August 6, 2025 • 15 mins
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
After a few words by Randal Garrett, he settled himself
comfortably in his seat and carefully put the helmet on,
pulling it down firmly until it was properly seated. For
a moment he could see nothing. Then his hand moved
up and with a flick of the wrist, lifted the
visor ahead of him in serried array with lances erect
in Pennon's flying was the forward part of the column.
(00:23):
Far ahead, he knew were the Knights Templars, who had
taken the advance. Behind the Templars rode the mailed Knights
of Brittany and Anjou. These were followed by King Guy
of Jerusalem and the host of Potu. He himself, Sir
Robert de Bouin, was riding with the Norman and English troops.
Just behind the men of Potu. Sir Robert turned slightly
(00:43):
in his saddle. To his right he could see the
brilliant red and gold banner of the lion hearted Richard
of England guels in pale, three lions passing garden to
ore behind the standard bearer, his great war horse moving
with a steady measured pace, his coronet of gold on
his deel helm gleaming in the glaring desert sun the
lions of England on his firm held shield was the
(01:05):
King himself. Further behind the knights, hospitalers protected the rear,
guarding the column of the hosts of Christendom from harassment
by the Bedouins. By our lady, came a voice from
his left. Three days out from Ocar, and the accursed
Saracens still elude us. Sir Robert de Boin twisted again
in his saddle to look at the night Riding alongside him.
(01:28):
Sir Geyton de la Ark Tomme sat tall and straight
in his saddle, his visor up, his blue eyes narrowed
against the glare of the sun. Sir Robert's lips formed
a smile. They are not far off, sir Geton. They
have been following us as we march parallel to the
sea coast. So they have been marching with us in
those hills to the east, like the jackals they are, said,
(01:50):
Sir Geton. They assail us from the rear, and they
set up traps in our path ahead. Our spies tell
us that the Turks lie ahead of us in countless numbers,
and yet they feared of face us in open battle.
Is it fear or are they merely gathering their forces? Both,
said Sir Guy tone flatly. They fear us, else they
would not dally to a mass so fearsome a force. If,
(02:12):
as our informers tell us, there are uncounted Turks to
the fore, and if, as we are aware, our rears
being dogged by the Bedouin and the black horsemen of Egypt,
it would seem that Saladin has at hand more than
enough to overcome us. Were they all truly Christian knights,
give them time. We must wait for their attack, Sir Knight,
it were foolhardy to attempt to seek them in their
(02:32):
own hills, and yet they must stop us. They will
attack before we reach Jerusalem. Fear not we have gassed
any fear no heathen mussulmen, Sir Guy Tong growled. It's
this hellish heat that is driving me mad. He pointed
toward the eastern hills. The sun is yet low, and
already the heat is unbearable. Sir Robert heard his own
(02:53):
laugh echo hollowly within his helmet. Perhaps twere better to
be mad when the assault comes. Mad men fight better
than men of cooler blood, he knew, that the others
were baking inside their heavy armor, although he himself was
not too uncomfortable. Sir guy Tom looked at him with
a smile that held both irony and respect. In truth,
(03:13):
Sir Knight, it is apparent that you fear neither men
nor heat, nor is your own blood too cool? True.
I ride with your Normans and your English, and your
King Richard of the Lion's Heart. But I am a
Gascon and have sworn no fealty to him, but to
side with the Duke of Burgundy against King Richard. He
gave a short, barking laugh. I fear no man, he
went on, But if I had to fear one, it
(03:34):
would be Richard of England. Sir Robert's voice came like
a sword, steely, flat, cold and sharp. My lord the
King spoke in haste. He has reason to be bitter
against Philip of France, as do we all. Philip has
deserted the field. He has returned to France in haste,
leaving the rest of us to fight the Saracen for
the Holy Land, leaving only the contingent of his vassal,
(03:56):
the Duke of Burgundy, to remain with us. Richard of
England has never been on the best of terms with
Philip Augustus, said Sir Geiton. No, and with good cause.
But he allowed his anger against Philip to color his
judgment when he spoke harshly against the Duke of Burgundy.
The Duke is no coward, and Richard Plantagenet well knows it.
As I said, he spoke in haste, and you intervened,
(04:19):
said Sir Geiton, it was my duty. Sir Robert's voice
was stubborn. Could we have permitted a quarrel to develop
between the two finest knights and war leaders in Christendom
at this crucial point? The desertion of Philip of France
has cost us dearly? Could we permit the desertion of
Burgundy too? You did what must be done in honor,
the gascon conceded, but you have not gained the love
(04:41):
of Richard by doing so. Sir Robert felt his jaw,
said firmly, my king knows I am loyal. Sir Geiton
said nothing more, but there was a look in his
eyes that showed that he felt that Richard of England
might even doubt the loyalty of Sir Robert de Boin.
Sir Robert rode on in silence, feeling the movement of
the horse beneath him. There was a sudden sound to
(05:03):
the rear, like a wash of the tide from the sea.
Came the sound of Saracen war cries, and the clash
of steel on steel, mingled with the sounds of horses
in agony and anger. Sir Robert turned his horse to look.
The Negro troops of Saladin's Egyptian contingent were thundering down
upon the rear. They clashed with the hospitallers, slamming in
(05:23):
like a rain of heavy stones. Too close in for
the use of bows. There was only the sword against armor,
like the sound of a thousand hammers against a thousand anvils.
Stand fast, stand fast, hold them off. It was the
voice of King Richard, sounding like a clarion over the
din of battle. Sir Robert felt his horse move as
though it were urging him on toward the battle, but
(05:44):
his hand held to the reins, keeping the great charger
in check. The King had said stand fast, and this
was no time to disobey the orders of Richard. The
Saracen troops were coming in from the rear and the
hospitalers were taking the brunt of the charge. They fought
like madmen, but they were slowly being forced back. The
master of the hospitalers rode to the rear to the
(06:05):
King's standard, which hardly moved in the still desert air.
Now that the column had stopped moving, the voice of
the Duke of Burgundy came to Sir Robert's ears. Stand fast.
The King bids you all to stand fast, said the Duke,
his voice fading as he rode on up the column
toward the Knights of Potu and the Knights Templars. The
master of the hospitalers was speaking in a low, urgent
(06:27):
voice to the King. My lord, we are pressed on
by the enemy, and in danger of eternal infamy. We
are losing our horses one after the other. Good Master,
said Richard. It is you who must sustain their attack.
No one can be everywhere at once. The Master of
the Hospitalers nodded curtly and charged back into the fray.
The King turned to Sir Baldwin de Careo, who sat
(06:49):
a horse near by, and pointed toward the eastern hills.
They will come from there, hitting us in the flank.
We cannot afford to a mass a rearward charge. To
do so would be to fault directly into the hands
of the Saracen. A voice very close to Sir Robert said,
Richard is right if we go to the aid of
the hospital or as we will expose the column to
a flank attack. It was Sir Guyton, my Lord the King.
(07:14):
Sir Robert heard his voice say, is right in all
but one thing. If we allow the Egyptians to take
us from the rear, there will be no need for
Saladin in his Turks to come down on our flank,
and the hospitalers cannot hold for long at this rate.
A charge at full gallop would break the Egyptian line
and give the hospitalers breathing time. Are you with me?
Against the orders of the king? The king cannot see everything.
(07:37):
There are times when a man must use his own judgment.
You said you were afraid of no man. Are you
with me? After a moment's hesitation, Sir gey Toon couched
his lance. I'm with you, Sir Knight, live or die.
I follow, strike and strike hard forward. Then Sir Robert
heard himself shouting forward for Saint George and for England.
(07:58):
Saint George and England the gascon echoed. Two great war
horses began to move ponderously forward toward the battle lines,
gaining momentum as they went. Moving in unison, the two Knights,
their horses, now at a fast trot, lowered their lances,
picking their Saracen targets with care. Larger and larger loomed
the Egyptian cavalrymen. As the horses changed pace to a
(08:20):
thundering gallop. The Egyptians tried to dodge as they saw
too late the approach of the Christian Knights. Sir Robert
felt the shock against himself and his horse as the
steel tip of the long ash lance struck the Saracen
horsemen in the chest. Out of the corner of his eye,
he saw that Sir Geyton, too had scored the Saracen
impaled on Sir Robert's lance, shot from the saddle as
(08:42):
he died. His lighter armor had hardly impeded the incoming
spear point, and now his body dragged it down. As
he dropped toward the desert sand. Another Moslem cavalryman was
charging in, now swinging his curved saber, taking advantage of
Sir Robert's sagging lance. There was nothing else to do
but drop the lance and draw his heavy broadsword. His
hand grasped it, and it came singing from its scabbard.
(09:06):
The Egyptian's curved sword clanged against Sir Robert's helm, setting
his head ringing. In return. The Knight's broadsword came about
in a sweeping arc, and the Egyptian's horse rode on,
with the rider's headless body behind him. Sir Robert heard
further cries of Saint George and England. The hospitalers, taking
heart at the charge, were going in. Behind them came
(09:28):
the Count of Champagne, the Earl of Lester, and the
Bishop of Bouvet, who carried a great warhammer in order
that he might not break Church law by shedding blood.
Sir Robert's own sword rose and fell, cutting and hacking
at the enemy. He himself felt a dreamlike detachment, as
though he were watching the battle rather than participating in it.
But he could see that the Moslems were falling back
(09:49):
before the Christian onslaught, and then quite suddenly there seemed
to be no foeman to swing at. Breathing heavily, Sir
Robert sheathed his broadsword beside him. Sir guy Toone did this, saying,
it will be a few minutes before they can regroup.
Sir Knight, we may have routed them completely, aye, but
King Richard will not approve of my breaking ranks and
disobeying orders. I may win the battle and lose my
(10:12):
head in the end. This is no time to worry
about the future, said the gascon Rest for a moment
and relax that you may be the stronger later. Here
have an old king's. He had a pack of cigarettes
in his gauntleted hand, which he proffered to Sir Robert.
There were three cigarettes protruding from it, one slightly farther
than the others. Sir Robert's hand reached out and took
(10:34):
that one. Thanks. When the going gets rough, I really
enjoy an old king's. He put one end of the
cigarette in his mouth and lit the other from the
lighter in Sir Gayton's hand. Yes, Sir, said Sir Geyeton,
after lighting his own cigarette. Old kings are the greatest.
They give a man real, deep down smoking pleasure. There's
no doubt about it. Old kings are a man's cigarette.
(10:56):
Sir Robert could feel the soothing smoke in his lungs
as he and ailed deeply. That's great when I want
a cigarette. I don't want just any cigarette, nor, I agreed.
The gascon Old King's is the only real cigarette when
you're doing a real man's work, that's for sure. Sir
Robert watched a smoke ring expand in the air. There
was a sudden clash of arms off to their left.
(11:19):
Sir Robert dropped his cigarette to the ground. The trouble
is that doing a real he man's work doesn't always
allow you to enjoy the fine rich tobaccos of old
Kings right down to the very end. No, but you
can always light another, later, said the gascon Knight. King Richard,
on seeing his army moving suddenly toward the harassed rear,
had realized the danger and had charged through the hospitalers
(11:40):
to get into the thick of the fray. Now the
Turks were charging down from the hills, hitting not the
flank as he had expected, but the rear Saladin had
expected him to hold fast. Sir Robert and Sir Guyton
spurred their chargers toward the flapping banner of England. The
fierce warrior King of England, his mighty sword in hand,
was cutting down turks as though they were grain stalks.
(12:02):
But still the Saracen horde pressed on. More and more
of the terrible Turks came boiling down out of the hills,
their glittering scimitars swinging. Sir Robert lost all track of time.
There was nothing to do but keep his own great
broadsword moving, swinging like some gigantic metronome as he hacked
down the Moslem foes. And then suddenly he found himself
(12:22):
surrounded by the Saracens. He was isolated and alone, cut
off from the rest of the Christian forces. He glanced
quickly around as he slashed another Saracen from pate to breastbone.
Where was Sir Geyton, Where were the others? Where was
the red and gold banner of Richard? He caught a
glimpse of the fluttering banner far to the rear, and
started to fall back. And then he saw another night
(12:44):
near by, a huge man who swung his sparkling blade
with power and force on his steel helm, gleamed a
golden coronet. Richard, and the great King, in spite of
his prowess, was outnumbered heavily and would within seconds be
cut down by the Saracen horde without visitation, Sir Robert
plunged his horse toward the surrounded monarch, his great blade
cutting a path before him. He saw Richard go down,
(13:07):
falling from the saddle of his charger, but by that
time his own sword was cutting into the screaming Saracens,
and they had no time to attempt any further mischief
to the king. They had their hands full with Sir
Robert de Boin. He did not know how long he
fought there, holding his charger motionless over the inert body
of the fallen king, hewing down the screaming enemy, but
presently he heard the familiar cry of for Saint George
(13:30):
and for England. Behind him, the Norman and English troops
were charging in, bringing with them the banner of England.
And then Richard was on his feet, cleaving the air
about him with his own broadsword, its bright edge, besmeared
with Saracen blood, was biting viciously into the foe. The
Turks began to fall back. Within seconds, the Christian knights
(13:51):
were boiling around the embattled pair, forcing the Turks into retreat,
and for the second time, Sir Robert found himself with
no one to fight, and then a voice was saying,
you have done well this day, Sir Knight. Richard Plantagenet
will not forget. Sir Robert turned in his saddle to
face the smiling King. My Lord, King be assured that
I would never forget my loyalty to my sovereign and
(14:13):
liege Lord. My sword in my life are yours? Whenever
you call King Richard's gauntleted hand grasped his own. If
it please God, I shall never ask your life an
earldom awaits you. When we returned to England, Sir Knight,
and then the King mounted his horse and was running
full gallop. After the retreating Sir racens, Robert took off
his helmet. He blinked for a second to adjust his
(14:35):
eyes to the relative dimness of the studio after the
brightness of the desert that the televi carrion helmet had
projected into his eyes. The studio seemed strangely cave like.
How do you like it, Bob, asked one of the
two producers of the show. Robert Bowen nodded briskly and
patted the televike helmet. It was okay, he said, good show.
(14:57):
A little talkie at the beginning, and it needs a
better fade out, but the action scenes were fine. The
sponsor ought to like it for a while at least,
what do you mean for a while, Robert Bowen sighed,
If this thing goes on the air the way it is,
he'll lose sales. Why commercial not good enough? Too good man,
I've smoked old kings, and believe me, the real thing
(15:19):
never tasted as good as that cigarette did in the
commercial end of after a few words by Randall Garrett,
After a few words by Randal Garrett, he settled himself
comfortably in his seat and carefully put the helmet on,
pulling it down firmly until it was properly seated. For
a moment he could see nothing. Then his hand moved
up and with a flick of the wrist, lifted the
visor ahead of him in serried array with lances erect
in Pennon's flying was the forward part of the column.
(00:23):
Far ahead, he knew were the Knights Templars, who had
taken the advance. Behind the Templars rode the mailed Knights
of Brittany and Anjou. These were followed by King Guy
of Jerusalem and the host of Potu. He himself, Sir
Robert de Bouin, was riding with the Norman and English troops.
Just behind the men of Potu. Sir Robert turned slightly
(00:43):
in his saddle. To his right he could see the
brilliant red and gold banner of the lion hearted Richard
of England guels in pale, three lions passing garden to
ore behind the standard bearer, his great war horse moving
with a steady measured pace, his coronet of gold on
his deel helm gleaming in the glaring desert sun the
lions of England on his firm held shield was the
(01:05):
King himself. Further behind the knights, hospitalers protected the rear,
guarding the column of the hosts of Christendom from harassment
by the Bedouins. By our lady, came a voice from
his left. Three days out from Ocar, and the accursed
Saracens still elude us. Sir Robert de Boin twisted again
in his saddle to look at the night Riding alongside him.
(01:28):
Sir Geyton de la Ark Tomme sat tall and straight
in his saddle, his visor up, his blue eyes narrowed
against the glare of the sun. Sir Robert's lips formed
a smile. They are not far off, sir Geton. They
have been following us as we march parallel to the
sea coast. So they have been marching with us in
those hills to the east, like the jackals they are, said,
(01:50):
Sir Geton. They assail us from the rear, and they
set up traps in our path ahead. Our spies tell
us that the Turks lie ahead of us in countless numbers,
and yet they feared of face us in open battle.
Is it fear or are they merely gathering their forces? Both,
said Sir Guy tone flatly. They fear us, else they
would not dally to a mass so fearsome a force. If,
(02:12):
as our informers tell us, there are uncounted Turks to
the fore, and if, as we are aware, our rears
being dogged by the Bedouin and the black horsemen of Egypt,
it would seem that Saladin has at hand more than
enough to overcome us. Were they all truly Christian knights,
give them time. We must wait for their attack, Sir Knight,
it were foolhardy to attempt to seek them in their
(02:32):
own hills, and yet they must stop us. They will
attack before we reach Jerusalem. Fear not we have gassed
any fear no heathen mussulmen, Sir Guy Tong growled. It's
this hellish heat that is driving me mad. He pointed
toward the eastern hills. The sun is yet low, and
already the heat is unbearable. Sir Robert heard his own
(02:53):
laugh echo hollowly within his helmet. Perhaps twere better to
be mad when the assault comes. Mad men fight better
than men of cooler blood, he knew, that the others
were baking inside their heavy armor, although he himself was
not too uncomfortable. Sir guy Tom looked at him with
a smile that held both irony and respect. In truth,
(03:13):
Sir Knight, it is apparent that you fear neither men
nor heat, nor is your own blood too cool? True.
I ride with your Normans and your English, and your
King Richard of the Lion's Heart. But I am a
Gascon and have sworn no fealty to him, but to
side with the Duke of Burgundy against King Richard. He
gave a short, barking laugh. I fear no man, he
went on, But if I had to fear one, it
(03:34):
would be Richard of England. Sir Robert's voice came like
a sword, steely, flat, cold and sharp. My lord the
King spoke in haste. He has reason to be bitter
against Philip of France, as do we all. Philip has
deserted the field. He has returned to France in haste,
leaving the rest of us to fight the Saracen for
the Holy Land, leaving only the contingent of his vassal,
(03:56):
the Duke of Burgundy, to remain with us. Richard of
England has never been on the best of terms with
Philip Augustus, said Sir Geiton. No, and with good cause.
But he allowed his anger against Philip to color his
judgment when he spoke harshly against the Duke of Burgundy.
The Duke is no coward, and Richard Plantagenet well knows it.
As I said, he spoke in haste, and you intervened,
(04:19):
said Sir Geiton, it was my duty. Sir Robert's voice
was stubborn. Could we have permitted a quarrel to develop
between the two finest knights and war leaders in Christendom
at this crucial point? The desertion of Philip of France
has cost us dearly? Could we permit the desertion of
Burgundy too? You did what must be done in honor,
the gascon conceded, but you have not gained the love
(04:41):
of Richard by doing so. Sir Robert felt his jaw,
said firmly, my king knows I am loyal. Sir Geiton
said nothing more, but there was a look in his
eyes that showed that he felt that Richard of England
might even doubt the loyalty of Sir Robert de Boin.
Sir Robert rode on in silence, feeling the movement of
the horse beneath him. There was a sudden sound to
(05:03):
the rear, like a wash of the tide from the sea.
Came the sound of Saracen war cries, and the clash
of steel on steel, mingled with the sounds of horses
in agony and anger. Sir Robert turned his horse to look.
The Negro troops of Saladin's Egyptian contingent were thundering down
upon the rear. They clashed with the hospitallers, slamming in
(05:23):
like a rain of heavy stones. Too close in for
the use of bows. There was only the sword against armor,
like the sound of a thousand hammers against a thousand anvils.
Stand fast, stand fast, hold them off. It was the
voice of King Richard, sounding like a clarion over the
din of battle. Sir Robert felt his horse move as
though it were urging him on toward the battle, but
(05:44):
his hand held to the reins, keeping the great charger
in check. The King had said stand fast, and this
was no time to disobey the orders of Richard. The
Saracen troops were coming in from the rear and the
hospitalers were taking the brunt of the charge. They fought
like madmen, but they were slowly being forced back. The
master of the hospitalers rode to the rear to the
(06:05):
King's standard, which hardly moved in the still desert air.
Now that the column had stopped moving, the voice of
the Duke of Burgundy came to Sir Robert's ears. Stand fast.
The King bids you all to stand fast, said the Duke,
his voice fading as he rode on up the column
toward the Knights of Potu and the Knights Templars. The
master of the hospitalers was speaking in a low, urgent
(06:27):
voice to the King. My lord, we are pressed on
by the enemy, and in danger of eternal infamy. We
are losing our horses one after the other. Good Master,
said Richard. It is you who must sustain their attack.
No one can be everywhere at once. The Master of
the Hospitalers nodded curtly and charged back into the fray.
The King turned to Sir Baldwin de Careo, who sat
(06:49):
a horse near by, and pointed toward the eastern hills.
They will come from there, hitting us in the flank.
We cannot afford to a mass a rearward charge. To
do so would be to fault directly into the hands
of the Saracen. A voice very close to Sir Robert said,
Richard is right if we go to the aid of
the hospital or as we will expose the column to
a flank attack. It was Sir Guyton, my Lord the King.
(07:14):
Sir Robert heard his voice say, is right in all
but one thing. If we allow the Egyptians to take
us from the rear, there will be no need for
Saladin in his Turks to come down on our flank,
and the hospitalers cannot hold for long at this rate.
A charge at full gallop would break the Egyptian line
and give the hospitalers breathing time. Are you with me?
Against the orders of the king? The king cannot see everything.
(07:37):
There are times when a man must use his own judgment.
You said you were afraid of no man. Are you
with me? After a moment's hesitation, Sir gey Toon couched
his lance. I'm with you, Sir Knight, live or die.
I follow, strike and strike hard forward. Then Sir Robert
heard himself shouting forward for Saint George and for England.
(07:58):
Saint George and England the gascon echoed. Two great war
horses began to move ponderously forward toward the battle lines,
gaining momentum as they went. Moving in unison, the two Knights,
their horses, now at a fast trot, lowered their lances,
picking their Saracen targets with care. Larger and larger loomed
the Egyptian cavalrymen. As the horses changed pace to a
(08:20):
thundering gallop. The Egyptians tried to dodge as they saw
too late the approach of the Christian Knights. Sir Robert
felt the shock against himself and his horse as the
steel tip of the long ash lance struck the Saracen
horsemen in the chest. Out of the corner of his eye,
he saw that Sir Geyton, too had scored the Saracen
impaled on Sir Robert's lance, shot from the saddle as
(08:42):
he died. His lighter armor had hardly impeded the incoming
spear point, and now his body dragged it down. As
he dropped toward the desert sand. Another Moslem cavalryman was
charging in, now swinging his curved saber, taking advantage of
Sir Robert's sagging lance. There was nothing else to do
but drop the lance and draw his heavy broadsword. His
hand grasped it, and it came singing from its scabbard.
(09:06):
The Egyptian's curved sword clanged against Sir Robert's helm, setting
his head ringing. In return. The Knight's broadsword came about
in a sweeping arc, and the Egyptian's horse rode on,
with the rider's headless body behind him. Sir Robert heard
further cries of Saint George and England. The hospitalers, taking
heart at the charge, were going in. Behind them came
(09:28):
the Count of Champagne, the Earl of Lester, and the
Bishop of Bouvet, who carried a great warhammer in order
that he might not break Church law by shedding blood.
Sir Robert's own sword rose and fell, cutting and hacking
at the enemy. He himself felt a dreamlike detachment, as
though he were watching the battle rather than participating in it.
But he could see that the Moslems were falling back
(09:49):
before the Christian onslaught, and then quite suddenly there seemed
to be no foeman to swing at. Breathing heavily, Sir
Robert sheathed his broadsword beside him. Sir guy Toone did this, saying,
it will be a few minutes before they can regroup.
Sir Knight, we may have routed them completely, aye, but
King Richard will not approve of my breaking ranks and
disobeying orders. I may win the battle and lose my
(10:12):
head in the end. This is no time to worry
about the future, said the gascon Rest for a moment
and relax that you may be the stronger later. Here
have an old king's. He had a pack of cigarettes
in his gauntleted hand, which he proffered to Sir Robert.
There were three cigarettes protruding from it, one slightly farther
than the others. Sir Robert's hand reached out and took
(10:34):
that one. Thanks. When the going gets rough, I really
enjoy an old king's. He put one end of the
cigarette in his mouth and lit the other from the
lighter in Sir Gayton's hand. Yes, Sir, said Sir Geyeton,
after lighting his own cigarette. Old kings are the greatest.
They give a man real, deep down smoking pleasure. There's
no doubt about it. Old kings are a man's cigarette.
(10:56):
Sir Robert could feel the soothing smoke in his lungs
as he and ailed deeply. That's great when I want
a cigarette. I don't want just any cigarette, nor, I agreed.
The gascon Old King's is the only real cigarette when
you're doing a real man's work, that's for sure. Sir
Robert watched a smoke ring expand in the air. There
was a sudden clash of arms off to their left.
(11:19):
Sir Robert dropped his cigarette to the ground. The trouble
is that doing a real he man's work doesn't always
allow you to enjoy the fine rich tobaccos of old
Kings right down to the very end. No, but you
can always light another, later, said the gascon Knight. King Richard,
on seeing his army moving suddenly toward the harassed rear,
had realized the danger and had charged through the hospitalers
(11:40):
to get into the thick of the fray. Now the
Turks were charging down from the hills, hitting not the
flank as he had expected, but the rear Saladin had
expected him to hold fast. Sir Robert and Sir Guyton
spurred their chargers toward the flapping banner of England. The
fierce warrior King of England, his mighty sword in hand,
was cutting down turks as though they were grain stalks.
(12:02):
But still the Saracen horde pressed on. More and more
of the terrible Turks came boiling down out of the hills,
their glittering scimitars swinging. Sir Robert lost all track of time.
There was nothing to do but keep his own great
broadsword moving, swinging like some gigantic metronome as he hacked
down the Moslem foes. And then suddenly he found himself
(12:22):
surrounded by the Saracens. He was isolated and alone, cut
off from the rest of the Christian forces. He glanced
quickly around as he slashed another Saracen from pate to breastbone.
Where was Sir Geyton, Where were the others? Where was
the red and gold banner of Richard? He caught a
glimpse of the fluttering banner far to the rear, and
started to fall back. And then he saw another night
(12:44):
near by, a huge man who swung his sparkling blade
with power and force on his steel helm, gleamed a
golden coronet. Richard, and the great King, in spite of
his prowess, was outnumbered heavily and would within seconds be
cut down by the Saracen horde without visitation, Sir Robert
plunged his horse toward the surrounded monarch, his great blade
cutting a path before him. He saw Richard go down,
(13:07):
falling from the saddle of his charger, but by that
time his own sword was cutting into the screaming Saracens,
and they had no time to attempt any further mischief
to the king. They had their hands full with Sir
Robert de Boin. He did not know how long he
fought there, holding his charger motionless over the inert body
of the fallen king, hewing down the screaming enemy, but
presently he heard the familiar cry of for Saint George
(13:30):
and for England. Behind him, the Norman and English troops
were charging in, bringing with them the banner of England.
And then Richard was on his feet, cleaving the air
about him with his own broadsword, its bright edge, besmeared
with Saracen blood, was biting viciously into the foe. The
Turks began to fall back. Within seconds, the Christian knights
(13:51):
were boiling around the embattled pair, forcing the Turks into retreat,
and for the second time, Sir Robert found himself with
no one to fight, and then a voice was saying,
you have done well this day, Sir Knight. Richard Plantagenet
will not forget. Sir Robert turned in his saddle to
face the smiling King. My Lord, King be assured that
I would never forget my loyalty to my sovereign and
(14:13):
liege Lord. My sword in my life are yours? Whenever
you call King Richard's gauntleted hand grasped his own. If
it please God, I shall never ask your life an
earldom awaits you. When we returned to England, Sir Knight,
and then the King mounted his horse and was running
full gallop. After the retreating Sir racens, Robert took off
his helmet. He blinked for a second to adjust his
(14:35):
eyes to the relative dimness of the studio after the
brightness of the desert that the televi carrion helmet had
projected into his eyes. The studio seemed strangely cave like.
How do you like it, Bob, asked one of the
two producers of the show. Robert Bowen nodded briskly and
patted the televike helmet. It was okay, he said, good show.
(14:57):
A little talkie at the beginning, and it needs a
better fade out, but the action scenes were fine. The
sponsor ought to like it for a while at least,
what do you mean for a while, Robert Bowen sighed,
If this thing goes on the air the way it is,
he'll lose sales. Why commercial not good enough? Too good man,
I've smoked old kings, and believe me, the real thing
(15:19):
never tasted as good as that cigarette did in the
commercial end of after a few words by Randall Garrett,
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