October 12th 1216 A.D. Midday – Crossing the Wash

Allard urged his horse past the first of the two wheeled, ponderous wooden carts. The Treasurer was riding alongside the wagon unwilling to let it out of his sight. It had been left as nondescript as possible. No one would guess at the value of its cargo. It had been Allard’s idea to place the wagon at the rear of the baggage train. His reasoning had been that it would be easier to defend, as the King’s men and the Templars could surround it in the event of any attack.

The Treasurer had not been entirely reassured. But he yielded to Allard’s greater military expertise. And had the great Earl of Pembroke, the King’s most loyal servant, not personally vouched for the knight? The Treasurer also felt more secure that the contents of the wagon were secret. No one, other than himself, the three knights and a servant far away at Corfe Castle had any idea of what the cart held.

At the head of the train, thirty or so wagons in front, the monk Robert was slowing walking over the sands of the Wash, prodding the ground carefully with his long staff. From the height of the sun in the sky, he had the time until the next tide carefully calculated. Suddenly, he stopped and turned to the captain of the King’s Guard who was riding at the head of the line.

“Look, you can see the far bank from here.”

He pointed with his staff. The Captain followed the direction with his gaze. He could see the bank with his own eyes. He gave a relieved sigh. On the shore he could see a group of mounted horsemen. Presumably they had already made the crossing safely.

The King’s man had never been particularly keen on this short cut. But John had insisted that they reach him that night. He had not wanted them making camp out on the wilds of the marshy wasteland. Indeed, the Captain could see the argument in getting the court and all its supporters to the safety of the Abbey for the overnight stop. Brother Robert was continuing to indicate the way ahead with his staff.

“From here, the sand is firm. Please, ride on with your carts. I will remain here to check that none of the wagons have problems reaching this point.”

The soldier grunted his agreement and set out with the rest of the baggage train following behind him. The monk however did not remain where he was. Unremarked, he made his way in the other direction. All of the drivers of the carts were focused on following the vehicle in front and no one paid him any attention.

At the rear, Allard and Henry nodded at each other. Henry pulled up the horse and the wagon ground to a halt. Allard and the Treasurer stopped at the same time. Henry pointed down to the wheel on the far side of the cart.

“Brother Allard, this wheel appears to be sticking. Can you please take a look and check that there is no problem with the axle?”

Allard got down from his horse and let the reins fall to the floor. He crouched down at the side of the cart and began to make elaborate inspections of the underside. The Treasurer was looking on anxiously.

At the same time excited cries could be heard from the front of the convoy. The leading group was actually many hundreds of yards away by now. Henry had stopped his cart some time ago and even the last wagon in the train was now nearly out of sight.

“Look! Look! The waters are coming!”

The Treasurer and his two guards wheeled round in the direction of the shouts. Clearly there was something wrong. As they turned back to the three Templars, they were astonished to find the men had drawn their swords.

“What….”

Before the Treasurer had time to say any more, Allard had run him through with his weapon. His fellow knights had taken similar care of the two guards. They had been allowed no time to shout for help. But in any case all of the men at arms accompanying the baggage train were fully engaged in trying to turn around the heavy wagons. They were desperate to save themselves and their cargoes from being swept away by the tidal waters.

Time was of the essence. Allard’s cart was still a good hundred yards from the near shore. Henry whipped the horses into action and turned the vehicle back in the direction from which they had come. As he urged the horses onward to safety, Allard and James rode by the side. Behind them scurried a red-faced Brother Robert who had managed to escape the mayhem and had joined them.