Initially, as they approached, it had been hard to make out the exact shape of the structure. Only as they slowed and drew closer and the fog parted before them did Lawrence realize what he was seeing.

Felled tree trunks; angled across the road as if they’d been borne aloft by some cataclysmic event and then deposited from a great height. The result was an abattis; a crude barrier constructed to deny vehicular access to attacking forces, which probably explained the lack of wheel marks earlier on. Any locals would have known about this deterrent and would have found an alternative route. An enemy transporting guns and wagons and other heavy equipment would be halted in its tracks until the barrier had been removed or destroyed. A properly constructed abattis, used in conjunction with a ditch and a gun battery, was a formidable rampart, easily capable of disrupting an advance. This one was a lot simpler, but it was nevertheless a very effective form of defence.

In order to pass they would have to guide the horses along the verge between the logs and the edge of the wood, rather as he and Hawkwood had had to do when negotiating the military road on their way to Whitehall. In doing so, Lawrence could see by the cuts in the timber that the trees had only recently been felled.

Beyond the defence work, the road lay open once more. It occurred to Lawrence that, if Quade was coming, if Hawkwood and Tewanias’s warriors failed in their efforts to delay his advance, the log jam certainly would. Not for long, perhaps, but every second counted and the longer it took the column to reach Lacolle, the better. As they urged the horses on, he wondered if any more obstacles lay ahead.

The shot came out of nowhere.

Lawrence ducked as Oneas threw up his arms. At the sound of the second report, his horse let out a whinny and he felt the shudder as the ball thudded home. His mount stumbled then immediately recovered and he thought they were safe – until he leaned forward and the horse’s front legs buckled. The next thing he knew, the road was coming up to meet him. Fearful that he might be struck by a flying hoof or crushed by the weight of the animal collapsing on top of him, there was little he could do save pull his feet from the stirrups and try to roll clear.