Soldier of Crusade (19 page)

‘Not joint,’ Bohemund cut in, causing Baldwin to suck lemons again. ‘Let them lead their own contingents, Tancred his own Apulian knights, and Baldwin whosoever he chooses, but in numbers agreed.’

That was tossed back and forth over some time, Baldwin’s figure of a thousand beaten down to two hundred, with the same number allocated to Tancred. All would be mounted – the aim was to move fast and avoid battle against foes, superior or not. Times were discussed and, notwithstanding they might be wildly out, it was agreed a date they would meet up on the road to Antioch, Baldwin and Tancred tasked to reconnoitre the famous old city and report the state of the defences.

‘You guessed why Baldwin was so eager?’ Bohemund asked, when he and his nephew were alone.

‘Only a fool would not; but I am bound to ask, if Duke Robert had not put forward my name, would you?’

‘Yes, but it had more weight coming from him. How would it have looked if I had made the suggestion?’

‘Like you were favouring your own.’ The younger man took a deep breath before he posed his next question. ‘Am I free to act for myself?’

‘You would be a dolt not to. Baldwin is scarcely charging off to aid the Crusade but to line his own purse.’

‘And perhaps take possession of any towns he can capture?’

‘That too.’ That got a hand on the shoulder. ‘I had always intended one day to let you seek for yourself. If it has come sooner than anticipated the time has arrived. Ride out in the morning with your lances …’

‘And some of your own.’

‘They esteem you as much as do I, Tancred, and would chafe to stay with the main body. But I was about to say that you are free to do as you wish and to take for yourself anything that presents itself. If it disturbs you to grab land and plunder while on Crusade, do not let it trouble your mind, for there is not a noble knight on the council who does not harbour the same thought.’

‘You?’

‘Unlike them I have not pledged my lands to fund this adventure, but Godfrey de Bouillon sold most of his to the Church, and Robert of Normandy pledged his duchy to his brother for a huge sum of money. Why?’

‘Robert I do not know, but Godfrey is pious.’

‘De Bouillon is more so than I, that I will grant you, and I have enough of an opinion of him, for I think him an honest man, to believe he will ask for what he wants rather than take it. He is a true Crusader.’

‘Not a trait shared by all the family.’

‘Have I said enough?’ Bohemund asked, to get a nod in response. ‘I have a gift for you.’

That got a raised eyebrow from his nephew, which was not assuaged when Bohemund called out and a dark-skinned fellow entered and bowed.

‘This is Anastas and I found him in Heraclea. He is an Armenian Christian as well as a trader and he knows the route to Antioch well. I questioned him closely and he has knowledge of the fastest and safest shortcuts. It may be that with his help you can get ahead of Baldwin and secure anything worthwhile before he arrives.’

They rode out the next day, after a Mass to bless their endeavour, on the best horses that the host could provide, animals that had been fattened on the ample pasture of the lands around Heraclea, able to cover the standard cavalry distance, including walking, resting and watering their mounts, of ten leagues a day. For Tancred it was sheer joy; much as he loved his uncle, to be in a position of independent command, to never have to ask if any act he desired to undertake was approved or not, was something he had craved for ever since he had been Bohemund’s squire. For his cousin of Salerno it promised as much; Tancred trusted him more than did Bohemund, and for the knights they led, the prospect of plunder was enough.

It was dawn on the next day when it emerged that another two
hundred Lotharingian knights had departed the host, no doubt to join Baldwin, which prompted Robert to suggest to his fellow Norman that Bohemund might consider reinforcing Tancred, given that those men, in such a number, would not have departed had it not been prearranged.

‘It would not be wise, Bohemund, to place any faith in Baldwin’s intentions.’

A
nastas proved his worth before they ever got to the Cilician Gates; he knew a route from Heraclea that cut out a great arc in what had been the old Roman road, with ample supplies of both water and pasture, not that Tancred availed himself of too much of either; he had to assume that Baldwin would not tarry so nor could he, but he was reassured when passing through the high and cool trail that traversed the Gates that he was ahead of his rival, for no one passing in the other direction had seen a mounted host.

Two days of hard riding brought the Normans into Armenia and the ancient city of Tarsus and, from a nearby hill, the sight was arresting for here was a city as solid in its historic glory as anything these Apulian Normans had seen in Italy, a major trading centre of antiquity with the classical architecture that such places could boast; temples erected to the Greek Pantheon of Gods, arches and columns raised during Roman times as well as the ubiquitous amiphitheatre and baths.

Less encouraging were the stout walls and several towering minarets that spoke of a strong Turkish presence, which posed a problem for such a small force as to how to capture it. Beside a small river where their horses were now grazing, they donned their chain mail to indicate they were planning an instant assault.

As if determined to drive home the message that he was not anxious, the Turkish commander led his mounted archers out to engage in immediate battle, which if it surprised the Normans did not send them running, it not being a large force, nor one with an excess of discipline. Tancred’s men formed their line with the speed for which they were noted and the Turks found themselves counter-charged by a formidable wall of close-linked lances, which confounded them and broke up what little formation they had.

Arrows inflicted more wounds on animals than mailed men, so near impervious they went through the Turks and scattered them so comprehensively that their leader called an immediate retreat and fled back through the main gate, which they managed to shut behind them before their enemy could get through.

‘Which does not serve us as well as it might, cousin,’ Robert of Salerno gasped as he and Tancred trotted out of range of the well-positioned archers; the point was obvious – they were still on the outside.

‘Let us set up camp and put our minds to some idea of how we might overcome that.’

Robert laughed. ‘How long does it take to build a Trojan horse?’

‘The garrison is small, a few hundred perhaps, and the population of the city is Armenian and Christian, so whoever commands cannot count on help from the populace. We will light double the fires we need after dark. Let them think we will be stronger on the morrow
than they have seen today. If they think the whole host is coming to Tarsus, it may make them think of escape more than resistance. Meanwhile, let us throw a cordon around the walls while I seek, with our guide Anastas, to sow fear into their hearts.’

Throughout the rest of the day, Tancred rode round the walls in the company of his guide, who told the Turks in their own tongue of what was coming their way, a mighty host so large they would not see the tail from their highest minaret by the time thousands of knights were encamped around their walls, led by men who would not stand to be held up by so puny a city. There would be no mercy – it would be a painful death or Christianity for them all – and he gave good reason why, recounting in gruesome detail how their fellows had treated the pilgrims of the People’s Crusade.

‘They had sense at Heraclea,’ Ansatas called, for the tenth time. ‘They knew what fate held in store and took to their heels in darkness, which My Lord Tancred might, if he feels merciful, allow.’

Tancred’s task was to glower and wave his sword, which he did well and frequently.

‘Look upon him, look at the length of those legs, the build of the upper body and the reach of his sword arm. Think on this as you try to sleep: can you fight a man of such size? And yet he is but a dwarf to those who follow so close on our heels and whose banners you will soon see on the horizon.’

If the Turks tossed and turned there was little sleep for the Normans that night; over the hours of darkness the number of lit fires had to be increased, but not all at once – it had to appear as if reinforcements were arriving piecemeal and setting up camp, foreign devils who did not fear to march in the night. Others, including Tancred and Robert of Salerno, were out in the groves that surrounded the city, their task
to keep silent watch and see how many people fled Tarsus, for if the fighting men did not, the non-combatant Turks would.

Happily, soldiers were leaving too, many on horseback, evidenced by their jingling accoutrements and in such a way, singly or in pairs, that hinted at individual endeavour, not an organised evacuation; the garrison would be smaller at dawn than it had been previously, yet Tancred sensed the same bold fellow might be in charge.

The messenger came with the rising sun, an invitation to the leader of the invaders to parley with the governor of Tarsus under a flag of truce. Gathering up that which he hoped he would need, Tancred, in the company of Anastas and his own body of personal followers, made for the main gate, to be greeted from one of the main towers by a fellow who went by the name of Gökham Bey, he issuing a guarantee that if the Lord Knight would enter in peace and leave his lances outside, all things were possible.

‘They might string you up and hang you over the walls,’ Robert said.

‘Go back, cousin,’ Tancred replied, as the gates creaked open, ‘and do as you should. Take command till I return.’

With that Tancred rode through into the dark, shaded interior of Tarsus, carrying his own banner, and on through narrow, crowded streets full of the curious and fearful Armenians, eventually to enter the Governor’s Palace. This stood inside a citadel of a different age and looked to the Apulian very like those of Roman vintage he had seen at home, an impression enhanced on entry to find fountain-filled courtyards, with cooling ponds and many shading trees and mosaic-tiled floors with designs of animals and birds.

The interior was Turkish in its decoration and there waiting for him was Gökham Bey, sitting on a pile of cushions nearly the height of
a chair. The formalities of titles had to be exchanged, before Anastas took to the interpreting task he had been brought along to perform: what were the terms by which Gökham would surrender Tarsus? The demands were not unusual; for a Western mind it was the time taken which stood out.

‘Tell him yes, all his men may depart with their weapons, but I must insist they take a route due east.’

The Bey understood that; the Crusade did not want them heading south towards Antioch. The delicate matter of his own family and possessions took longer and Tancred, by guesswork, tried to discern what was personal and what was gubernatorial – the latter he was determined to extract as booty and his bargaining position was wives. Gökham had dozens and many children; Tancred was only allowing him his one main spouse, and pressing home that no Christian could so condone polygamy as to agree to him taking a harem.

The Governor understood perfectly what this infidel was about but like his race he saw the bargaining as an essential to the ultimate trade. Slowly he surrendered goods of value to Tancred in return for things of value to him, giving up the Tarsus treasury, full of tax monies levied from the town and surrounding countryside, as well as the artefacts that he had inherited with his office.

For that he extracted a promise that he could keep his personal belongings, wives included. He would be able to take them with him when he left and time had to be granted to him for that departure, he being a man with much to carry. Also he wished for the Crusaders to stay out of the city till he was ready to leave, so that his dignity would not be offended and there would be no chance of conflict between his soldiers and those of the Christian Lord.

‘Finally,’ Tancred said to Anastas, ‘I have one more demand to
make and it is a painless one to the Bey. I wish for my banner, not the crescent, to fly above the citadel from this day forth, so that all should know that I am the suzerain.’

That took another glass of sand to negotiate, but it was agreed both banners should fly side by side on one of the outer towers until the crescent was lowered, that a signal that Gökham Bey was ready to take his leave.

The cheers rose from the Norman-Apulian throats as they saw the de Hauteville banner flutter up the flagstaff, and that was doubled when their leader rode out to tell them that within a short time they would be masters of Tarsus and their individual wealth enhanced with it, so it was time to prepare a celebratory feast, the means to make it memorable to be provided by the Armenian citizens of a city of which they would soon occupy.

That fluttering banner, as well as the fiery roasting pits, was the sight that greeted Baldwin of Boulogne, who arrived as the sun was setting. Tancred was not alone in counting their increased numbers and now it was plain why he was so far behind them: he had been obliged to wait to rendezvous with these additional knights. The attitude of their leader was not altered by being too late for the capitulation – he had the same blustering overconfidence that Tancred had observed in the council pavilion, his assumption that being present he was so very obviously in command, an idea the young Apulian scotched right away.

‘You do not lead here, Baldwin, but I have sent to Tarsus to request more food so your men may eat as well as my own.’

‘We must do more than just eat, Tancred.’

‘Must we?’

‘There are serious matters to discuss.’

There was no doubt what Baldwin was driving at, the look in his eyes being almost palpable, and when he spoke it was proved a correct assumption – greed masked as a desire for equity, that any spoils from Tarsus should be divided equally between the Lotharingians and the Normans, including him and Baldwin.

‘We are, after all, joint leaders.’

‘But we are not jointly successful. Perhaps if you had not taken steps to enhance your numbers you might have got to Tarsus before me, and I have no doubt that you are not behind me in the skills to get to where I am now. But share? Am I to say to my men, who did fight for this place, that they must not only divide it with the Lorraine knights but in a proportion never envisaged when we set out?’

‘That I will forgo,’ Baldwin replied, his manner suggesting he was being overly generous.

‘You and your men will receive what I see fit to give.’

‘If you are generous they will not be offended.’

He meant himself, which riled Tancred. ‘Then stand by to deal with their displeasure, Baldwin.’

‘What can I say? Your banner flies above Tarsus, so let us eat and I will seek, like Gökham Bey, this Turk you tell me of, to soften your position by long negotiation.’

Tancred ameliorated that by inviting his senior captains as well as those of Baldwin to eat with them and by seating himself as far away from the man as possible. Yet he was aware of the looks he was receiving, coming from a set of eyes naked in their calculation. Baldwin had not given up the contest and he was obviously busy thinking of ways to counter the arguments that would follow the next day.

He was sharper than that; when the sun rose Tancred was called out to look at Tarsus and there he saw flying from the tower not his de Hauteville standard but that of Baldwin, bright yellow with a triangle of red balls. The entire force of Lotharingians was up and fully clad in mail, clearly ready for a fight, and when he rode to the gate it was kept closed against him on the orders of the same man, who eventually came to the tower to tell him what he already knew.

‘I command now, as it should have been ceded to me when I arrived. Had you deemed it wise to share we might have both our banners flying. As it is, by your miserliness you have forfeited everything.’

‘It is your avarice that has brought this about. I invite you to exit with your weapons, Baldwin, and we will see this settled between us.’

That got a slow shake of the head; Baldwin was a doughty fighter, but he was not about to put his gains in jeopardy by engaging in single combat, especially with a fellow with the build and prowess of his de Hauteville blood.

‘What did you offer Gökham Bey?’

‘More than did you, and do not enquire as to what. Enough to say that as part of our bargain I will soon rule in the citadel, not you or he.’

‘Without your soldiers.’

‘Look behind you, Tancred.’

It was tempting to ignore that but not possible. A glance over his shoulder let him see what he suspected. Baldwin’s men were mounted and heading for the gate, all four hundred of them, while his own Normans watched in silent fury.

The laugh was loud and very false. ‘You may wish to offer them the same choice of combat you gave to me, Norman. If you do not I suggest you stand aside.’

There was no option but to do so; he could not fight that number
and nor would he have done even if he had with him his men and them armed. They were outnumbered two to one and by Franks who, if they were generally in equal numbers no match for the Normans, were too numerous to favour the usual outcome. Back at his own camp he stood for an age watching the flag flying about the city, with his men waiting for instructions on what to do.

‘Break camp and get ready your mounts,’ he said finally.

‘You are giving in to him?’ Robert of Salerno asked, softly.

‘I am doing so because we have no choice, Robert. If Tarsus was impossible to capture by force of arms before, it has not improved with a Lotharingian garrison. No, Baldwin is slimy enough to have outwitted me …’

‘Which is to your credit, cousin.’

‘Is it, Robert? Legend will tell all that I was made to look a fool.’

‘No, legend will say that Baldwin of Boulogne was a deceiver and a cheat, who put his own need to gain against his service to God and our purpose.’

Tancred responded with a bitter smile; Robert was no stranger to his own motives. ‘Then let us hope they do not examine my conscience as well.’