St. George for England: A Tale of Cressy and Poitiers

  CHAPTER XVI.

  A PRISONER.

  As long as it was light an anxious lookout was kept from the top of thekeep toward Calais. There was nothing to be done. The besiegers who hadentered the walls were ensconced in the various buildings in thecourt-yard or placed behind walls so as to be out of arrow-shot fromabove, and were in readiness to repel any sortie which might be made tointerfere with the work going on under the penthouse. But no sortie waspossible, for to effect this it would be necessary to remove the stonesfrom the door, and before this could be accomplished the besiegers wouldhave rallied in overwhelming force, nor could a sortie have effectedanything beyond the slaying of the men actually engaged in the work. Thebeams of the penthouse were too strong and too heavily weighted withearth to be removed, and the attempt would only have entailed uselessslaughter. The penthouse was about forty feet in length, and theassailants were piercing three openings, each of some six feet in width,leaving two strong supporting pillars between them. Anxiously thegarrison within listened to the sounds of work, which became louder andlouder as the walls crumbled before the stroke of pickax and crowbar.

  "I shall hold out until the last moment," Walter said to Ralph, "inhopes of relief, but before they burst in I shall sound a parley. Toresist further would be a vain sacrifice of life."

  Presently a movement could be seen among the stones, and then almostsimultaneously two apertures appeared. The chamber into which theopenings were made was a large one, being used as the common room of thegarrison. Here twenty archers and the remaining men-at-arms--of whomnearly one-half had fallen in the defense of the breach--were gathered,and the instant the orifices appeared the archers began to send theirarrows through them. Then Walter ascended to another chamber, andordered the trumpeter to sound a parley.

  The sound was repeated by the assailants' trumpeter.

  "Who commands the force?" Walter asked.

  "I, Guy, Count of Evreux."

  "I am Sir Walter Somers," the young knight continued. "I wish to askterms for the garrison."

  "You must surrender unconditionally," the count replied from thecourt-yard. "In ten minutes we shall have completely pierced your walls,and you will be at our mercy."

  "You may pierce our walls," Walter replied, "but it will cost you manylives before you force your way in; we will defend the hold from floorto floor, and you know how desperate men can fight. It will cost youscores of lives before you win your way to the summit of this keep; butif I have your knightly word that the lives of all within these wallsshall be spared, then will I open the doors and lay down our arms."

  A consultation took place between the leaders below. There was truth inWalter's words that very many lives would be sacrificed before theresistance of so gallant a garrison could be overcome. Every minute wasof importance, for it was possible that at any moment aid might arrivefrom Calais, and that the table would be turned upon the besiegers.Therefore, after a short parley among themselves, the count replied:

  "You have fought as a gallant knight and gentleman, Sir Walter Somers,and have wrought grievous harm upon my leading. I should grieve that sobrave a knight should lose his life in a useless resistance. Therefore Iagree to your terms, and swear upon my knightly honor that upon yoursurrendering yourselves prisoners of war, the lives of all within thesewalls shall be spared."

  Walter at once gave the order. The stones were removed and the doorthrown open, and leading his men Walter descended the steps into thecourt-yard, which was now illuminated with torches, and handed his swordto the Count of Evreux.

  "You promised me, count," a tall knight standing by his side said, "thatif he were taken alive, the commander of this castle should be myprisoner."

  "I did so, Sir Philip Holbeaut. When you proposed this adventure to me,and offered to place your following at my command, I agreed to therequest you made me; but mind," he said sternly, "my knightly word hasbeen given for his safety. See that he receives fair and gentletreatment at your hand. I would not that aught should befall so brave aknight."

  "I seek him no harm," the knight said angrily; "but I know that he isone of the knights of the Black Prince's own suit, and that his ransomwill be freely paid, and as my coffers are low from the expenses of thewar, I would fain replenish them at the expense of the English prince."

  "I said not that I doubted you, Sir Philip," the count said calmly; "butas the knight surrendered on my word, it was needful that I should warnyou to treat him as I myself should do did he remain in my hands, and togive him fair treatment until duly ransomed."

  "I should be glad, count," Walter said, "if you will suffer me to takewith me as companion in my captivity this man-at-arms. He is stronglyattached to me, and we have gone through many perils together; it willlighten my captivity to have him by my side."

  "Surely I will do so, Sir Walter, and wish that your boon had been alarger one. The rest I will take back with me to Amiens, there to holduntil exchanged for some of those who at various times have fallen intoyour king's hands. And now to work, men; lose not a moment in strippingthe castle of all that you choose to carry away, then apply fire to thestorehouses, granaries, and the hold itself. I would not that itremained standing to serve as an outpost for the English."

  The horses were brought from the stables. Walter and Ralph took theirhorses by the bridle, and followed Sir Philip Holbeaut through the nowopen gates of the castle to the spot where the horses of the besiegerswere picketed. The knight and his own men-at-arms, who had at thebeginning of the day numbered a hundred and fifty, but who were nowscarcely two thirds of that strength, at once mounted with theirprisoners, and rode off from the castle. A few minutes later a glare oflight burst out from behind them. The count's orders had been obeyed;fire had been applied to the stores of forage, and soon the castle ofPres was wrapped in flames.

  "I like not our captor's manner," Ralph said to Walter as they rodealong side by side.

  "I agree with you, Ralph. I believe that the reason which he gave thecount for his request was not a true one, though, indeed, I can see noother motive which he could have for seeking to gain possession of me.Sir Philip, although a valiant knight, bears but an indifferentreputation. I have heard that he is a cruel master to his serfs, andthat when away fighting in Germany he behaved so cruelly to thepeasantry that even the Germans, who are not nice in their modes ofwarfare, cried out against him. It is an evil fortune that has thrownus into his hands; still, although grasping and avaricious, he canhardly demand for a simple knight any inordinate ransom. The Frenchthemselves would cry out did he do so, seeing that so large a number oftheir own knights are in our hands, and that the king has ample powersof retaliation; however, we need not look on the dark side. It is notlikely that our captivity will be a long one, for the prince, who is thesoul of generosity, will not haggle over terms, but will pay my ransomas soon as he hears into whose hands I have fallen, while there arescores of men-at-arms prisoners whom he can exchange for you. DoubtlessSir Philip will send you over as soon as he arrives at his castle, withone of his own followers, to treat for my ransom."

  After riding for some hours the troop halted their weary horses in awood, and lighting fires, cooked their food, and then lay down untilmorning. Sir Philip exchanged but few words with his captive; as, havingremoved his helm, he sat by the fire, Walter had an opportunity ofseeing his countenance. It did not belie his reputation. His face had aheavy and brutal expression which was not decreased by the fashion ofhis hair, which was cut quite short, and stood up without parting allover his bullet-shaped head; he had a heavy and bristling mustache whichwas cut short in a line with his lips.

  "THIS IS A DUNGEON FOR A FELON," HE EXCLAIMED.--Page273.]

  "It is well," Walter thought to himself, "that it is my ransom ratherthan my life which is dear to that evil-looking knight; for, assuredly,he is not one to hesitate did fortune throw a foe into his hands."

  At daybreak the march was resumed, and was continued until they reachedthe castle of Sir Philip Holbeaut, which stood
on a narrow tongue ofland formed by a sharp bend of the Somme.

  On entering the castle the knight gave an order to his followers, andthe prisoners were at once led to a narrow cell beneath one of thetowers. Walter looked round indignantly when he arrived there.

  "This is a dungeon for a felon," he exclaimed, "not the apartment for aknight who has been taken captive in fair fight. Tell your master thathe is bound to award me honorable treatment, and that unless he removesme instantly from this dungeon to a proper apartment, and treats me withall due respect and courtesy, I will, when I regain my liberty, proclaimhim a dishonored knight."

  The men-at-arms made no reply; but, locking the door behind them, leftthe prisoners alone.

  "What can this mean, Ralph?" Walter exclaimed. "We are in the lowestdungeon, and below the level of the river. See how damp are the walls,and the floor is thick with slimy mud. The river must run but just belowthat loop-hole, and in times of flood probably enters here."

  Philip of Holbeaut, on dismounting, ascended to an upper chamber, wherea man in the dress of a well-to-do citizen was sitting.

  "Well, Sir Philip," he exclaimed, rising to his feet as the otherentered, "what news?"

  "The news is bad," the knight growled. "This famous scheme of yours hascost me fifty of my best men. I would I had had nothing to do with it."

  "But this Walter Somers," the other exclaimed, "what of him? He has notescaped, surely! The force which marched from Amiens was large enough tohave eaten him and his garrison."

  "He has not escaped," the knight replied.

  "Then he is killed!" the other said eagerly.

  "No; nor is he killed. He is at present a prisoner in a dungeon below,together with a stout knave whom he begged might accompany him untilransomed."

  "All is well, then," the other exclaimed. "Never mind the loss of yourmen. The money which I have promised you for this business will hire youtwo hundred such knaves; but why didst not knock him on the head atonce?"

  "It was not so easy to knock him on the head," Sir Philip growled. "Itcost us five hundred men to capture the outer walls, and to have foughtour way into the keep, held as it was by men who would have contestedevery foot of the ground, was not a job for which any of us had muchstomach, seeing what the first assaults had cost us; so the count tookthem all to quarter. The rest he carried with him to Amiens; but theirleader, according to the promise which he made me, he handed over to meas my share of the day's booty, giving me every charge that he shouldreceive good and knightly treatment."

  "Which, no doubt, you will observe," the other said, with an ugly laugh.

  "It is a bad business," the knight exclaimed angrily, "and were it notfor our friendship in Spain, and the memory of sundry deeds which we didtogether, not without profit to our purses, I would rather that you werethrown over the battlements into the river than I had taken a step inthis business. However, none can say that Philip of Holbeaut everdeserted a friend who had proved true to him, not to mention that thesum which you promised me for my aid in this matter will, at the presenttime, prove wondrously convenient. Yet I foresee that it will bring meinto trouble with the Count of Evreux. Ere many days a demand will comefor the fellow to be delivered on ransom."

  "And what will you say?" the other asked.

  "I shall say what is the truth," the knight replied, "though I may addsomething that is not wholly so. I shall say that he was drowned in theSomme. I shall add that it happened as he was trying to make his escape,contrary to the parole he had given; but in truth he will be drowned inthe dungeon in which I have placed him, which has rid me of many atroublesome prisoner before now. The river is at ordinary times but twofeet below the loop-hole; and when its tide is swelled by rain it oftenrises above the sill, and then there is an end of any one within. Theycan doubt my word; but there are not many who would care to do soopenly; none who would do so for the sake of an unknown English knight.And as for any complaints on the part of the Black Prince, King Philiphas shown over and over again how little the complaints of Edwardhimself move him."

  "It were almost better to knock him on the head at once," the other saidthoughtfully; "the fellow has as many lives as a cat."

  "If he had as many as nine cats," the knight replied, "it would notavail him. But I will have no violence. The water will do your work aswell as a poniard, and I will not have it said, even among such ruffiansas mine, that I slew a captured knight. The other will pass as anaccident, and I care not what my men may think as long as they can saynothing for a surety. The count may storm as much as he will, and mayeven lay a complaint against me before the king; but in times like thepresent, even a simple knight who can lead two hundred good fighting meninto the field is not to be despised, and the king is likely to beeasily satisfied with my replies to any question that may be raised.Indeed, it would seem contrary to reason that I should slay a captiveagainst whom I have no cause of quarrel, and so forfeit the ransom whichI should get for him."

  "But suppose that a messenger should come offering ransom before theriver happens to rise?"

  "Then I shall anticipate matters, and shall say that what I know willhappen has already taken place. Do not be uneasy, Sir James. You have myword in the matter, and now I have gone so far, I shall carry itthrough. From the moment when I ordered him into that dungeon his fatewas sealed, and in truth, when I gave the order I did so to put an endto the indecision in which my mind had been all night. Once in there hecould not be allowed to come out alive, for his report of such treatmentwould do me more harm among those of my own station in France than anyrumors touching his end could do. It is no uncommon affair for one toremove an enemy from one's path; but cruelty to a knightly prisonerwould be regarded with horror. Would you like to have a look at him?"

  The other hesitated. "No," he replied. "Against him personally I have nogreat grudge. He has thwarted my plans, and stands now grievously in theway of my making fresh ones; but as he did so from no ill-will towardmyself, but as it were by hazard, I have no personal hatred toward him,though I would fain remove him from my path. Besides, I tell you fairly,that even in that dungeon where you have thrown him I shall not feelthat he is safe until you send me word that he is dead. He has twicealready got out of scrapes when other men would have been killed. Bothat Vannes and at Ghent he escaped in a marvelous way; and but a fewweeks since, by the accident of his having a coat of mail under hisdoublet he saved his life from as fair a blow as ever was struck.Therefore I would not that he knew aught of my having a hand in thismatter, for if after having seen me he made his escape I could nevershow my face in England again. I should advise you to bid three or fourmen always enter his cell together, for he and that man-at-arms whofollows him like a shadow are capable of playing any desperate trick toescape."

  "That matter is easily enough managed," Sir Philip said grimly, "by noone entering the dungeon at all. The river may be slow of rising, thoughin sooth the sky looks overcast now, and it is already at its usualwinter level; and whether he dies from lack of water or from a tooabundant supply matters but little to me; only, as I told you, I willgive no orders for him to be killed. Dost remember that Jew we carriedoff from Seville and kept without water until he agreed to pay us aransom which made us both rich for six months? That was a rare haul, andI would that rich Jews were plentiful in this country."

  "Yes, those were good times," the other said, "although I own that Ihave not done badly since the war began, having taken a count and threeknights prisoners, and put them to ransom, and having reaped a goodlyshare of plunder from your French burghers, else indeed I could not haveoffered you so round a sum to settle this little matter for me. Thereare not many French knights who have earned a count's ransom in thepresent war. And now I will take horse; here is one-half of the sum Ipromised you, in gold nobles. I will send you the remainder on the daywhen I get news from you that the matter is finished."

  "Have your money ready in a week's time," the knight replied, taking thebag of gold which the other placed on the table, "for by
that time youwill hear from me. I hope this will not be the last business which wemay do together; there ought to be plenty of good chances in a war likethis. Any time that you can send me word of an intended foray by a smallparty under a commander whose ransom would be a high one I will sharewhat I get with you; and similarly I will let you know of any rich prizewho may be pounced upon on the same terms."

  "Agreed!" the other said. "We may do a good business together in thatway. But you lie too far away. If you move up as near as you can toCalais and let me know your whereabout, so that I could send or ride toyou in a few hours, we might work together with no small profit."

  "I will take the field as soon as this affair of yours is settled," theknight replied; "and the messenger who brings you the news shall tellyou where I may be found. And now, while your horse is being got ready,let us drink a stoop of wine together in memory of old times, though,for myself, these wines of ours are poor and insipid beside the fieryjuice of Spain."

  While this conversation, upon which their fate so much depended, hadbeen going on, Walter and Ralph had been discussing the situation, andhad arrived at a tolerably correct conclusion.

  "This conduct on the part of this brutal French knight, Ralph, is sostrange that methinks it cannot be the mere outcome of his passions orof hate against me as an Englishman, but of some deeper motive; and wewere right in thinking that in bargaining for my person with the Countof Evreux it was more than my ransom which he sought. Had that been hisonly object he would never have thrown us into this noisome dungeon, formy report of such treatment would bring dishonor upon him in the eyes ofevery knight and noble in France as well as in England. It must be mylife he aims at, although what grudge he can have against me it passesme to imagine. It may be that at Cressy or elsewhere some dear relativeof his may have fallen by my sword; and yet were it so, men nourish nogrudge for the death of those killed in fair fight. But this boots notat present. It is enough for us that it is my life which he aims at, andI fear, Ralph, that yours must be included with mine, since he wouldnever let a witness escape to carry the foul tale against him. Thisbeing so, the agreement on which I surrendered is broken, and I am freeto make my escape if I can, and methinks the sooner that be attemptedthe better. So let us to work to plan how we may best get out of thisplace. After our escape from that well at Vannes we need not despairabout breaking out from this dungeon of Holbeaut."

  "We might overpower the guard who brings our food," Ralph said.

  "There is that chance," Walter rejoined, "but I think it is a poor one.They may be sure that this dishonorable treatment will have rendered usdesperate, and they will take every precaution and come well armed. Itmay be, too, that they will not come at all, but that they intend us todie of starvation, or perchance to be drowned by the floods, which it iseasy to see often make their way in here. No, our escape, if escapethere be, must be made through that loop-hole above. Were that barremoved methinks it is wide enough for us to squeeze through. Doubtlesssuch a hazard has not occurred to them, seeing that it is nigh twelvefeet above the floor and that a single man could by no possibility reachit, but with two of us there is no difficulty. Now, Ralph, do you standagainst the wall. I will climb upon your shoulders and standing therecan reach the bar and so haul myself up and look out."

  This was soon done, and Walter, seizing the bar, hauled himself up sothat he could see through the loop-hole.

  "It is as I thought," he said. "The waters of the Somme are but a footbelow the level of this window; the river is yellow and swollen, and afew hours' heavy rain would bring it above the level of this sill. Standsteady, Ralph, I am coming down again."

  When he reached the ground he said:

  "Take off your belt, Ralph; if we buckle that and mine together, passingit round the bar, it will make a loop upon which we can stand at thewindow and see how best we can loosen the bar. Constantly wet as it is,it is likely that the mortar will have softened, in which case we shallhave little difficulty in working it out."

  The plan was at once put into execution; the belts were fastenedtogether, and Walter standing on Ralph's shoulders passed one end aroundthe bar and buckled it to the other, thus making a loop some three feetin length; putting a foot in this he was able to stand easily at theloop-hole.

  "It is put in with mortar at the top, Ralph, and the mortar has rottedwith the wet, but at the bottom lead was poured in when the bar was setand this must be scooped out before it can be moved. Fortunately theknight gave no orders to his men to remove our daggers when we werethrust in here, and these will speedily dig out the lead; but I mustcome down first, for the strap prevents my working at the foot of thebar. We must tear off a strip of our clothing and make a shift to fastenthe strap half-way up the bar so as not to slip down with our weight."

  In order to accomplish this Walter had to stand upon Ralph's head togain additional height. He presently, after several attempts, succeededin fixing the strap firmly against the bar half-way up, and then placingone knee in the loop and putting an arm through the bar to steadyhimself, he set to work at the lead. The sharp point of the daggerquickly cut out that near the surface, but further down the holenarrowed and the task was much more difficult. Several times Ralphrelieved him at the work, but at last it was accomplished, and the barwas found to move slightly when they shook it. There now remained onlyto loosen the cement above, and this was a comparatively easy task; itcrumbled quickly before the points of their daggers, and the bar wassoon free to move.

  "Now," Walter said, "we have to find out whether the bar was first putin from below or from above; one hole or the other must be a good dealdeeper than the iron, so that it was either shoved up or pushed downuntil the other end could get under or over the other hole. I shouldthink most likely the hole is below, as if they held up the bar againstthe top, when the lead was poured in it would fill up the space; so wewill first of all try to lift it. I must stand on your head again toenable me to be high enough to try this."

  "My head is strong enough, I warrant," Ralph replied, "but I will foldup my jerkin, and put on it, for in truth you hurt me somewhat when youwere tying the strap to the bar."

  All Walter's efforts did not succeed in raising the bar in theslightest, and he therefore concluded that it had been inserted here andlifted while the space was filled with lead. "It is best so," he said;"we should have to cut away the stone either above or below, and canwork much better below. Now I will put my knee in the strap again andset to work. The stone seems greatly softened by the wet, and will yieldto our daggers readily enough. It is already getting dark, and as soonas we have finished we can start."

  As Walter had discovered, the stone was rotten with the action of theweather, and although as they got deeper it became much harder, ityielded to the constant chipping with their daggers, and in two hoursRalph, who at the moment happened to be engaged, announced to Walterthat his dagger found its way under the bottom of the bar. The groovewas soon made deep enough for the bar to be moved out; but anotherhour's work was necessary, somewhat further to enlarge the upper hole,so as to allow the bar to have sufficient play. Fortunately it was onlyinserted about an inch and a half in the stone, and the amount to be cutaway to give it sufficient play was therefore not large. Then at lastall was ready for their flight.