He assigned to them a knight from the frontier region near
Lourdes named
Sir Menaut de Sallenches, who undertook to escort them in safety, and I believe he performed this duty well.
SHF 3-52 syncAnd so they took charge of the
castle of La Bouffie which was handed over to
Bertrand de Montesquieu, a squire from that country, to guard along with its surrounding territory. The lords and their men then marched on and came before the
castle of Pechpeyroux which was in the hands of marauders under the command of
Elias Machin. They had done much damage to the land, for which
Sir Gaucher de Passac had sworn on his father's soul that he would show none of them mercy nor ransom them. They would all be hanged and they could expect no other fate if he could lay his hands on them. The lords and their men made such progress that they reached
Pechpeyroux and laid siege to it. This castle sits atop a rocky outcrop from which the view is wonderful. During the siege
Sir Gaucher swore an oath that he would not leave until they had taken it and all those within, unless they flew away like birds. Many attacks were launched but the
French gained little ground, for it is a castle that can be stoutly defended.
"I do not know how things will turn out," said
Sir Gaucher. "The
king of France has wealth enough to maintain this siege, but if I must remain here for a year I will not leave until I gain it."
What he had said and sworn was heeded and all those involved in the siege made the necessary preparations.
Now I will tell you what happened. When the captain realised the French commanders were determined and would not depart until they had gained the stronghold, whatever the cost, they became fearful and came to the conclusion that, whether the
French liked it or not, they could safely flee when they wished, for the castle had an underground passage more than half a league long of which the
French were not aware.
When
Elias, the captain of the castle, saw the siege the
French had laid and realised that they would not leave without capturing them and the castle by starving them out or some other means, he became afraid and said to his companions,
"Lords, I am well aware that
Sir Gaucher de Passac detests us cordially and I fear that he will starve us out with a long siege. To do this he need only construct a small fort outside, and leave one hundred lance inside it, because then not one of us would dare to depart, but I shall tell you what we will do. We will gather our belongings and by night we will enter the underground passage which is good and wide and which will lead us out for certain to a wood one league from here. We will be out of all danger before they know what has become of us, because not one man in that army knows about this or suspects it."
They all agreed to this proposal for they were eager to place themselves beyond danger. That night, when they had packed up everything they could carry, they lit torches and entered the wide, open passageway, walked along it and emerged in a wood half a league from the castle. There were those with them who knew how to guide them to other strongholds in the
Limousin and
Rouergue, while others went their separate ways as soon as they felt they were out of danger, saying that they did not wish to be at war again.
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