The Englishmen and the party they had succoured embarked upon the boat, and the journey up stream was resumed. Ere sunset on the following day the city of Rouen was reached, and Gaston was dismissed with liberal payment.
Here, after a night's rest, the travellers dispersed. Paul Roche and his fellow merchants addressed themselves to the disposal of their wares; the Lady d'Aulx and her attendants, accompanied by Richard Ratclyffe, set out on the road to Maissons; while Geoffrey, Oswald, and Arnold Gripwell, with the two surviving archers, took horse and were soon speeding on their way to Taillemartel.
CHAPTER VII
HOW GEOFFREY CAME TO TAILLEMARTEL
A few leagues from the city of Rouen Geoffrey and his companions began to come across evidences of the fearful struggle 'twixt Burgundians and Orleanists.
Here would be seen a "Burgundian mitre"—the scorched and blackened gables of a partially demolished cottage; there the corpse of some unfortunate peasant dangling from the withered branch of a tree. Ever the air reeked of charcoal and of the fetid odours emanating from carcases of unburied cattle; for the marauders ruthlessly slew every four-footed creature that they were unable to drive off to their embattled retreats.
Utmost caution had to be exercised by the English travellers, since they were not strong enough to hope to successfully repel the attacks of any but the smaller bands of freebooters. Twice they were compelled to take refuge in friendly woods. Once a détour of three leagues was necessary, owing to the approach of suspicious parties of horsemen, so that the sun had set ere Geoffrey arrived at the portals of his father's Norman castle.
In the gloom the lad could distinguish the outlines of two massive circular twin towers connected by a battlemented wall, pierced by a lofty gateway concealed by the raised drawbridge. On either side of the towers the wall ran for a distance of about fifty yards till it joined another circular though smaller tower forming the angle of the fortified work. Within, the summit of a square keep was just visible above the battlements. Barbican or outwork there was none, but a deep moat surrounded the castle.
"What think ye of Taillemartel?" asked Gripwell as the cavalcade reined in their steeds at the edge of the moat.
"'Tis a noble pile, Arnold," replied Geoffrey, "though not so large as Warblington, I trow. But how——"