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Page 433
What he saw when he did look gave Sir Roger very serious concern. The battle still was being fought in separate little groups, which was natural enough, but instead of being evenly distributed over a roughly rectangular or spherical area or even spread out in a long line, the groups were drawn into what approximated a broad arrowhead. This in itself was not an emergency. It often happened when a strong and eager leader drove forward, pulling his whole army behind him, as it were. What alarmed Roger of Hemel was that each time he found time to glance around, the point of the arrowhead seemed sharper. Salisbury, with Geoffrey's group to the left and one or two others was outpacing the rest of the force. Another glance around, as Geoffrey struck down the man who was opposing him and gave Sir Roger time to breathe, confirmed this fear and added another. There seemed to be more French coming from the left. If they continued as they were, it was entirely possible that the spearhead would be cut off.
"My lord," the castellan gasped, "my lord, look what we are about."
Whether Geoffrey heard was impossible for Roger of Hemel to know because in that moment a group of men charged them with set lances. They were far too busy to be in the least concerned with anything other than the preservation of their own lives. Sir Roger warded off one spear with his shield and beat another down with his sword blade. That maneuver was not completely successful, for the point, passing over his thigh, ran into his horse's back. The animal reared and screamed, plunging sideways away from the source of the hurt. As he went down, Sir Roger had one last glimpse of Geoffrey, still horsed, beating one lance blade aside and twisting desperately to avoid another which he could not reach with sword or shield.
If it had not been for that charge, Geoffrey might not have permitted Roger of Hemel's words to make any impression upon him. The coincidence of his castellan's warning and the onset of what must be men who were either fresh or had had time to rest and return to the sidelines for new arms

 
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