Enemy At the Gate
“My men could have made it in one but we had ladies with us and they were riding as though at their leisure. We kept them in sight but they appeared to be travelling alone. They spent the night at Sheffield. In those days it was still a motte and bailey built of wood and the lord of the manor and his wife were honoured to be offering hospitality to two such honoured guests. We slept in the fields. We parted with the ladies and their escort a mile and a half from the castle which we saw on the h...ill. There was a wood to the south and west of the large area of common land used by the town to graze cattle. It was a good place for us to wait.
We had a whole day and a night to wait and to worry. I did not fear for the ladies. Chivalry demanded that they be treated well but my men were a different matter. When we approached the castle the next day would we see their heads atop the gate? As much as I wanted to get there as early as possible we had to make our arrival as plausible as possible. We would arrive towards dusk. That would allow Dick, my knights and my men to close with the gate and await my signal.MoreLess
We had a whole day and a night to wait and to worry. I did not fear for the ladies. Chivalry demanded that they be treated well but my men were a different matter. When we approached the castle the next day would we see their heads atop the gate? As much as I wanted to get there as early as possible we had to make our arrival as plausible as possible. We would arrive towards dusk. That would allow Dick, my knights and my men to close with the gate and await my signal.MoreLess
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