owards your father if i did not teach you to curb
your tongue-play."
"they will lay us aboard on either quarter, my lord," cried the
master. "see how they stretch out from each other! the norman
hath a mangonel or a trabuch upon the forecastle. see, they bend
to the levers! they are about to loose it."
"aylward," cried the knight, "pick your three trustiest archers,
and see if you cannot do something to hinder their aim. methinks
they are within long arrow flight."
"seventeen score paces," said the archer, running his eye
backwards and forwards. by my ten finger-bones! it would be a
strange thing if we could not notch a mark at that distance.
here, watkin of sowley, arnold, long williams, let us show the
rogues that they have english bowmen to deal with."
the three archers named stood at the further end of the poop,
balancing themselves with feet widely spread and bows drawn,
until the heads of the cloth-yard arrows were level with the
centre of the stave. "you are the surer, watkin," said aylward,
standing by them with shaft upon string. "do you take the rogue
with the red coif. you two bring down the man with the head-
piece, and i will hold myself ready if you miss. ma foi! they
are about to loose her. shoot, mes garcons, or you will be too
late."
the throng of pirates had cleared away from the great wooden
catapult, leaving two of their number to discharge it. one in a
scarlet cap bent over it, steadying the jagged rock which was
balanced on the spoon-shaped end of the long wooden lever. the
other held the loop of the rope which would release the catch and
send the unwieldy missile hurtling through the air. so for an
instant they stood, showing hard and clear against the white sail
behind them. the next, redcap had fallen across the stone with
an arrow between his ribs; and the other, struck in the leg and
in the throat, was writhing and spluttering upon the ground. as
he toppled backwards he had loosed the spring, and the huge beam
of wood, swinging round with tremendous force, cast the corpse of
his comrade so close to the english ship that its mangled and
distorted limbs grazed their very stern. as to the stone, it
glanced off obliquely and fell midway between the vessels. a
roar of cheering and of laughter broke from the rough archers and
seamen at the sight, answered by a yell of rage from their
pursuers.
"lie low, mes enfants," cried aylward, motioning with his left
hand. "they will learn wisdom. they are bringing forward shield
and mantlet. we shall have some pebbles about our ears ere
long."
chapter xvi.
how the yellow cog fought the two rover galleys.
the three vessels had been sweeping swiftly westwards, the cog
still well to the front, although the galleys were slowly drawing
in upon either quarter. to the left was a hard skyline unbroken
by a sail. the island already lay like a cloud behind them,
while right in front was st. alban's head, with portland looming
mistily in the farthest distance. alleyne stood by the tiller,
looking backwards, the fresh wind full in his teeth, the crisp
winter air tingling on his face and blowing his yellow curls from
under his bassinet. his cheeks were flushed and his eyes
shining, for the blood of a hundred fighting saxon ancestors was
beginning to stir in his veins.
"what was that?" he asked, as a hissing, sharp-drawn voice seemed
to whisper in his ear. the steersman smiled, and pointed with
his foot to where a short heavy cross-bow quarrel stuck quivering
in the boards. at the same instant the man stumbled forward upon
his knees, and lay lifeless upon the deck, a blood-stained
feather jutting out from his back. as alleyne stooped to raise
him, the air seemed to be alive with the sharp zip-zip of the
bolts, and he could hear them pattering on the deck like apples
at a tree-shaking.
"raise two more mantlets by the poop lanthorn," said sir nigel
quietly.
"and another man to the tiller," cried the master-shipman.
"keep them in play, aylward, with ten of your men," the knight
continued. "and let ten of sir oliver's bowmen do as much for
the genoese. i have no mind as yet to show them how much they
have to fear from us."
ten picked shots under aylward stood in line across the broad
deck, and it was a lesson to the young squires who had seen
nothing of war to note how orderly and how cool were these old
soldiers, how quick the command, and how prompt the carrying out,
ten moving like one. their comrades crouched beneath the
bulwarks, with many a rough jest and many a scrap of criticism or
advice. "higher, wat, higher!" "put thy body into it, will!"
"forget not the wind, hal!" so ran the muttered chorus, while
high above it rose the sharp avanging of the strings, the hiss of
the shafts, and the short "draw your arrow! nick y
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