The French slew some of their prisoners at Jargeau. Once Joan saw a
man-at-arms strike down a prisoner. She leaped from her horse, and laid
the wounded Englishman's head on her breast, consoling him, and bade a
priest come and hear his confession. Cruel and cowardly deeds are done
in all wars, but when was there ever such a general as the Maid, to
comfort the dying?
From Jargeau the Maid rode back to Orleans, where the people could not
look on her enough, and made great festival. Many men came in to fight
under her flag, among them Richemont, who had been on bad terms with
Charles, the uncrowned king. Then Joan took the bridge-fort at Meun,
which the English held; next she drove the English at Beaugency into the
citadel, and out of the town.
[Illustration: One Englishman at least died well]
As to what happened next, we have the story of Wavrin, who was fighting
on the English side under Fastolf.[19] The garrison of the English in
Beaugency, he says, did not know whether to hold out or to yield. Talbot
reported all this to Bedford, at Paris, and large forces were sent to
relieve Beaugency. Wavrin rode with his captain, Fastolf, to Senville,
where Talbot joined them, and a council was held. Fastolf said that the
English had lost heart, and that Beaugency should be left to its fate,
while the rest held out in strong places and waited for reinforcements.
But Talbot cried that, if he had only his own people, he would fight
the French, with the help of God and St. George. Next morning Fastolf
repeated what he had said, and declared that they would lose all King
Henry had won, But Talbot was for fighting. So they marched to a place
between Meun and Beaugency, and drew up in order of battle. The French
saw them, and occupied a strong position on a little hill. The English
then got ready, and invited the French to come down and fight on the
plain. But Joan was not so chivalrous as James IV. at Flodden.
[Illustration: THE ENGLISH ARCHERS BETRAYED BY THE STAG]
'Go you to bed to-night, for it is late; to-morrow, so please God and
Our Lady, we will see you at close quarters.'
The English then rode to Meun, and cannonaded the bridge-fort, which was
held by the French. They hoped to take the bridge, cross it, march to
Beaugency, and relieve the besieged there. But that very night Beaugency
surrendered to the Maid! She then bade her army march on the English,
who were retreating to Paris as soon as they heard how Beaugency had
yielded. But how was the Maid to find the English? 'Ride forward,' she
cried, 'and you shall have a sure guide.' They had a guide, and a
strange one.
The English were marching towards Paris, near Pathay, when their
_eclaireurs_ (who beat the country on all sides) came in with the news
that the French were following. But the French knew not where the
English were, because the deserted and desolate country was overgrown
with wood.
Talbot decided to do what the English did at Crecy, where they won so
glorious a victory. He lined the hedges in a narrow way with five
hundred archers of his best, and he sent a galloper to bring thither the
rest of his army. On came the French, not seeing the English in ambush.
In a few minutes they would have been shot down, and choked the pass
with dying men and horses. But now was the moment for the strange guide.
A stag was driven from cover by the French, and ran blindly among the
ambushed English bowmen. Not knowing that the French were so near, and
being archers from Robin Hood's country, who loved a deer, they raised a
shout, and probably many an arrow flew at the stag. The French
_eclaireurs_ heard the cry, they saw the English, and hurried back with
the news.
'Forward!' cried the Maid; 'if they were hung to the clouds we have
them. To-day the gentle king will gain such a victory as never yet did
he win.'[20]
The French dashed into the pass before Talbot had secured it. Fastolf
galloped up, but the English thought that he was in flight; the captain
of the advanced guard turned his horse about and made off. Talbot was
taken, Fastolf fled, 'making more sorrow than ever yet did man.' The
French won a great victory. They needed their spurs, as the Maid had
told them that they would, to follow their flying foes. The English lost
some 3,000 men. In the evening Talbot, as a prisoner, was presented to
the Duc d'Alencon.
'You did not expect this in the morning?' said the duke.
'Fortune of war!' said Talbot.
So ended the day of Pathay, and the adventure of the Strange Guide.