The Archer's Return: Medieval story in feudal times about knights, Templars, crusaders, Marines, and naval warfare during the Middle Ages in England in the reign of King Richard the lionhearted Read Online Free PDF Page B

“Peter, go up that mast and keep a lookout.” … “No. Don’t take your bow or quiver. Leave them here on the deck with me.  You’ll need both hands to hold on tight.” 
           Twenty minutes later and it appears the trailing Algerians are so far back that they missed our turn and are no longer following us.  Now we’re heading straight into the wind and it’s just between us and our one remaining pursuer.  Well, it’s just between the two of us if Harold’s right that the other Algerians didn’t make the turn.  In any event our pursuer is finally closing on us. 
           I trust Harold and the sailor he has as a lookout on the mast.  But I’m not taking any chances – every so often I send Peter up the mast to make sure no other Algerians are in sight.
           Harold has all of our archers on deck as our pursuer continues to cut the gap separating us.  He lets the Algerian close on us until it is well within the range of our archers because of the favorable winds.  That’s when our archers begin to launch and the drum picks up the beat so we’ll stay just enough ahead to keep the Algerian within range of our archers’ long bows.
           I myself climb part way up the mast to watch as the archers on our deck begin to shoot. 
           I’ve only done it a few times before and it’s not something I enjoy.  The damn thing is slippery and sways back and forth you know.  
           In the distance I can see movement on the Algerian’s deck as our archers’ arrows find the range and begin to land.  Now the tables are turning.  At first the Algerian thruster merely slows to drop back out of range.  But we slow with it so it can’t escape the continuous and expertly aimed rain of our arrows. 
           Finally the Algerians have enough and turn to break off – and we turn back to go after them.
           Harold quickly spins our galley around using both its rudder and oars and then we row hard to get a little behind and slightly off to the port side of our now fleeing prey.  From this angle the arrows of our archers can drop into the open area behind the Algerian’s mast and reach down to its rudder men and some of its rowers – and they mostly do.
           Within minutes the Algerian is virtually stopped with its deck and upper rowing bank clear of men.  At some point the Algerian captain finally realizes our need for a specific position in order to drop arrows into the open area next to his lower rowing benches.  Now he has his rowers periodically rowing on only one side so that his galley keeps turning in a tight circle to keep us from having clear shots. 
           It’s almost a game.  The Algerian captain is constantly maneuvering to deny our archers a shooting line into his rudder men and the open area on his lower deck where his survivors can hide – and we are constantly maneuvering around his galley to get clear shots into it for our archers.
         Harold finally brings us alongside the Algerian about an hour before the sun will start to go down.  Our archers are all on deck with their short distance heavy arrows and they have already cleared the Algerian’s deck and the upper rowing benches on one side.  There are no Algerians in sight as our grappling irons are thrown.  With the sun about to start going down it’s now or never.
           The shuddering crash as the two hulls come together brings the surviving Algerians out from behind the nearside deck railing where they’ve been sheltering and charging out of the lower rowing deck – and straight into an absolute storm of arrows from the archers lining the side of our galley.  For an instant Peter and I and every archer are shooting arrows at close range as some of the Algerians launch a forlorn hope and go down.  The survivors quickly drop back down to cower and try to stay out of sight.
           For a while the two galleys bob up and down together and