Saint George for England

G >> G. A. Henty >> Saint George for England

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"And yet," Walter said, smiling, "no sooner do you get it than you give it
away."

"Ah!" the prince laughed, "I cannot deny it. It is so much pleasanter to
give than to pay, that I can never find heart to balk myself. I am ever
surrounded by suitors. Some have lost estates in my cause, others have
rendered brilliant services in the field, some have burdened themselves
with debts to put their retainers in arms - all have pleased to urge, and
for the life of me I cannot say them nay. I trust, though," he added more
seriously, "that Don Pedro will fulfil his promises to pay my army. I have
bound myself to my soldiers for their wages, besides advancing large sums
to Pedro, and if he keeps not his engagements I shall indeed be in a sore
strait."

"There is one thing," Walter said; "if he fail to keep his promises, we
will not fail to oblige him to do so. If we win a kingdom for him, we can
snatch it from him again."

"We have not won it yet," the prince said.

"We will do so tomorrow," Walter rejoined confidently. "I hope the
fortunes of the day may bring me face to face with Du Guesclin. I am thrice
as strong as when I fought at Cressy, and I should like to try my hand
against this doughty champion."

The next morning the two armies prepared for battle, the Black Prince
dividing his army as before. The divisions were commanded as in the passage
of the Pyrenees, and each numbered 10,000 men.

Don Henry had also divided his force in three parts. In the first division,
commanded by Du Guesclin, were 4000 veteran French knights and men-at-arms
with 8000 foot-soldiers; the second was led by the prince's brother, Don
Tillo, with 16,000 horse; while he himself commanded the third, in which
were a multitude of soldiers, making up the gross total of 100,000 men.

As on the night preceding the battle of Poitiers, the English army had lain
down supperless. Soon after midnight the trumpets sounded, and the troops
soon moved forward. At sunrise the prince and his forces reached the
summit of a little hill, whence was visible the approaching host of Spain.
The first division, under the Duke of Lancaster and Lord Chandos,
immediately quickened its pace and charged the division of Du Guesclin,
which received it with great steadiness, and a desperate conflict ensued.
The Black Prince charged the division of Don Tillo, which gave way at the
first attack, and its commander, with 2000 horse, at once fled. The
remainder of the division resisted for some time, but was unable to
withstand the steady advance of the English, who without much difficulty
dispersed and scattered it from the field. The King of Majorca now joined
his division with that of the Black Prince, and the two advanced against
the great division led by Don Henry.

The Spanish slingers opened upon the advancing force and for a time annoyed
them greatly, but when the English archers arrived within bow-shot and
opened fire they speedily dispersed the slingers, and the men-at-arms on
both sides advanced to the attack. The conflict was long and desperate, and
both sides fought with great gallantry and determination. Don Pedro - who,
although vicious and cruel, was brave - fought in the ranks as a common
soldier, frequently cutting his way into the midst of the Spaniards, and
shouting to Don Henry to cross swords with him. Henry on his part fought
with great valour, although, as he had the burden of command upon him, he
was less able to distinguish himself by acts of personal prowess. Though
fighting in the thickest of the press, he never lost his grasp of the
general purpose of the battle. Three times, when his troops wavered before
the assaults of the Black Prince and his knights, he rallied them and
renewed the fight.

While this battle was raging, a not less obstinate fight was proceeding
between the divisions of Lancaster and Du Guesclin. For a long time victory
was doubtful, and indeed inclined towards the side of the French. The ranks
of both parties were broken, and all were fighting in a confused mass,
when, in the midst of the melee, a body of French and Spaniards poured in
upon the banner of Chandos. He was struck to the ground, and a gigantic
Castilian knight flung himself upon him and strove to slay him as he held
him down. Chandos had lost sword and battle-axe, but drawing his dagger, he
held with one hand his opponent's sword-arm, and at last, after repeated
strokes with his dagger, he found an undefended part of his armour and
pierced him with his dagger to the hilt. The Spaniard relaxed his hold, and
Chandos, throwing him off, struggled to his feet and rejoined his friends,
who had thought him dead. They now fought with more enthusiasm than ever,
and at last, driving back the main body of the French knights, isolated a
body of some sixty strong, and forced them to surrender. Among these were
Du Guesclin himself, the Marshal D'Audenham, and the Bigue de Vilaines.

As these were the leaders of the division, the main body lost spirit and
fought feebly, and were soon completely routed by Lancaster and Chandos.
These now turned their attention to the other part of the field where the
battle was still raging, and charged down upon the flank of Don Henry's
army, which was already wavering. The Spaniards gave way at once on every
side, and ere long the whole were scattered in headlong rout, hotly pursued
by the English. The greater portion fled towards the town of Najarra, where
they had slept the previous night, and here vast quantities were
slaughtered by the English and Gascons. A number of prisoners were taken,
and the palace and town sacked. The pursuit was kept up the whole day, and
it was not until evening that the leaders began once more to assemble round
the banner of the Prince of Wales. Among the last who arrived was Don Pedro
himself. Springing from his charger he grasped the hand of the Prince of
Wales, thanking him for his victory, which he felt would restore him to his
throne.

"Give thanks and praise to God, and not to me," the prince replied, "for
from Him, and not from me, you have received victory."

About 8000 men fell in the battle, the loss of the English, French, and
Spaniards being nearly equal; but many thousands of the latter fell in the
pursuit, and as many more were drowned in endeavouring to cross the river
Ebro. Don Henry escaped after fighting till the last, and reaching the
French territory in safety took refuge in the Papal court of Avignon.

Upon the morning after the battle Don Pedro requested the Black Prince to
give him up all the Castilian prisoners, in order that he might put them to
death. The prince, however, was always opposed to cruelty, and asked and
obtained as a boon to himself that the lives of all the Spanish prisoners,
with the exception of one whose conduct had been marked with peculiar
treachery, should be spared, and even induced Pedro to pardon them
altogether on their swearing fealty to him. Even Don Sancho, Pedro's
brother, who had fought at Najarra under Don Henry, was received and
embraced by Pedro at the request of the Prince of Wales. The city of
Burgos at once opened its gates, and the rest of the country followed its
example, and resumed its allegiance to Pedro, who remounted his throne
without further resistance.

As Walter had fought by the side of the Black Prince his desire to cross
swords with Du Guesclin was not satisfied; but his valour during the day
won for him the warm approbation of the prince. Opposed to them were many
of the great companies, and these men, all experienced soldiers and many of
them Englishmen, had fought with great stubbornness. Walter had singled out
for attack a banner bearing the cognizance of a raven. The leader of this
band, who was known as the Knight of the Raven, had won for himself a
specially evil notoriety in France by the ferocity of his conduct. Wherever
his band went they had swept the country, and the most atrocious tortures
had been inflicted on all well-to-do persons who had fallen into their
hands, to extract from them the secret of buried hoards or bonds, entailing
upon them the loss of their last penny.

The Knight of the Raven himself was said to be as brave as he was cruel,
and several nobles who had attempted to oppose his band had been defeated
and slain by him. He was known to be English, but his name was a mystery;
and the Black Prince and his knights had long wished to encounter a man who
was a disgrace alike to chivalry and the English name. When, therefore,
Walter saw his banner in the king's division he urged his horse towards it,
and, followed by Ralph and some thirty men-at-arms, hewed his way through
the crowd until he was close to the banner.

A knight in gray armour spurred forward to meet him, and a desperate
conflict took place.

Never had Walter crossed swords with a stouter adversary, and his opponent
fought with as much vehemence and fury as if the sight of Walter's banner,
which Ralph carried behind him, had aroused in him a frenzy of rage and
hate. In guarding his head from one of his opponent's sweeping blows
Walter's sword shivered at the hilt; but before the Gray Knight could
repeat the blow Walter snatched his heavy battle-axe from his saddle. The
knight reined back his horse for an instant, and imitated his example, and
with these heavy weapons the fight was renewed. The Knight of the Raven had
lost by the change, for Walter's great strength stood him in good stead,
and presently with a tremendous blow he beat down his opponent's axe and
cleft through his helmet almost to the chin.

The knight fell dead from his horse, and Walter, with his band pressing on,
carried confusion into the ranks of his followers. When these had been
defeated Walter rode back with Ralph to the spot where the Knight of the
Raven had fallen.

"Take off his helmet, Ralph. Let me see his face. Methinks I recognized
his voice, and he fought as if he knew and hated me."

Ralph removed the helmet.

"It is as I thought," Walter said; "it is Sir James Carnegie, a recreant
and villain knight and foul enemy of mine, a disgrace to his name and rank,
but a brave man. So long as he lived I could never say that my life was
safe from his machinations. Thank God, there is an end of him and his evil
doings!"

Walter was twice wounded in the fight, but upon neither occasion seriously,
and he was soon able to take part in the tournaments and games which the
Prince of Wales instituted partly to keep his men employed, partly for the
amusement of the citizens of Burgos, outside whose walls his army lay
encamped.

The prince was now obliged to remind the king of his promise to pay his
troops; but nothing was farther from the mind of the treacherous monarch
than to carry out the promises which he had made in exile. He dared not,
however, openly avow his intentions; but, trusting to the chapter of
accidents, he told the prince that at Burgos he could not collect a
sufficient sum; but if the army would march into Leon and take up their
quarters near Valladolid, he himself would proceed to Seville, and would as
soon as possible collect the money which he had bound himself to furnish.
The plan was adopted. Edward marched his troops to Valladolid, and Don
Pedro went to Seville.

Some time passed on without the arrival of the promised money, and the
prince was impatient to return to Aquitaine. Don Henry had gathered a
force in France, secretly assisted by the French king, and had made an
inroad into Aquitaine, where he obtained several successes, and was joined
by many of the disinterested nobles of that province.

"You were right," the prince said to Walter one day; "this treacherous
king, who owes his kingdom to us, intends to break his plighted word. I
know not what to do; my men are clamorous for their pay, and I am unable to
satisfy them. Don Pedro still sends fair promises, and although I believe
in my heart that he has no intention of keeping them, yet I can hardly
march against him as an enemy, for, however far from the truth it may be,
his pretext that the treasury has been emptied by his brother, and that in
the disturbed state of the kingdom no money can be obtained, may yet be
urged as valid."

Scarcely had the army encamped before Valladolid when a terrible pestilence
attacked the army. For a while all questions of pay were forgotten, and
consternation and dismay seized the troops. Neither rank nor station was of
avail, and the leaders suffered as severely as the men. Every day immense
numbers died, and so sudden were the attacks, and so great the mortality,
that the soldiers believed that Don Pedro had poisoned the wells in order
to rid himself of the necessity of fulfilling his obligations.

The Black Prince himself was prostrated, and lay for some time between life
and death. A splendid constitution enabled him to pull through, but he
arose from his bed enfeebled and shattered, and although for some years he
lived on, he received his death-blow at Valladolid. His personal strength
never came to him again, and even his mind was dulled and the brightness of
his intellect dimmed from the effects of the fever. When he recovered
sufficiently to inquire into the state of his forces, he was filled with
sorrow and dismay. Four-fifths of the number were either dead or so
weakened as to be useless for service again. The prince wrote urgently to
Don Pedro for the money due; but the king knew that the English were
powerless now, and replied that he had not been able to collect the money,
but would forward it to Aquitaine, if the prince would return there with
his army. Edward knew that he lied, but with only 6000 or 7000 men, many of
whom were enfeebled by disease, he was not in a position to force the
claim, or to punish the base and ungrateful king. Again, therefore, he
turned his face north.

Charles of Navarre had now allied himself with Don Henry, and refused to
allow the remnants of the army to pass through his dominions, although he
granted permission to the prince himself and his personal attendants and
friends. The southern route was barred by the King of Arragon, also an
ally of Don Henry; but with him the prince was more successful. He had a
personal interview with the monarch, and so influenced him that he not only
obtained permission for his troops to pass through his dominions, but
detached him from his alliance with Don Henry, and induced him to enter
into a friendly treaty with Pedro.

A greater act of magnanimity was never performed. In spite of the base
ingratitude with which he had been treated, and the breach of faith which
saddled him with enormous liabilities and debts, which weighed him down and
embittered the rest of his life, Edward remained faithful to the cause of
his father's ally, and did his best to maintain him in the position which
English valour had won for him. He himself with a few companions passed
through Navarre, and arrived safely in Bordeaux, where his wife awaited
him, and where he was received with rejoicings and festivities in honour of
his glorious campaign in Spain.

His health was now irreparably injured. Troubles came thick upon him in
Aquitaine, and he had no longer the energy to repress them. Risings took
place in all directions, and the King of France renewed the war. In
addition to his own troubles from the debts he had incurred, and the
enemies who rose against him, he was further shaken by the death of his
mother Philippa, whom he tenderly loved. His friend Chandos, too, was
killed in a skirmish. Unhappily, while thus weakened in mind and body the
treachery of the bishop and people of Limoges, who, having bound themselves
by innumerable promises to him, surrendered their city to the French,
caused him to commit the one act of cruelty which sullied the brightness of
an otherwise unspotted career, for at the recapture of the town he bade his
soldiers give no quarter.

This act, although common enough at the time, is so opposed to the
principles of mercy and humanity which throughout all the previous acts of
his life distinguished the conduct of the Black Prince that it cannot be
doubted that his brain was affected by the illness which was fast hurrying
him to the grave. Shortly afterwards he returned to England, and busied
himself in arranging the affairs of the kingdom, which his father's failing
health had permitted to fall into disorder. For the remaining four years of
life he lived in seclusion, and sank on the 8th of June, 1376.

Walter, Lord Somers, returned home after the conclusion of the campaign in
Spain, and rode no more to the wars.

Giles Fletcher and his wife had died some years before, but the good
citizen Geoffrey the armourer, when he grew into years, abandoned his
calling, and took up his abode at Westerham Castle to the time of his
death.

In the wars which afterwards occurred with France Walter was represented in
the field by his sons, who well sustained the high reputation which their
father had borne as a good and valiant knight. He and his wife lived to a
green old age, reverenced and beloved by their tenants and retainers, and
died surrounded by their descendants to the fourth generation.

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