Read Online Enemy at the Gate by Griff Hosker - Free Book Online Page B

but vicious fight and then it would be over.  Some men lost the battle while they were waiting for they defeated themselves in their minds.  Their enemies' numbers grew.  Their belief in their leaders diminished. All of my men had fought enough times to ignore those doubts.
    By noon we had received a message from the castle that the bridge gate had fallen and the Scots were crossing.  To us it was a distant noise but from then on the noise grew as more Scots and rebels crossed the bridge and tried to move around to the east gate.  The curtain wall, which was above the bridge, had been built on an a slope which was impossible to climb one handed.  Four men could guard the whole wall.  Instead the army endured the arrows, slingshots and stones of the south wall of the castle as they hurried to the flatter ground to the east.
    Gilles pointed and said, excitedly, "There lord! I see banners."
    "You have sharp eyes, Gilles." The vanguard was approaching the east gate.  The castle was just three quarters of a mile from us.  I had had my men pace it for I needed to know the exact distance for our charge. I turned, "Prepare for war.  The enemy approaches. Gilles, fetch our mounts."
    When he returned he said, "Do we not charge them now lord?"
    "No for first they will ask for the surrender of the castle while their men prepare the ram. I want the ram almost completed before we destroy it."
    Sure enough we heard the trumpets as the Earl of Moray or whoever led them approached the walls.
    "Mount!"
    There would be no further orders until we left the safety of the woods.  It would take some minutes to organise into our three battles. Sir Richard would lead the right.  Sir Edward, the left.  I would have Sir Tristan and Sir Hugh with me and we would form the centre.  There would be forty heavily armoured men in the centre column and but fifteen on each of the flanks.  It was my job to go for the heart of their lines.  The other two were to protect my flanks and enable me to do so.
    I waited until I saw activity and heard the shouts and cheers as the Scots prepared to attack. Half a mile from us they had set up their camp and I saw men unloading the parts of the ram from their wagons. I shouted, "Mount!"
    I led my men from the wood. It did not take long to form our lines. I rode at the head of my column and I was flanked by Wulfric and Sir Harold.  Sir Tristan was to Sir Harold's left.  Gilles and the squires were tucked in behind the four of us and then the rest of my men at arms, warriors all, formed the sides of the wedge.  We were using my father's favourite formation. The four of us would be the point of the arrow and we would charge the heart of the enemy.
    Wulfric said, "Ready, lord!"
    We trotted forward.  We were not seen by those constructing the ram until we were four hundred paces from them.  By then we were cantering. When we struck the enemy we would not be going much faster. Behind us the men who guarded our camp were running to finish off any men we wounded.  We would slay the men at the ram and they would destroy it.  Without a ram the castle could not be taken.
    As soon as we were seen pandemonium ensued.  The men who had been building the ram had no armour and they fled towards the river. Our horses opened their legs and we covered the last couple of hundred paces quickly. Ahead of us the Scots had seen our approach.  They had their best men facing the walls and few mounted men. The mounted men were their twenty knights and they hurriedly turned to face us.  I eased Badger's head to the left so that we approached the knights head on. We had our long spears. Unlike wooden lances these had a long metal head.  Alf had tempered them and they would penetrate mail.
    The Scots had no lances for they had not envisaged fighting horsemen. The four of us were so close that our stirrups were touching. The enemy line was loose. The four of us struck the two centre knights.  I pulled back my spear and punched it