The defenders did not seem to be patrolling the walls so, with our hearts in our mouths, we began the ascent. I went first. It was a difficult climb and I had to stop twice and brace myself against the wall to rest my aching arms. When I reached the top, I discovered how good Godric’s guesswork had been.
To my left, his back illuminated by the fires still smouldering in the city below, was a sentry about twenty yards away. He was standing motionless, peering out into the darkness. To my right, another sentry casually paced backwards and forwards, perhaps slightly further away, his eyes looking down at his feet rather than towards the enemy.
I pushed the rope into a corner to hide it, beckoned Godric to haul himself up and crouched down into the shadow of the walkway, so as not to be caught in the glare from below. Godric came up quickly and joined me in my crouching position. With sentries either side of us, it was impossible to reach a tower to find a stairway down into the city, so we had no option other than to use our rope and grapple to descend.
As Godric carefully pulled up the rope we had used for our climb, I looked out across the city to get an impression of its layout. There was plenty of movement below us. Smouldering thatch was being pulled off buildings and I could see bodies being loaded into carts. Clouds of dense smoke wafted over us from time to time, carrying the acrid smells of charred timber and immolated bodies.
As it would have been impossible to detach our rope once we were on the ground, Godric needed to stay on the wall and pull the rope up after me. Fortunately, there were piles of stones, quivers of arrows and plenty of the detritus of battle on the ramparts for him to hide behind. We anchored the rope, I pulled up the hood of my tunic and then lowered myself down quickly.
Adopting as nonchalant a pose as I could muster, I wandered around, trying to be as unremarkable as possible. I spent about fifteen minutes in the city. Most of the time, it was quiet – except in the areas where fires were being damped down. The dead had been laid in piles; I counted more than thirty, and I’m sure many more were lying injured inside the infirmaries. It was difficult to assess the number of men in the garrison but, from the size of its building, I guessed about a hundred. Assuming that the Count of Bigorre had brought a similar number, our original estimate of around two hundred defenders appeared to have been accurate.
The populace did not seem downcast or rebellious, although they were hardly overjoyed at what had happened to them. There was no sign of the noble families, nor of any of the senior captains of the garrison. I assumed they were all safely in their beds, in the palace at the heart of the city, which had its own high walls and guards.
I had seen enough, and stealthily made my way back to Godric. I had been lucky that no one had stopped me or spoken to me, but I knew there would be a limit to my good fortune. Godric saw me coming and threw down the rope. As it hit the ground in front of me, providence deserted me. One of the sentries saw Godric come out of the shadows, and he raised the alarm.
Chaos ensued. Rather than attempt the climb in full view of sentries above and defenders below, I made for the tower to my left. Godric saw my choice and headed in the same direction. He dealt with the eagle-eyed sentry who had spotted the rope by heaving him over the wall, and I dealt with another sentry on the steps of the tower. The poor boy was unlucky; I had heard his footsteps coming towards me and he ran straight on to the point of my blade.
When I reached the top of the tower, Godric was waiting. He had already secured the grapple and thrown the rope over the outside of the wall. As sentries closed in on our position, he insisted that I went first and he followed close behind. Arrows started to fly past us and at least one came very close, hitting the wall next to my face and bouncing on to my shoulder. It did not penetrate my hauberk, but the shock of the impact almost cost me my grip on the rope. Our men had seen that we had been discovered and were shooting as many arrows as they could at the top of the ramparts to try to cover our escape.
I had just reached the bottom, with Godric about ten feet above me, when the rope was cut at the top. Godric hit the ground with a thud, but was not injured. Leax was hiding nearby in the undergrowth and he shouted to us to run, just as a hail of stones and rocks came tumbling out of the sky in our direction. Fortunately, darkness was our saviour and we ran to the Adour. Deciding that if all of us were to jump into the boat, we would make too big a target, I shouted to everyone to split up and swim for it. We plunged into the freezing water almost as one, and the splash gave our attackers something to aim at.
The city walls were now full of men, and arrows cut through the air all around us. They made sounds like men spitting as they hit the water and plunged into the depths.
It was a swim of over fifty yards, but the temperature made it seem much further. I was fortunate in that I had spent many hours in the sea around my home in Heysham, but I had no idea how well the others could swim, especially in such cold water.
In fact, only Penda, the biggest of us, struggled in the last few yards, but we were able to help him reach the bank safely. Only when we had run beyond the far bank of the river did the volleys of arrows subside. As we approached the thermal springs, our run turned into a gallop. We discarded our clothes on the move and plunged into the warm waters.
We had all made it back unscathed, but we had been lucky. I thanked Godric and the men. They knew that we had all been tested and were relieved that we had come through it successfully. But, like me, they resented the risks involved for no obvious value. There were still a few hours left before dawn, so we went back to our tents to get some sleep.
I slept well; I think I deserved it.
Despite my annoyance, I reported my findings to William Marshal the next morning in a calm and collected tone. He listened intently until I had finished, then smiled approvingly.
‘Well done, Ranulf; it was not an easy assignment. But at least we have accurate information about what is happening inside the city.’
‘Yes, but not much more than we had before – and involving unnecessary risks to me and my men. The assignment did not make military sense. I am happy to be tested in battle, but futile excursions like the one we carried out last night could have lost you two or more quality soldiers for no real reward.’
Marshal did not answer, but he acknowledged my caustic response by putting a hand on my shoulder and nodding approvingly.
That day saw a change of tactics from Duke Richard. From first light to dusk he ordered that volley after volley of stones and rocks be hurled at Dax. Some rounds were aimed at the tops of the walls, while others were sent high into the air with a trajectory that would see them strike the Viscount’s palace and other prominent buildings. His archers and arbalests were given a routine whereby, at regular but unpredictable intervals, their arrows and quarrels were launched at the city. The archers aimed high to hit targets beyond the walls, while the arbalests concentrated on the defenders manning them.
The Duke had a huge arsenal of arrows of many different kinds in reserve. But even so, the fletchers had to work furiously to keep pace.
When the Duke was in command of his army he was meticulous in his planning and relentless in its execution. Even though his infantry and cavalry were redundant, he insisted that they all help the siege engineers, quartermasters and anybody else who needed extra hands. Even his knights would readily remove their armour and help load the ammunition carts, or trim arrow shafts for the fletchers.
Richard and his Grand Quintet were everywhere – cajoling, encouraging, scolding – while Godric and I looked on in admiration.
I turned to Godric, and noted the appreciation in his eyes.
‘The Duke is impressive, is he not?’
‘He is, sire. He will make a fine general one day.’
Godric was right; Richard just needed experience in major battles. And he needed to create a body of infantry as good as the cavalry of men like William Marshal and Robert Thornham. If he succeeded, the world would be at his feet.
‘Do you think we can help him?’
‘Yes, sire, as long as he listens to you. That foolish mission last night must have earned you some standing with the Duke. But he is wild, and that is going to be difficult to control.’
‘You’re right, he’s well named. He’s a beast, and I suspect no cage will be strong enough to hold him, but that is our mission. I am glad I have you with me.’
