The Boy Knight: A Tale of the Crusades Read online

  CHAPTER V.

  PREPARATIONS.

  Next Sunday a large number of people from some miles round were gatheredon the green at Evesham, to hear Father Francis preach on the holysepulcher. The forest men in their green jerkins mingled with the crowd,and a look of attention and seriousness was on the faces of all, for thenews of the loss of the holy sepulcher had really exercised a greateffect upon the minds of the people in England as elsewhere.

  Those were the days of pilgrimage to holy places, when the belief in thesanctity of places and things was overwhelming, and when men believedthat a journey to the holy shrines was sufficient to procure for them apardon for all their misdeeds. The very word "infidel" in those days wasfull of horror, and the thought that the holy places of the Christianswere in the hands of Moslems affected all Christians throughout Europewith a feeling of shame as well as of grief.

  Among the crowd were many of the Norman retainers from the castle andfrom many of the holds around, and several knights with the ladies oftheir family stood a little apart from the edge of the gathering; forit was known that Father Francis would not be alone, but that he wouldbe accompanied by a holy friar who had returned from the East, and whocould tell of the cruelties which the Christians had suffered at thehands of the Saracens.

  Father Francis, at ordinary times a tranquil preacher, was moved beyondhimself by the theme on which he was holding forth. He did not attemptto hide from those who stood around that the task to be undertaken wasone of grievous peril and trial; that disease and heat, hunger andthirst, must be dared, as well as the sword of the infidel. But he spokeof the grand nature of the work, of the humiliation to Christians, ofthe desecration of the shrines, and of the glory which awaited those whojoined the Crusade, whether they lived or whether they died in the HolyLand.

  His words had a strong effect upon the simple people who listened tohim, but the feelings so aroused were as naught to the enthusiasm whichgreeted the address of the friar.

  Meager and pale, with a worn, anxious face as one who had suffered much,the friar, holding aloft two pieces of wood from the Mount of Olivestied together in the form of a cross, harangued the crowd. His wordspoured forth in a fiery stream, kindling the hearts, and stirring atonce the devotion and the anger of his listeners.

  He told of the holy places, he spoke of the scenes of Holy Writ, whichhad there been enacted; and then he depicted the men who had died forthem. He told of the knights and men-at-arms, each of whom provedhimself again and again a match for a score of infidels. He spoke of theholy women, who, fearlessly and bravely, as the knights themselves, hadborne their share in the horrors of the siege and in the terrible timeswhich had preceded it.

  He told them that this misfortune had befallen Christianity because ofthe lukewarmness which had come upon them.

  "What profited it," he asked, "if a few knights who remained to defendthe holy sepulcher were heroes? A few heroes cannot withstand an army.If Christendom after making a mighty effort to capture the holysepulcher had not fallen away, the conquest which had been made with sovast an expenditure of blood would not have been lost. This is a work inwhich no mere passing fervor will avail; bravery at first, enduranceafterward, are needed. Many men must determine not only to assist towrest the holy sepulcher from the hands of the infidels, but to givetheir lives, so long as they might last, to retaining it. It is scarceto be expected that men with wives and families will take a view likethis, indeed it is not to be desired. But there are single men, men ofno ties, who can devote their whole lives, as did the Knights of theOrders of the Cross, to this great object. When their life has come toan end doubtless others will take up the banner that their hands can nolonger hold. But for life it is, indeed, that many of humble as well asof princely class must bind themselves to take and defend to death theholy sepulcher."

  So, gradually raising the tone of his speech, the friar proceeded; untilat length by his intense earnestness, his wild gesticulations, hisimpassioned words, he drew the whole of his listeners along with him;and when he ceased, a mighty shout of "To the Holy Land!" burst from hishearers.

  Falling upon their knees the crowd begged of him to give them the signof the cross, and to bestow his blessing upon their swords, and upontheir efforts.

  Father Francis had prepared, in contemplation of such a movement, alarge number of small white crosses of cloth. These he and the friar nowfastened to the shoulders of the men as they crowded up to receive it,holding their hands aloft, kissing the cross that the friar extended tothem, and swearing to give their lives, if need be, to rescue the holyshrines from the infidel.

  When all had received the holy symbol, Father Francis again ascended thebank from which they had addressed the crowd:

  "Now go to your homes, my sons," he said. "Think of the oath that youhave taken, and of the course that lies open to you when the time comes.When King Richard is prepared to start, then will you be called upon tofulfill your vows. It may be that all who have sworn may not be calledupon to go. It needs that the land here should be tilled, it needs thatthere should be protectors for the women and children, it needs thatthis England of ours should flourish, and we cannot give all her sons,however willing they might be to take the cross. But the willingnesswhich you will, I am sure, show to go if needs be, and to redeem yourvows, will be sufficient. Some must go and some must stay; these arematters to be decided hereafter; for the time let us separate; you willhear when the hour for action arrives."

  A fortnight later the Earl of Evesham, who had been on a long journey toLondon, returned with full authority to raise and organize a force ashis contingent to the holy wars.

  All was now bustle and activity in the castle. Father Francis informedhim of the willingness of such of the forest men as he deemed fit toenlist under his banner; and the earl was much gratified at finding thatthe ranks of heavily-armed retainers whom he would take with him were tobe swollen by the addition of so useful a contingent as that of onehundred skillful archers.

  Cuthbert was not long in asking for an interview with the earl.

  He had indeed great difficulty in persuading Dame Editha that he was oldenough to share in the fatigues of so great an expedition, but he hadFather Francis on his side; and between the influence of her confessor,and the importunities of her son, the opposition of the good lady fellto the ground.

  Cuthbert was already, for his age, well trained to arms. Many of the oldsoldiers at the castle who had known and loved his father had been everready to give lessons in the use of arms to Cuthbert, who wasenthusiastic in his desire to prove as good a knight as his father hadbeen. His friends, the outlaws, had taught him the use of the bow and ofthe quarterstaff; and Cuthbert, strong and well-built for his age, andhaving little to do save to wield the sword and the bow, had attained avery considerable amount of skill with each.

  He had too, which was unusual, a certain amount of book learning,although this, true to say, had not been acquired so cheerfully orwillingly as the skill at arms. Father Francis had, however, taught himto read and to write--accomplishments which were at that time rare,except in the cloister. In those days if a knight had a firm seat in hissaddle, a strong arm, a keen eye, and high courage, it was thought to beof little matter whether he could or could not do more than make hismark on the parchment. The whole life of the young was given toacquiring skill in arms; and unless intended for the convent, any ideaof education would in the great majority of cases have been consideredas preposterous.

  To do Cuthbert justice, he had protested with all his might against theproposition of Father Francis to his mother to teach him some clerklyknowledge. He had yielded most unwillingly at last to her entreaties,backed as they were by the sound arguments and good sense of FatherFrancis.

  The Earl of Evesham received Cuthbert's application very graciously.

  "Certainly, Cuthbert," he said, "you shall accompany me; first, onaccount of my promise to you; secondly, because from the readiness youdisplayed both in the matter of my daughter and of the attack
onWortham, you will be a notable aid and addition to my party; thirdly,from my friendship for your father and Dame Editha."

  This point being settled, Cuthbert at once assumed his new duties. Therewas plenty for him to do--to see that the orders of the earl wereproperly carried out; to bear messages to the knights who followed theearl's fortunes, at their various holds; to stand by and watch thearmorers at work, and the preparation of the stores of arms and missileswhich would be necessary for the expedition.

  Sometimes he would go round to summon the tenants of the various farmsand lands, who held from the earl, to come to the castle; and here SirWalter would, as far as might be without oppression, beg of them tocontribute largely to the expedition.

  In these appeals he was in no slight way assisted by Father Francis, whopointed out loudly to the people that those who stayed behind were boundto make as much sacrifice of their worldly goods as those who went tothe war might make of their lives. Life and land are alike at theservice of God. Could the land be sold, it would be a good deed to sellit; but as this could not be, they should at least sell all that theycould, and pledge their property if they could find lenders, in order tocontribute to the needs of their lord, and the fitting out of this greatenterprise.

  The preparations were at last complete, and a gallant band gathered atthe castle ready for starting. It consisted of some two hundredmen-at-arms led by six knights, and of one hundred bowmen dressed inLincoln green, with quilted jerkins to keep out the arrows of the enemy.All the country from around gathered to see the start. Dame Editha wasthere, and by her side stood the earl's little daughter. The earlhimself was in armor, and beside him rode Cuthbert in the gay attire ofa page.

  Just at that moment, however, his face did not agree with his costume,for although he strove his best to look bright and smiling, it was ahard task to prevent the tears from filling his eyes at his departurefrom his mother. The good lady cried unrestrainedly, and Margaret joinedin her tears. The people who had gathered round cheered lustily; thetrumpets blew a gay fanfaronade, and the squire threw to the wind theearl's colors.

  It was no mere pleasure trip on which they were starting, for all knewthat, of the preceding Crusades, not one in ten of those who had gone sogladly forth had ever returned.

  It must not be supposed that the whole of those present were animated byany strong religious feeling. No doubt there existed a desire, which wascarefully fanned by the preaching of the priests and monks, to rescuethe holy sepulcher from the hands of the Saracens; but a far strongerfeeling was to be found in the warlike nature of the people in thosedays. Knights, men-at-arms, and indeed men of all ranks were full of acombative spirit. Life in the castle and hut was alike dull andmonotonous, and the excitement of war and adventure was greatly lookedfor, both as a means of obtaining glory and booty, and for the changethey afforded to the dreary monotony of life.

  There is little to tell of the journey of the Earl of Evesham's bandthrough England to Southampton, at which place they took ship andcrossed to France--or rather to Normandy, for in those days Normandy wasregarded, as indeed it formed, a part of England.

  Cuthbert, as was natural to his age, was full of delight at all thevarying scenes through which they passed. The towns were to him anespecial source of wonder, for he had never visited any other than thatof Worcester, to which he had once or twice been taken on occasions ofhigh festival. Havre was in those days an important place, and being thelanding-place of a great portion of the English bands, it was full ofbustle and excitement. Every day ships brought in nobles and theirfollowings.

  The King of England was already in Normandy hastening the preparations,and each band, as it landed, marched down to the meeting-place on theplains of Vezelay. Already they began to experience a taste of thehardships which they were to endure.

  In those days there was no regular supply train for an army, but eachdivision or band supported itself by purchase or pillage, as the casemight be, from the surrounding country.

  As the English troops were marching through a friendly country, pillagewas of course strictly forbidden; but while many of the leaders paid forall they had, it must be owned that among the smaller leaders were manywho took anything that they required with or without payment.

  The country was eaten up.

  The population in those days was sparse, and the movement of so large anumber of men along a certain route completely exhausted all theresources of the inhabitants; and although willing to pay for all thathis men required, the Earl of Evesham had frequently to lie down on theturf supperless himself.

  "If this is the case now," he said to Cuthbert, "what will it be afterwe have joined the French army? Methinks whatever we may do if we reachthe Holy Land, that we have a fair chance of being starved before wesail."

  After a long succession of marches they arrived in sight of the greatcamp at Vezelay. It was indeed rather a canvas town than a camp. Herewere gathered nearly one hundred thousand men, a vast host at any time,but in those days far greater in proportion to the strength of thecountries than at present. The tents of the leaders, nobles, and otherknights and gentlemen rose in regular lines, forming streets andsquares.

  The great mass of troops, however, were contented to sleep in the openair; indeed the difficulties of carriage were so great that it was onlythe leaders who could carry with them their canvas abodes. Before eachtent stood the lance and colors of its owner, and side by side in thecenter of the camp stood the royal pavilions of Philip of France andRichard of England, round which could be seen the gonfalons of all thenobles of Western Europe.

  Nothing could be gayer than the aspect of this camp as the party rodeinto it. They were rather late, and the great body of the host werealready assembled.

  Cuthbert gazed with delight at the varied colors, the gay dresses, themartial knights, and the air of discipline and order which reignedeverywhere.

  This was indeed war in its most picturesque form, a form which, as faras beauty is concerned, has been altogether altered, and indeeddestroyed, by modern arms.

  In those days individual prowess and bravery went for everything. Ahandful of armored knights were a match for thousands of footmen, andbattles were decided as much by the prowess and bravery of the leaderand his immediate following as by that of the great mass of the army.

  The earl had the day before sent on a messenger to state that he wascoming, and as the party entered the camp they were met by a squire ofthe camp-marshal, who conducted them to the position allotted to them.

  The earl's tent was soon erected, with four or five grouped around itfor his knights, one being set aside for his squires and pages.

  When this was done Cuthbert strolled away to look at the varied sightsof the camp. A military officer in these days would be scandalized atthe scenes which were going on, but the strict, hard military disciplineof modern times was then absolutely unknown.

  A camp was a moving town, and to it flocked the country people withtheir goods; smiths and armorers erected their forges; minstrels andtroubadours flocked in to sing of former battles, and to raise thespirits of the soldiers by merry lays of love and war; simple countrymenand women came in to bring their presents of fowls or cakes to theirfriends in camp; knights rode to and fro on their gayly caparisonedhorses through the crowd; the newly-raised levies, in many casescomposed of woodmen and peasants who had not in the course of theirlives wandered a league from their birthplaces, gaped in unaffectedwonder at the sights around them; while last, but by no means least, themaidens and good wives of the neighborhood, fond then as now of bravemen and gay dresses, thronged the streets of the camp, and joined in,and were the cause of, merry laughter and jest.

  Here and there, a little apart from the main stream of traffic, theminstrels would take up their position, and playing a gay air, thesoldier lads and lasses would fall to and foot it merrily to thestrains. Sometimes there would be a break in the gayety, and loudshouts, and perhaps fierce oaths, would rise. Then the maidens would flylike startled fawns, and men
hasten to the spot; though the quarrelmight be purely a private one, yet should it happen between theretainers of two nobles, the friends of each would be sure to strike in,and serious frays would arise before the marshal of the camp with hisposse could arrive to interfere. Sometimes, indeed, these quarrelsbecame so serious and desperate that alliances were broken up and greatintentions frustrated by the quarrels of the soldiery.

  Here and there, on elevated platforms, or even on the top of a pile oftubs, were friars occupied in haranguing the soldiers, and in inspiringthem with enthusiasm for the cause upon which they were embarked. Theconduct of their listeners showed easily enough the motives which hadbrought them to war. Some stood with clasped hands and eager eyes,listening to the exhortations of the priests, and ready, as might beseen from their earnest gaze, to suffer martyrdom in the cause. More,however, stood indifferently round, or, after listening to a few words,walked on with a laugh or a scoff; indeed, preaching had already doneall that lay in its power. All those who could be moved by exhortationsof this kind were there, and upon the rest the discourses and sermonswere thrown away.

  Several times in the course of his stroll round the camp Cuthbertobserved the beginnings of quarrels, which were in each case onlychecked by the intervention of some knight or other person in authoritycoming past, and he observed that these in every instance occurredbetween men of the English and those of the French army.

  Between the Saxon contingent of King Richard's army and the Frenchsoldiers there could indeed be no quarrel, for the Saxons understood noword of their language; but with the Normans the case was different, forthe Norman-French, which was spoken by all the nobles and theirretainers in Britain, was as nearly as possible the same as that in usein France.

  It seemed, however, to Cuthbert, watching narrowly what was going on,that there existed by no means a good feeling between the men of thedifferent armies; and he thought that this divergence so early in thecampaign boded but little good for the final success of the expedition.

  When he returned to the tent the earl questioned him as to what he hadseen, and Cuthbert frankly acknowledged that it appeared to him that thefeeling between the men of the two armies was not good.

  "I have been," the earl said, "to the royal camp, and from what I hear,Cuthbert, methinks that there is reason for what you say. King Richardis the most loyal and gallant of kings, but he is haughty and hasty inspeech. The Normans, too, have been somewhat accustomed to conquer ourneighbors, and it may well be that the chivalry of France love us not.However, it must be hoped that this feeling will die away, and that weshall emulate each other only in our deeds on the battlefield."