must wait here until Isend you others to take their places, for I propose to leave you hereduring my absence, as my castellan. It is a post of honour, Guy, but Ifeel that the castle will be in good hands; and there is, moreover, anadvantage in thus leaving you, as, should any message be sent byBurgundian or Orleanist, you will be able to reply that, having beenplaced here by me to hold the castle in my absence, you can surrender itto no one, and can admit no one to garrison it, until you have sent to meand received my orders on the subject. Thus considerable delay may beobtained.

  "Should I receive such a message from you, I shall pass across at once toCalais with such force as I can gather. I trust that no such summons willarrive, for it is clear that the truce now made between the two Frenchfactions will be a very short one, and that ere long the trouble willrecommence, and, as I think, this time Burgundy will be worsted. TheOrleanists are now masters of Paris and of the king's person, whileassuredly they have the support of the Duke of Aquitaine, who must long torevenge the indignities that were put upon him by Burgundy and the mob ofParis. They should therefore be much the stronger party, and can,moreover, issue what proclamations they choose in the king's name, asBurgundy has hitherto been doing in his own interest. The duke willtherefore be too busy to think of meddling with us. Upon the other hand
,if the Orleanists gain the mastery they are the less likely to interferewith us, as I hear that negotiations have just been set on foot again forthe marriage of King Henry with Katherine of France. The English raidswill therefore be stopped, and the French will be loath to risk thebreaking off of the negotiations which might be caused by an assaultwithout reason upon the castle of one who is an English as well as aFrench vassal, and who might, therefore, obtain aid from the garrison ofCalais, by which both nations might be again embroiled."

  "If you think well, my lord, to leave me here in command I will assuredlydo the best in my power to prove myself worthy of your confidence; but itis a heavy trust for one so young."

  "I have thought that over, Guy, but I have no fear that you will fail inany way. Were the garrison wholly a French one I might hesitate, but halfthe defenders of the castle are Englishmen; and in Tom, the captain of thearchers, you have one of whose support at all times you will be confident,while the French garrison will have learned from the three men who wentwith you that they would as readily follow you as they would a knight ofexperience. Moreover, good fighters as the English are, they are far moreindependent and inclined to insubordination than the French, who havenever been brought up in the same freedom of thought. Therefore, althoughI have no doubt that they will respect your authority, I doubt whether,were I to put a Frenchman in command, they would prove so docile, whilewith the French there will be no difficulty. I might, of course, appointJohn Harpen, who is ten years your senior, to the command; but John,though a good esquire, is bluff and rough in his ways, and as obstinate asa mule, and were I to leave him in command he would, I am sure, soon setthe garrison by the ears. As an esquire he is wholly trustworthy, but heis altogether unfitted for command, therefore I feel that the choice Ihave made of you is altogether for the best, and I shall go away confidentthat the castle is in good hands, and that if attacked it will be asstaunchly defended as if I myself were here to direct the operations."

  Two days later Sir Eustace with his family started, under the guard of tenEnglish and ten French men-at-arms, for Calais. Before starting heformally appointed Guy as castellan in his absence, and charged thegarrison to obey his orders in all things, as if they had been given byhimself. He also called in the principal tenants and delivered a similarcharge to them. The English men-at-arms were well pleased to be commandedby one whom they had known from childhood, and whose father they had beenaccustomed to regard as their master during the absences of Sir Eustaceand Dame Margaret. The archers had not, like the men-at-arms, been drawnfrom the Summerley estate, but the devotion of their leader to Guy, andthe tales he had told them of what had taken place in Paris rendered themequally satisfied at his choice as their leader. As for the French men-at-arms, bred up in absolute obedience to the will of their lord, theyaccepted his orders in this as they would have done on any other point.Sir Eustace left Guy instructions that he might make any further additionto the defences that he thought fit, pointing out to him several that hehad himself intended to carry out.

  "I should have set about these at once," he had said, "but it is only nowthat the vassals have completed the work of rebuilding their houses, and Iwould not call upon them for any service until that was completed. I havetold them now that such works must be taken in hand, and that, as they sawupon the occasion of the last siege, their safety depends upon the powerof the castle to defend itself, I shall expect their services to bereadily and loyally rendered, especially as they have been remitted forover six months. It would be well also to employ the garrison on theworks--in the first place, because they have long been idle, and idlenessis bad for them; and in the second place because the vassals will all workmore readily seeing that the garrison are also employed. While so engagedan extra measure of wine can be served to each man, and a small additionof pay. Here are the plans that I have roughly prepared. Beyond the moat Iwould erect at the centre of each of the three sides a strong work,similar to that across the drawbridge, and the latter I would also havestrengthened.

  "These works, you see, are open on the side of the moat, so that ifcarried they would offer the assailants no shelter from arrows from thewalls, while being triangular in shape they would be flanked by our fire.Each of these three forts should have a light drawbridge running acrossthe moat to the foot of the wall, thence a ladder should lead to anentrance to be pierced through the wall, some fifteen feet above the levelof the moat; by this means the garrison could, if assailed by anoverwhelming force, withdraw into the castle. These outposts would renderit--so long as they were held--impossible for storming-parties to crossthe moat and place ladders, as they did on the last occasion. The firsttask will, of course, be to quarry stones. As soon as sufficient areprepared for one of these outworks you should proceed to erect it, as itwould render one side at least unassailable and diminish the circuit to bedefended. As soon as one is finished, with its drawbridge, ladder, andentrance, proceed with the next. I would build the one at the rear first.As you see from this plan, the two walls are to be twenty feet high andeach ten yards long, so that they could be defended by some twenty men.After they are built I would further strengthen them by leading ditchesfrom the moat, six feet deep and ten feet wide, round them. The earth fromthese ditches should be thrown inside the walls, so as to strengthen theseand form a platform for the defenders to stand on. If the earth isinsufficient for that purpose the moat can be widened somewhat."

  "I will see that your wishes are carried out, Sir Eustace; assuredly theselittle outworks will add greatly to the strength of the castle. Are thebridges to be made to draw up?"

  "No; that will hardly be necessary. Let them consist of two beams withplanks laid crosswise. They need not be more than four feet wide, and theplanks can therefore be easily pulled up as the garrison falls back. Ihave told the tenants that during the winter, when there is but little fortheir men to do, they can keep them employed on this work, and that I willpay regular wages to them and for the carts used in bringing in thestones."

  Guy was very glad that there was something specific to be done that wouldgive him occupation and keep the men employed. Sir Eustace had informedthe garrison of the work that would be required of them, and of the rationof wine and extra pay that would be given, and all were well satisfiedwith the prospect. For the English especially, having no friends outside,found the time hang very heavy on their hands, and their experience duringthe last siege had taught them that the additional fortifications, of thenature of which they were ignorant, however, would add to their safety.

  As soon, therefore, as Sir Eustace had left, Guy commenced operations. Afew men only were kept on guard, and the rest went out daily to preparethe stones under the direction of a master mason, who had been broughtfrom Arras by Sir Eustace. Some fifty of the tenants were also employed onthe work, and as the winter closed in this number was doubled.

  The quarry lay at a distance of half a mile from the castle, and as fastas the stones were squared and roughly dressed they were taken in carts tothe spot where they were to be used. Guy had the foundations for the wallsdug in the first place, to a depth below that of the bottom of the moats,and filled up with cement and rubble. The trenches were then dug at adistance of five feet from the foot of the walls. With so many hands thework proceeded briskly, and before springtime the three works were allcompleted, with their bridges and ladders, passages pierced through thecastle wall, and stone steps built inside by which those who passedthrough could either descend into the court yard or mount to thebattlements. At the end of September fifteen archers and men-at-armsarrived from England to take the place of those who had desired to returnhome, and who on their coming marched away to Calais.

  From time to time reports were received of the events happening in Paris.Paris had been strongly occupied by the Orleanists, and a proclamation hadat once been issued in the name of the king condemning all that had beendone in the city, and denouncing by name all the ringleaders of the latetumults, and such of these as were found in Paris were arrested. Anotherpro
clamation was then issued enjoining all parties to keep the peace, torefrain from gathering in armed bodies, and to abstain from the use ofexpressions against each other that might lead to a breach of the peace.

  On the 13th of November, the year being 1413, fresh and more stringentorders were issued by the king against any assemblies of men-in-arms, andat the end of this month the Duke of Burgundy sent to the king a letter ofcomplaint and accusation against his enemies. Those surrounding Charlespersuaded him to send no answer whatever to what they considered hisinsolent letter. Some of the Burgundian knights had still remained inParis, and on the advice of the Dukes of Berri and Orleans and otherprinces, the queen caused four knights of the suite of the Duke ofAquitaine to be carried away from the Louvre. This so much enraged theduke that he at first intended to sally out and call upon the populace ofParis to aid him to rescue the prisoners. The princes of the blood,however, restrained him from doing this; but although he pretended to beappeased he sent secret letters to the Duke of Burgundy begging him tocome to his assistance.

  This served as an excuse for Burgundy to gather all his adherents and tomarch towards Paris, and as he collected the force he sent letters to allthe principal towns saying that at the invitation of his son-in-law, theDuke of Aquitaine, and in consequence of the breach of the peace committedby his enemies, he was forced to take up arms to rescue his beloveddaughter and the duke from the hands of those who constrained them. Uponthe other hand, letters were written in the king's name to the varioustowns on the line by which Burgundy would advance from Artois, beggingthem not to open their gates to him.

  The Burgundian army advanced and occupied St. Denis, thence the duke sentdetachments to the various gates of Paris in hopes that the populace wouldrise in his favour. However, the citizens remained quiet, and the duke,being unprovided with the engines and machines necessary for a siege, fellback again, placing strong garrisons in Compiegne and Soissons. Then theOrleanists took the offensive, besieged and captured town after town, andrevenged the murder of their friends in Paris by wholesale massacres andatrocities of the worst description. The Burgundians in vain attempted toraise an army of sufficient strength to meet that of the king, who himselfaccompanied the Orleanist forces in the field. The fact that he waspresent with them had a powerful influence in preventing many lords whowould otherwise have done so from joining Burgundy, for although all knewthat the king was but a puppet who could be swayed by those who happenedto be round him, even the shadow of the royal authority had great weight,and both parties carried on their operations in the king's name,protesting that any decrees hostile to themselves were not the trueexpression of his opinion, but the work of ambitious and traitorouspersons who surrounded him. After occupying Laon, Peronne, and otherplaces, the king's army entered Artois, captured Bapaume, and advancedagainst Arras, where Sir John of Luxemburg, who commanded a Burgundiangarrison, prepared for the siege by sending away the greater part of thewomen and children, and destroying all the buildings and suburbs outsidethe walls.

  As soon as it was evident that the Orleanist army was marching againstArtois, Guy despatched one of the English soldiers to Summerley to informhis lord that if, as it seemed, the Orleanists intended to subdue all theBurgundian towns and fortresses in the province, it was probable thatVilleroy would be besieged. The messenger returned with twenty morearchers, and brought a letter from Sir Eustace to Guy saying that DameMargaret had been ill ever since her return from France, and that she wasat present in so dangerous a state that he could not leave her.

  "I trust," he said, "that as the negotiations for the marriage of the kingwith the French princess are still going on, you will not be disturbed.The main body of the French army will likely be engaged on more importantenterprises, and if you are attacked it will probably be only by strongplundering detachments; these you need not fear. Should you be besiegedstrongly, hold out as long as you can. I shall be sure to receive news ofit from Calais, and will go at once to the king and pray for hisprotection, and beg him to write to the King of France declaring that, tohis knowledge, I have ever been as loyal a vassal of France as of England.Should you find that the pressure upon you is too great, and that thecastle is like to be taken, I authorize you to make surrender on conditionthat all within the castle are permitted to march away free and unmolestedwhithersoever they will."