I became determined to have the place. I took fifty men from the garrison of
Castelculier and we rode all day and the following night through woods and across heathland. At about midnight I laid an ambush quite close to
Thurie and went on myself with just five others. Dressed in women's clothing with jugs in our hands we reached a meadow just outside the town and hid ourselves in a haystack, for it was around St John the Baptist's Day in midsummer and the hay had been cut and dried. When the time came for the gate to be opened and the women were beginning to make their way down to the spring, each of us took our jugs and filled them. Then we started back towards the town, our faces covered with headscarves so that nobody would have recognised us. The women whom we met on our way exclaimed,
"Holy Mary! You must have risen early!"
We replied in the local and in falsetto, "Yes indeed!" and passed on, all six of us arriving at the gate. When we got there we found that there was no other sentry apart from a cobbler who was setting up his lasts and rivets. One of us blew a horn to summon our companions hidden in ambush. The cobbler paid no attention to us but when he heard the horn he asked us,
"Cooee, girls! Who sounded that horn?"
One of us replied, "It is a priest going out to the fields. I do not know if it is the parish priest or the town chaplain."
"Oh yes of course," he said. "It is our priest,
Master Francis. He is fond of going out in the fields in the morning to hunt hares."
Immediately after this, when our companions had arrived, we entered the town where we found not a single man ready to put hand to sword in its defence.'
'That is how I captured the
town and castle of Thurie, which has brought me more profit and income per year, and on any good day, than if I were to sell the castle and all of the dependencies of the place at their best price.
Now I do not know what to do with it. I am discussing terms with
the count of Armagnac and the
Dauphin d'Auvergne to whom the
king has given special powers to buy up towns and fortresses from companions who are holding them in the
Auvergne,
Rouergue,
Quercy, the
Limousin,
Périgord, the
Albigeois and the
Agenais, and from all those who are making, or who have made, war on behalf of the
king of England. Several have already left, surrendering their fortresses; but I do not know whether I will give mine up.'
At this juncture the
Bourc de Caupenne chipped in, saying, 'You are right there, cousin. I am in the same situation with my castle at
Carlat in the
Auvergne. That is why I have come to
Orthez to find out news of it at the
count's court because
Sir Louis de Sancerre, the marshal of France, should be arriving soon. He is still around in
Tarbes, or so I have heard from those who have seen him there.'
Whereupon they called for wine, which was brought to us and so we drank. Then the
Bascot de Mauléon said to me,
'Master
Jehan, what do you say to all this? Are you well enough informed about my life? I have had many more adventures than I have told you about, but I cannot and do not wish to speak of them all.'
'By my faith, sir, of course,' said I.
SHF 3-26 sync
Third Book, Chapter 17 [1388-(1363)]
How a certain Limousin turned French, and how he had Louis Roubaud seized for the outrage he had committed against him at Brioude.
I set him talking once again and asked what had become of
Louis Roubaud, an accomplished squire and a great captain of men-at-arms, whom I had seen once in
Avignon, seemingly thriving.
pb 228 r