e many
who scoff at all omens."
"there can be no manner of doubt about it," said sir oliver
buttesthorn, "i can well remember that in navarre one day it
thundered on the left out of a cloudless sky. we knew that ill
would come of it, nor had we long to wait. only thirteen days
after, a haunch of prime venison was carried from my very tent
door by the wolves, and on the same day two flasks of old vernage
turned sour and muddy."
"you may bring my harness from below," said sir nigel to his
squires, "and also, i pray you, bring up sir oliver's and we
shall don it here. ye may then see to your own gear; for this
day you will, i hope, make a very honorable entrance into the
field of chivalry, and prove yourselves to be very worthy and
valiant squires. and now, sir oliver, as to our dispositions:
would it please you that i should order them or will you?"
"you, my cockerel, you. by our lady! i am no chicken, but i
cannot claim to know as much of war as the squire of sir walter
manny. settle the matter to your own liking."
"you shall fly your pennon upon the fore part, then, and i upon
the poop. for foreguard i shall give you your own forty men,
with two-score archers. two-score men, with my own men-at-arms
and squires, will serve as a poop-guard. ten archers, with
thirty shipmen, under the master, may hold the waist while ten
lie aloft with stones and arbalests. how like you that?"
"good, by my faith, good! but here comes my harness, and i must
to work, for i cannot slip into it as i was wont when first i set
my face to the wars."
meanwhile there had been bustle and preparation in all parts of
the great vessel. the archers stood in groups about the decks,
new-stringing their bows, and testing that they were firm at the
nocks. among them moved aylward and other of the older soldiers,
with a few whispered words of precept here and of warning there.
"stand to it, my hearts of gold," said the old bowman as he
passed from knot to knot. "by my hilt! we are in luck this
journey. bear in mind the old saying of the company."
"what is that, aylward?" cried several, leaning on their bows and
laughing at him.
" 'tis the master-bowyer's rede: 'every bow well bent. every
shaft well sent. every stave well nocked. every string well
locked.' there, with that jingle in his head, a bracer on his
left hand, a shooting glove on his right, and a farthing's-worth
of wax in his girdle, what more doth a bowman need?"
"it would not be amiss," said hordle john, "if under his girdle
he had tour farthings'-worth of wine."
"work first, wine afterwards, mon camarade. but it is time that
we took our order, for methinks that between the needle rocks and
the alum cliffs yonder i can catch a glimpse of the topmasts of
the galleys. hewett, cook, johnson, cunningham, your men are of
the poop-guard. thornbury, walters, hackett, baddlesmere, you
are with sir oliver on the forecastle. simon, you bide with your
lord's banner; but ten men must go forward."
quietly and promptly the men took their places, lying flat upon
their faces on the deck, for such was sir nigel's order. near
the prow was planted sir oliver's spear, with his arms--a boar's
head gules upon a field of gold. close by the stern stood black
simon with the pennon of the house of loring. in the waist
gathered the southampton mariners, hairy and burly men, with
their jerkins thrown off, their waists braced tight, swords,
mallets, and pole-axes in their hands. their leader, goodwin
hawtayne, stood upon the poop and talked with sir nigel, casting
his eye up sometimes at the swelling sail, and then glancing
back at the two seamen who held the tiller.
"pass the word," said sir nigel, "that no man shall stand to arms
or draw his bow-string until my trumpeter shall sound. it would
be well that we should seem to be a merchant-ship from
southampton and appear to flee from them."
"we shall see them anon," said the master-shipman. "ha, said i
not so? there they lie, the water-snakes, in freshwater bay; and
mark the reek of smoke from yonder point, where they have been at
their devil's work. see how their shallops pull from the land!
they have seen us and called their men aboard. now they draw
upon the anchor. see them like ants upon the forecastle! they
stoop and heave like handy ship men. but, my fair lord, these
are no niefs. i doubt but we have taken in hand more than we can
do. each of these ships is a galeasse, and of the largest and
swiftest make."
"i would i had your eyes," said sir nigel, blinking at the pirate
galleys. "they seem very gallant ships, and i trust that we
shall have much pleasance from our meeting with them. it would
be well to pass the word that we should neither give nor take
quarter this day. have you perchance a priest or friar aboar
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