The Angels of Mons - The Bowmen and Other Legends of the War by Arthur Machen
page 31 of 39 (79%)
page 31 of 39 (79%)
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much like the fifteenth-century chimneys in Pembrokeshire. And
thousands and tens of thousands went marching by. "They were all in armour, and in all sorts of armour. Some of them had overlapping tongues of bright metal fastened on their clothes, others were in chain mail from head to foot, others were in heavy plate armour. "They wore helmets of all shapes and sorts and sizes. One regiment had steel caps with wide trims, something like the old barbers' basins. Another lot had knights' tilting helmets on, closed up so that you couldn't see their faces. Most of them wore metal gauntlets, either of steel rings or plates, and they had steel over their boots. A great many had things like battle-maces swinging by their sides, and all these fellows carried a sort of string of big metal balls round their waist. Then a dozen regiments went by, every man with a steel shield slung over his shoulder. The last to go by were cross-bowmen." In fact, it appeared to Delamere Smith that he watched the passing of a host of men in mediƦval armour before him, and yet he knew--by the position of the sun and of a rosy cloud that was passing over the Worm's Head--that this vision, or whatever it was, only lasted a second or two. Then that slight sense of shock returned, and Smith returned to the contemplation of the physical phenomena of the Pembrokeshire coast--blue waves, grey St. Margaret's, and Caldy Abbey white in the sunlight. It will be said, no doubt, and very likely with truth, that Smith fell asleep on Giltar, and mingled in a dream the thought of the great war just begun with his smatterings of mediƦval battle and arms and |
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