FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   114   115   116   117   118   119   120   121   122   123   124   125   126   127   128   129   130   131   132   133   134   135   136   137   138  
139   140   141   142   143   144   145   146   147   148   149   150   151   152   153   154   155   156   157   158   159   160   161   162   163   >>   >|  
e Welsh, though unable to hold their own in open fight, had now betaken themselves to their bows and arrows, and from behind every house shot fast. The door of the house that had still resisted had been thrown open, and eight men had come out, followed by some twenty women and children. "Do each of you leap up behind one of us!" Sir John shouted. "Help the women up, men, then right-about, and ride out of the village. It is getting too hot for us, here." The order was quickly obeyed and, placing the horses carrying a double burden in the centre, the troop rode out in a compact body. The Welsh poured out into the road behind them. "Level your spears!" Alwyn shouted to his men; who had, by his orders, fallen in in the rear of the others. The long spears were levelled and, with a shout, the twenty men rode down on their pursuers, bursting their way through them as if they had been but a crowd of lay figures; then, wheeling, they returned again, none venturing to try to hinder them, and rejoined the main body. "Well done, indeed!" Sir John Burgon exclaimed, "and in knightly fashion. Verily, those long border spears of yours are right good weapons, when so stoutly used." Once outside the village, the troop rode quietly on to the spot at which they had first charged. Then the villagers dismounted. "You made a stout defence, men," Sir John said. "It was well that you had time to gain that house." "It was agreed that all should take to it, Sir Knight," one of the men said; "but the attack was so sudden that only we, and these women, had time to reach it before they were on us; and, had it not been for your arrival, they must soon have mastered us, for they were bringing up a tree to burst in the door; and as none of us had time to catch up our bows and arrows, we had no way of hindering them. Still, methinks many would have fallen, before they forced their way in." The men now fell in again. Their numbers were counted. The losses were by far the heaviest in the front line. Five of the castle men-at-arms, and fourteen of the levy were killed. Several others had gashes from the long knives and light axes of the Welsh. Five of the tenants in the second line had fallen, but none of Alwyn's band, although most of the latter had received wounds, more or less serious, in their combat with the Welsh. "The loss is heavy," Sir John said, "but it is as nought to that inflicted upon the Welsh. I did not count them,
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   114   115   116   117   118   119   120   121   122   123   124   125   126   127   128   129   130   131   132   133   134   135   136   137   138  
139   140   141   142   143   144   145   146   147   148   149   150   151   152   153   154   155   156   157   158   159   160   161   162   163   >>   >|  



Top keywords:
spears
 

fallen

 

village

 

shouted

 

arrows

 
twenty
 
nought
 

arrival

 
bringing
 

combat


mastered

 

sudden

 
dismounted
 

villagers

 
charged
 

defence

 
inflicted
 
Knight
 

agreed

 

attack


heaviest

 

tenants

 

losses

 

numbers

 

counted

 

castle

 

Several

 

gashes

 

killed

 

fourteen


hindering

 
knives
 

wounds

 

methinks

 

forced

 
received
 

returned

 
quickly
 

obeyed

 
centre

compact
 

poured

 
burden
 
double
 

placing

 

horses

 
carrying
 

betaken

 
unable
 

children