‘It is quite frightening. There is so much power in the wind and the waves. It is so different from life on land.’
John Stanley-15th April 1355
You can slash, stab, disarm him or even knock him out with the hilt of your sword.
We must practice all that. You are good with your axes but the time will come when you will have to use your sword.’
Ewan did do all the chores but resentment oozed from his every word, bitterness from his every gesture. Nevertheless, it was the end of his bullying.
Olwain delivered a warning. ‘Be careful, John, he will carry the desire to bring you down for a very long time. In the meantime, there be no natural leader of this group. That will not suit Lord James. Sooner or later, you will have to take that role and it will be then that Ewan will try to strike at you.’
Lord James seemed to have been away forever, but when he did return things happened very quickly. The very next morning, with his four squires trailing in his wake, he left at a gallop.
At Bristol, the boats were waiting. Leaving Bristol was always a complex manoeuvre. High tide was needed to lift the boats off the mud and then there was a question of leaving the harbour in a channel that pointed directly into the prevailing wind. The boats sailing out of Bristol were therefore of a modified design. They were fat bottomed so that even without struts they could sit on the mud without falling over and were fitted with oarlocks so that if required they were capable of being rowed out of the harbour. In addition to the square mainsail, they were also fitted with a fore and aft sail on an additional rear mast that made them, to a limited degree, able to sail nearly directly into the wind. They were Shipshape and Bristol Fashion.
As the Sally, Mendip, and the Clevedon moved out of the harbour in the early evening, John found himself called on to man one of the oars on the Mendip. To John’s unpractised eye the Mendip and Clevedon were virtually identical, but the Sally was significantly larger. John discovered that moving a ship of the size of the Mendip with oars was hard work.
The effort had to be sustained until the boats were out in the Bristol Channel and finally the sails generated some power. Before dark, the boats were under full sail and heading for the open sea.
Leaning on the rail at the bow of the boat, John looked forward at the setting sun but alternately gazed down into an indigo sea embroidered with white foam. As the boat forced its way westward. Lord James appeared to ask him how his hands had stood up to his spell on the oars.
‘Excellent Milord’ he replied, holding up his hands for Lord James to inspect.
‘No blisters, no chafed skin. I am quite used to hard work.’ Lord James made a cursory examination.
‘Good,’ he said and made as if to move away.
‘Milord?’ John asked hesitantly.
Lord James stopped and turned back to face John.’Yes?’
There was an extended silence as John wondered whether his question was appropriate. Lord James looked impatient.’Come on, John. Whatever it is, ask me. I will then decide whether to reply.’
‘Well, it is simple really. Why do we need three ships and tons and tons of provisions for only five passengers? The only passengers are us four squires and yourself?’
Lord James came to stand by the rail alongside John.’If you had asked that question before we sailed John, I could not have replied, but now I can. We are travelling to Aquitaine as part of a small expeditionary force led by the Black Prince. A much larger army will be joining us later in the year. Prince Edward wants this special mission to be completely secret. He has been in Plymouth for several weeks supervising the mobilisation of the main army. Now, however, he has left that task to others. A couple of days ago he and a hand-picked force sneaked away from Plymouth and have travelled in small groups to Penryn where they will be waiting for us.’ Lord James smiled. ‘I have organised this small fleet and the provisions from Bristol. It was convenient for me and it meant that no one has connected my activities with the Black Prince. The ships have sailed under sealed orders. Thus the Prince will be able to travel to Aquitaine without anyone being aware that he has left England.’
John looked questioningly at Lord James.’Why would the heir to the throne of England have to indulge in subterfuge?’
‘Because he wants to keep it secret, and for you John, that is enough.’
‘Thank you, my Lord. I will respect the confidence you have shown in me.’
John observed their progress with new eyes. He watched carefully the manoeuvres necessary to make progress against the wind. The ship’s mate noticed his interest.
‘Simon Upton.’ The man held out his hand to John.
‘John Stanley.’ They shook hands.
‘We cannot sail absolutely into the wind,’ he told John. ‘Occasionally we get it wrong. Out in the open sea, it is not difficult to get out of. If the boat is driven backwards, all that is necessary is to slacken the fore and aft sail, turn the rudder as far as it will go and as the ship comes about we then gradually tighten the sail and…’ He shrugged his shoulders, ‘off we go again.’ He shook one finger in the air. ‘That manoeuvre is dangerous if you’re close to shore. It is one of the main reasons ships are driven onto rocks. We are much more conservative in our decision making when close to shore.’ He explained the subtleties of choosing the angle to the wind and the trimming of the sail to catch the maximum propulsion effect.
Simon left on a tour of inspection.The mainsails were now fully unfurled and the ship gained momentum.
John returned to an admiration of the interaction of the bow waves and the background swell. Two dolphins played alongside the boat, gliding inside smaller waves and jumping over the bigger ones.His reverie was interrupted by an argument towards the stern of the boat. John walked towards the noise. Simon and Ewan Fitzrobert were engaged in a full-blown row.
‘How dare you talk to me like that,’ Ewan was saying, his face swollen with anger, cheeks and lips distorted as he spat out the words. ‘I am a passenger; you are supposed to serve me.’
‘No,’ said Simon, ‘you are on my ship now. The only person who can tell me what to do is the Captain, and other than the Captain, I am the only person who can give orders to the crew.’
‘All I did was make sure the cabin boys were aware of my needs.’
‘What you did was to distract them from their basic tasks and…’ he took a step towards Ewan, ‘you were not doing it in a way which is acceptable to me.’
John watched as Ewan bristled with indignation.
At that moment, Lord James appeared from out of nowhere and pushed his way between the Simon and Ewan. ‘Ewan, on this boat we are outside of the law which applies in England. We must obey maritime law.’
He turned to John, who was hovering hesitantly in the background. ‘John, come over here.’
John advanced far enough to be part of the group.
‘John, we need someone to mediate any problems between the below decks crew and you four squires. I am appointing you. Solve any issues to the satisfaction of the mate. I do not want to hear any more of this.’
So it was done, there was no going back. John could no longer ignore Ewan and Ewan could no longer ignore John. John knew that this was Lord James telling him that the time had come for him to show leadership. ‘Yes, Milord. Ewan…’
Ewan glared, first at Lord James then at John, and sinking his head, walked away. John was about to call him back, but Lord James caught his arm. ‘No, John not straight away. Give him half an hour to cool down.’
John nodded and after a few moments returned to the bow and the dolphins. His mind was full of thoughts and images of what leadership meant. Various scenarios, most of which he found quite threatening, played out in his head as his eyes followed the dolphins. It took him some time to quieten his racing heart.
After a short time, Simon joined him. ‘You really enjoy being at sea, don’t you?’
John jumped at the sudden intrusion, then nodded.’Yes, but at the same time, it is quite frightening. There is so much power in the wind and the waves. It is so different from life on land.’
‘If you enjoy it, think seriously about joining us. It is a wonderful life. We are totally in control of our own destiny. Once we put out to sea the captain is king and I am a knight.’
Simon continued John’s education. ‘We left Bristol in the early evening to ensure that the passage between Lands End and the Scilly Isles will be made during daylight. Wrecks on the coast either side of the passage are not uncommon.’
‘And then we must go to Penryn?’
‘The orders say that, and it is not a port we normally sail to. It can be more difficult to leave than Bristol if you are unlucky enough to get an easterly wind. I don’t want to go into the port itself. The captain tells me that it is not necessary, that we can anchor behind Pendennis Point where we will pick up additional passengers who will be brought to us by tenders, probably small fishing boats. That makes me feel much easier.’
This conversation gave John something to talk about when he returned to join the other squires. He had made up his mind to be considerate but firm, copying as much as he could of Lord James’ style. He spent some time pondering what exactly he might say to Ewan but in the event, he had no need to do or say anything, as Ewan Fitzrobert was now violently and uncontrollably seasick.
