English Knight by Griff Hosker Page B

ahead.  There is a forest coming up and it is the sort of place a bandit might use for an ambush.” He laughed a little, “I am sure Harold will identify the perfect place for such an ambush!”
    To be honest I was glad to ride ahead.  The sedate pace of the three older warriors did not suit me.  I kicked Scout on.  He seemed pleased to be trotting rather than walking. “Where would you ambush us if you were waiting in the woods?”
    “You see yonder, sir, where the road rises and then turns. That would be a good place for an ambush.  A pair of good archers could cover the approach and they would wait around the bend.  The others would wait in the ditches and the brush on this side of the woods.”
    “Not in the woods?”
    “No, my lord. Most horsemen worry only about woods and they would not be alert until they entered the eaves.  A good bandit can disguise himself and lie in a ditch and remain unseen.”
    “And were you a good bandit?”
    He grinned, “Aye, my lord, the best.  I think that is why Robert of the Wood was so angry about my leaving.  I could hide in a ditch all day and not be seen.”
    “Have you killed up close, with a dagger?”
    His face became serious, “Aye my lord; more times than I care to think of.”
    “Is it hard?”
    “It never gets easy but in most cases it was the man I killed or me. I survived.  My father did not.”
    We had reached the bend in the road. Harold slipped from his horse and jabbed his spear into the murky waters of the ditch which ran along the road.  I knew from those in the east that they were designed to be kept clean.  Since the Romans had left no one had bothered. “And you could hide in that water?”
    He nodded, “You have a reed through which you breathe.  Normally you hide there just before the ambush.  It is not long to wait and it guarantees success.”
    There were no hidden men and we waved on the others. The woods went almost all the way to the walls of Durham. When we emerged on the ridge to the south of the castle we halted. The road went steeply down to the bridge across the river.  There was a gatehouse there and we saw the road climbed up to the castle and the cathedral which dominated the skyline.  We could see the masons working on the magnificent structure. The river ran around three sides of the castle and the town.  I could now see why the Scots had not bothered trying to take it. They would have lost many men. It seemed to me that the only way would be to build rafts and cross the river.  Of course an attacker would then have to climb the steep bank and face arrows and missiles from the walls.  It explained why they had chosen the softer target of Norton.
    Ralph, however, had a sharp, military mind. “The Scots would have needed to pass close by this castle to reach Norton.  Why did the Constable not sally forth and bring them to battle?”
    My father pointed to the west. “Perhaps there is a ford further west.”
    Ralph was not convinced, “Perhaps.”
     

Chapter 8
    The men at arms who presented their spears to us were not dressed in mail.  They wore leather but they looked like men who knew their business. They looked insolently at my father, who smiled, patiently.  When they did not speak he did so.  “I am Baron Ridley of Norton, recently appointed by King Henry.  I am here to present my titles and deeds to the Seneschal.”
    His tone and titles had an immediate effect. “If you would dismount then you can lead your horses up to the hall. The Seneschal is holding his weekly court.  You will have to wait until he has finished.”
    We dismounted.  I did not like the man’s tone but my father and his oathsworn seemed happy enough. The hooves of our horses clattered across the stone bridge.  It was a steep climb up to the tower and the hall.  I noticed that the wall ran along both sides of the gate and it turned. It was not finished yet but an enemy would have to endure an attack from both sides if he was to