"My lords, are these scoundrels to keep us here all day? If they were fine men-at-arms it would not surprise me for they have more vigour than they should for low-born fellows such as they are. I intend to dine in the fortress, so let us see who of you will satisfy my wishes!"
At these words, companions who wished to win favour advanced and attacked with gusto. They took a large number of ladders to the place where the great engine was situated which held the Genoese crossbowmen, and raised them against the wall. Every man who was able swarmed up, while the crossbowmen fired so straight and true that the defenders did not dare show themselves. Thus, the
French entered the town of
Curvale by a fine assault, swords in hand, and they pursued their enemies killing I do not know how many of them and making prisoners of the rest. They entered the town through the gates and
Sir Gaucher was asked what should be done with those who had been captured. He replied,
"By St George, I want them all hanged!"
His order was carried out immediately, with
Espagnolet the first in line.
And so the lords dined in the castle and the rest of the men-at-arms in the town. They remained there for the whole day and
Sir Gaucher returned the castle and the town to the
lord of Curvale, then gave orders to march on elsewhere.
SHF 3-55 syncAfter
Curvale was captured, as you have heard, the lords and their army departed and took the road to a fortress called
Le Mesnil, which, like the others, had done a great deal of damage and brought trouble to the country.
As soon as they arrived they attacked it. Those within sprang to its defence but it did not last long because they, along with the fortress, were taken by storm and all were slain or hanged. When the inhabitants of
Rosières and Rochefort, two other fortresses controlled by the enemy, heard that
Sir Gaucher was marching through the land capturing fortresses and slaughtering or hanging men without mercy, they dreaded meeting the same end and left by night. I do not know whether they took an underground route or not, for both of these castles,
Rosières and Rochefort, have passages since they were castles formerly belonging to
Renaud de Montauban. The
French found them completely empty when they arrived and so took them back into their possession, populated them and provided fresh supplies. Then they turned their steps towards
Toulouse to enter
Bigorre, because on the borders of
Tarbes there were two castles, one named
Jullian and the other
Navarret, which were in the possession of pillagers who were terrorising the surrounding countryside, the town of
Tarbes and the territory of the
lord of Antin.
When
Sir Gaucher de Passac and these lords of
France and the
Languedoc had spent three days of rest and refreshment in the city of
Toulouse, they departed, taking the
Bigorre road and making haste until they reached the fortress of
Jullian. There they came to a halt, declaring that they would not move on until they had delivered the country.
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