"Aye," added Sir Thomas dryly, "I knew not why even thy wild Irish kerns and thy Welsh savages took thee, more than another, for their chieftain, but I learned that they were like thy bowmen. Every man of them hath had a price set upon his head, for his good deeds before he was pardoned into the army."
"The king's deer will be safer after this campaign," said Sir Peter, "if, indeed, he is marching this army to meet the host of France. But that I trust him well, I would deem him safer on the other side of the Seine."
Now any who knew the province of Normandy and the parts that they were in, could see that the river Seine ran at the left of their march. It was between them and any seeming road to the taking of Calais. Well up the stream, in the direction they were taking, was the good city of Paris, with many strong forts, although it had no encircling wall. It lay open, with castles and fortified posts outside of its streets and palaces. At Paris, even now, there was a strong force of French, said to be equal in numbers to the English army. More forces were fast marching thitherward, but still King Edward was pushing on, as if he expected to capture the French capital by a swift dash and a surprise.
This was therefore the meaning of Sir Peter Legh, and it had been in the thoughts of many other men.
"Word hath come by many of the king's scouts," replied Richard, "that every bridge over the Seine hath been broken down by the French themselves, so that our army can by no means reach the other bank."
"Sir Thomas Holland," asked Sir Peter, "knowest thou what saith the king to that?"
"Nay," said Sir Thomas bluntly, "but I heard one Geoffrey of Harcourt, when a spy rode to him to tell that the last Seine bridge was down."
"'Now all the saints be praised!' he said," responded Sir Peter. "'Philip of Valois doeth our business well. Their bridges are gone, and they can throw no force across the river to annoy our flank or rear. We have but a holiday march, unmolested.'"
Richard listened, that he might gather a lesson of war; but he said to the knights:
"I do but bethink me of what was said by one of my own men when he heard concerning the bridges. He is a carpenter from Coventry."
"What said he?" asked a deep voice behind them, as it were eagerly.