keeping; but in truth these fellows shoot marvellously, both for strength
and trueness of aim. I marked as we came back that of the men we passed
lying there, nigh all those who had been struck with arrows were hit in
the face or throat, and yet the distance must have been over a hundred and
fifty yards."

"I can answer for the force," one of the others said, "for a shaft struck
me fairly on the chest, and hurled me to the ground as if it had been the
shock of a lance, and it is well my mail was of the best work of Milan;
but nevertheless the arrow broke two of the links; if the distance had
been shorter, I doubt not that it would have slain me. Well, what shall we
do next, gentlemen? For very shame we cannot with eight thousand men march
away having accomplished nothing. The question is, where shall our next
attack be delivered?"

"Methinks," another knight said, "we delivered our attack too rashly. Had
I known that there were English archers there I should have advised
waiting until nightfall, and I think that it would be best to do so now.
If we take our fellows up while there is light they will suffer so much
from the stings of these wasps that they will soon lose heart. The knaves
shoot not only straight and strong, but they shoot so fast that though, as
you say, there may be but twenty-five of them, the air seemed full of
arrows, and had you told us that there were two hundred archers shooting,
I should have thought the estimate a reasonable one."

They stood for some time discussing the best method of attack, and as soon
as they had settled upon it the men were told to scatter. Some were to go
to the farmhouses, and bring up any hides that might be stored there, and
to fetch all the hurdles they could lay hands upon; a portion were to go
to the woods and cut timber for making mantlets and cover, while two