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individual would literally have to get there over the body of the guard. Jim
backed out, brushing the stone dust and dirt from his hands, and remounted his
horse.
"Good," he said briefly to Sir Raoul. "Now, let's get back to Brian."
When they reached Brian, Jem Wattle and Hal Lackerby had already returned
with not merely four, but five horses. One was larger and healthier looking
than the rest at least as for as Jim could tell in the darkness and laden with
what must be the armor.
They had, indeed, managed to steal a knight's horse, or at least a horse a
knight would be willing to ride, for the young man.
"All set?" Jim said to Brian. When the other nodded, he turned his horse's
head away.
The ride back went swiftly. By this time the moon was well up, and by its
light, the three archers were allowed to try out their horses and show that as
Dafydd had said sure enough, they could ride well.
"Everybody turn in and get what rest you can," said Jim. "We'll have to mount
a guard through the night. And the last guard is to start rousing the rest of
us at moonset, which should be a good hour or more before sunrise. I want us
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on our way to the rear of the French camp before full daybreak."
A hand on Jim's shoulder, shaking it Jim never found out whose hand woke him
in the early morning. He got creakily to his feet, stiff from the cold in
spite of having wrapped himself in a saddle blanket and chosen what he thought
was a wind-protected niche among the fallen stones of the chapel. The
stiffness, cold, and a hunger for more sleep almost conquered him. But he told
himself that if he got up and moved around, all of this would improve.
He left the protection of the chapel, and began trying to check on whether
all the rest were up.
They certainly seemed to be, although it was still too dark to count heads.
Most of them could be seen moving about much more briskly than he. Jim had
come to envy the people around him ever since he had become a denizen of this
world. Nearly all of them seemed able to sleep in any position, under any
conditions, wake up at a moment's touch, and ignore any of the feelings that
were bothering Jim now. Practice, begun in infancy, he supposed.
He bumped into several people in the darkness before he was able to discover
Brian.
"Is everybody up?" he asked Brian, more to have something to say than
anything else.
"Yes, yes," said Brian, with that slight testiness that had a tendency to
afflict him on the morning of any action. "Of your love, Jim, give me room. I
must get into my armor now. So should you. Where is your Theoluf? A squire
should be with his master at all times such as this. Ho! John Chester!"
"Here, Sir Brian," spoke up a voice out of the darkness near Jim's elbow.
"Where's my breast plate? Go find Theoluf and have him fetch Sir James's
armor and bring it here to start to help him dress!" said Brian. "Where have
you been all this time?"
"Right here, Sir Brian," answered the voice of John Chester. "I was but
waiting for Sir James to finish speaking to you and stand aside."
Jim hastily moved off to the left and bumped into somebody else, which must
have been one of the men-at-arms, for with an apologetic, "sorry, m'Lord," the
other figure disappeared into the gloom.
"As soon as there is any light in the sky at all so that we can see each
other," said Jim, "I want you to go off with me a little ways. I need your
help in trying out something."
"Certainly, James.Certainly.John Chester, the breast plate goes over the
breast, not the stomach!" said Brian.
"Sorry, Sir Brian," said John.
"Indeed you'll be sorrier, if you don't learn how to dress me properly and
with more dispatch!" said Brian. "Yes.Certainly, Jim.As soon as I'm dressed.
Just come get me. John Chester "
But Jim was already moving off in the darkness.
He cannoned into another body.
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There was a rattle of something metallic falling to the earth.
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