An Atlantic Adventure

Adam dreaded the thought of having to carry the satchel all the way back to the village on the coast but the next morning it turned out that that was not going to be necessary as a horse was provided and the satchels were tied together and slung over the horses back. That being said Adam was still given the task of leading the horse. However following his many jaunts with horses while on his travels he simply stroked its muzzle and spoke soothingly to it before leading it off up the track with the escorting tribesmen on either side of him as well as guarding the rear of the column. It was a glorious day and the climb up to the crest for Adam was enjoyable as he took the opportunity to look about him and take in the beauty of the hills. As he neared the crest he caught sight to a glint of metal on the hillside to the left of the path. He wondered if it could be another party coming to the village or something worse so he touched the arm of the nearest tribesman and pointed to where he had seen the movement. Of course by then there was no sign of any movement so the man simply shrugged and walked on. Adam gripped his staff more tightly as they moved up onto the crest but there was nobody there. The tribesman had noticed the movement and smiled at him but just as he did so men rose out of the bracken on either side of them and rushed headlong at them screaming and waving their weapons. One of the tribesmen bringing up the rear of the column slapped the horse on its rump to get it to move faster and Adam was almost pulled off his feet as it lunged forward and drew level with him. Without thinking Adam grabbed a fistful of the horse’s main and swung himself up onto the horse’s back. He kept a firm grip on the rein to ensure that the horse remained in the middle of the group, as it was clear that the robbers were after the gold strapped to its back. From his elevated position he could see that there was a good many more robbers than defenders but the tribesmen were a good deal better equipped in terms of swords and shields while the robbers were attacking with clubs and long knives. Morcant, Rhys and Ginger were just ahead of him and were jogging along in an attempt to keep up with the tribesmen leading the party. Adam had wondered why they hadn’t tried to go back the way they had come and seek support from the villagers but a quick glance behind him showed that the robbers had formed a line behind them blocking their path. One of the robbers was swinging something around his head but by the time Adam realised was it was it was too late as the pebble from the sling struck him on the temple causing him to temporarily lose consciousness. He lost his grip on the rein and reeled backwards off the horse to crash to the ground. He shook his head to clear it and grasping his staff, which had fallen to the ground beside him turned to face the enemy. He was already well behind the rest of the party but knew that if he tried to catch them up without defending his back he would be quickly struck down by the robbers. He was still in a half-crouch when the first of the robbers reached him swinging his club downwards in a vicious arc that would clearly smash Adam’s skull. Without hesitation his flight or fight mechanism kicked in and Adam brought his staff up between the robber’s legs. The man doubled over his club slipping from his grasp as he clutched his privates. Adam reversed his staff and struck the man on the forehead with the blunt end. By now he was standing upright and poised for flight but it was already too late as he was attacked by a further two assailants wielding clubs. He stabbed one in the body with the sharp end of his staff then swung it round in an arc to fend off the other robber but even as he turned the robber’s club hit him and he fell into darkness.