A March on London: Being a Story of Wat Tyler's Insurrection

by G. A. Henty

  CHAPTER XIV

  CIVIL WAR

  Edgar and Albert came up with the force after an hour-and-a-half'sriding, and found it halted some four miles from Bruges. The news thatthe English knights had discovered a store of flour had passed quicklythrough the ranks, and they were loudly cheered as they rode in.

  "Truly you have rendered us a vast service," Van Artevelde said, asthey joined him, "for it will not be needful to break in this eveningupon our scanty store, and this is of vital importance, since we mustperforce wait until the earl and the men of Bruges come out to attackus. Your men said that it was some fifteen sacks of flour that you hadfound?"

  "About that, sir. There were ten full, and under the millstones was agreat bin holding, I should say, half as much more. Moreover, we haveridden far over the country, and have gathered up twelve head ofcattle, four horses, and a score of sheep. These are following us, andwill give meat enough for a good meal to-day all round, and maybesomething to spare, and to-morrow I trust that we may bring in somemore."

  A murmur of satisfaction broke from the four or five burghers with VanArtevelde.

  "This is a good beginning, indeed, of our adventure," the latter said,"and greatly are we beholden to these knights. They have dispelled theapprehension I had that if the people of Bruges deferred their attackfor a couple of days they might find us so weakened with hunger as tobe unable to show any front against them."

  Two hours later the animals arrived, and were handed over to thecompany of the butchers' guild, who proceeded at once to cut them up.They were then distributed among the various companies, with ordersthat but half was to be eaten that night and the rest kept for themorrow. In the meantime men had been sent on to some of the desertedvillages, and had returned with doors, shutters, broken furniture, andbeams, and fires were speedily lighted. Before the meat was ready halfof those who had remained at the mill arrived laden with bread, andsaid that the rest would be up in two hours. For the first time forweeks the Ghentois enjoyed a hearty meal, and as Van Artevelde, withthe young knights and burghers with him, went round on foot among themen, they were greeted with loud cheers and shouts of satisfaction.

  The next day the force remained where it had halted. The two knightsand the men-at-arms scoured the country again for some miles round, anddrove in before them twenty-two head of cattle, and these sufficed,with what had remained over, to furnish food for the day and to leaveenough for the troops to break their fast in the morning.

  So deserted was the country that it was not until the next morningearly that the news reached the earl that the men of Ghent had come outagainst him. Rejoicing that they should thus have placed themselves inhis power, he sent out three knights to reconnoitre their position andbring an account of their numbers. After breakfast Philip Van Arteveldehad moved his followers a short distance away from their halting-groundand taken up a position near to a small hill, where he addressed them.

  Some friars and clergy who were with the force celebrated mass atvarious points, and then confessed the troops and exhorted them to keepup their courage, telling them that small forces had, with the help ofGod, frequently defeated large ones, and as all had been done that waspossible to obtain peace but without avail, He would surely help themagainst these enemies who sought to destroy them utterly. Then theyprepared for battle. Each man carried with him a long and sharp stake,as was their custom, in the same fashion as did the English archers,and they gathered in a square and set a hedge of these stakes roundthem. The enemy's knights had ridden near them without being interferedwith, for the Ghentois wished nothing better than that the smallness oftheir numbers should be clearly seen.

  After they had ridden off, Van Artevelde, confident that their reportwould suffice to bring out the earl with his people, now ordered thatthe wine and bread brought out with them, which had hitherto beenuntouched, should be served out. The men then sat down and quietlyawaited the attack. As Van Artevelde had hoped, the message taken backby the knights as to his strength and position was sufficient to inducethe earl to give battle at once, as he feared that they might changetheir mind and retreat. The alarm-bells called all the citizens toarms. They fell in with their companies, and marched out forty thousandstrong, including the knights and men-at-arms of the earl. The citizensof Bruges, delighted at the thought that the opportunity for levellingtheir haughty rival to the dust had now arrived, marched on, until theyreached the edge of a pond in front of the position of the Ghentois.

  Van Artevelde had placed the whole of the men with guns in the frontrank, with the strictest orders that no shot was to be fired until theorder was given. Waiting until the enemy had gathered in great masses,Van Artevelde gave the word, and the three hundred guns, many of thesebeing wall-pieces, were fired at once, doing great destruction. The sunwas behind the Ghentois, and its direct rays, and those reflected fromthe pond, rendered it difficult for the men of Bruges to see what theirfoes were doing, and observing the great confusion from the effect ofthe volley, the men of Ghent, with a mighty cheer, pulled up theirstakes, and rushing round the ends of the pond, fell upon their enemieswith fury.

  The men of Bruges, who had anticipated no resistance, and had marchedout in the full belief that the Ghentois would lay down their arms andcrave for mercy as soon as they appeared, were seized with a panic. Thetwo young knights, with their four men-at-arms, had placed themselvesat the head of the foot-men, and, dashing among the citizens, hewedtheir way through them, followed closely by the shouting Ghentois.Numbers of the men of Bruges were slain with sword, axe, and pike. Theothers threw away their arms and fled, hotly pursued by their foes.Louis of Flanders, who, by a charge with his knights and men-at-arms,might well have remedied the matter, now showed that he was as cowardlyas he was cruel, drew off with them, and, without striking a singleblow, he himself and some forty men galloped to Bruges. The rest of hisknights and followers scattered in all directions.

  Great numbers of the flying citizens were killed in the pursuit. It wasnow dark; the earl on arriving had ordered the gate by which he enteredto be closed, and had set twenty men there. Thus the retreat of thecitizens into the town was prevented, and many were slaughtered. Inconsequence, the rest fled to other gates, where they were admitted,but with them rushed in their pursuers. Philip Van Artevelde begged thetwo English knights to each take a strong party, and to proceed roundthe walls in different directions, seizing all the gates, and setting astrong guard on them, that none should enter or leave; and then, withthe main body of his following, he marched without opposition to themarket-place.

  The earl, when he found that the town was lost and the gates closed,disguised himself, and found shelter for the night in a loft in thehouse of a poor woman. Van Artevelde had issued the strictest ordersthat he was on no account to be injured, but was, when found, to bebrought at once to him, so that he might be taken to Ghent, and thereobliged to make a peace that would assure to the city all itsprivileges, and give rest and tranquillity to the country. In spite,however, of the most rigid search, the earl was not found; but theforty knights and men-at-arms who had entered with him were allcaptured and killed. No harm whatever was done to any of theinhabitants of Bruges, or to any foreign merchants or others residingthere.

  THE TWO YOUNG KNIGHTS CHARGE DOWN UPON THEPANIC-STRICKEN CROWD.]

  On the following night the Earl of Flanders managed to effect hisescape in disguise. That day being Sunday the men of Ghent repaired tothe cathedral, where they had solemn mass celebrated, and athanksgiving for their victory and for their relief from their sorestrait. The young knights were not present, for as soon as the city wascaptured, Van Artevelde said to them:

  "Brave knights, to you it is chiefly due that we are masters hereto-day, instead of being men exhausted, without hope, and at the mercyof our enemies. It was you who found and brought us food, and soenabled us to hold out for two days, and to meet the enemy strong andin good heart. Then, too, I marked how you clove a way for our men tofollow you through the ranks of the foe, spreading dea
th and dismayamong them. Sirs, to you, then, I give the honour of bearing the newsto Ghent. I have ordered that fresh horses shall be brought you fromthe prince's stable. Councillor Moens will ride with you to act asspokesman; but before starting, take, I pray you, a goblet of wine andsome bread. It were well that you took your men-at-arms with you, foryou might be beset on the road by some of the people who did notsucceed in entering the gates, or by some of the cowardly knights whostood by and saw the citizens being defeated without laying lance inrest to aid them. Fresh horses shall be prepared for your men also, andthey shall sup before they start. There is no lack of food here."

  Much gratified at the mission intrusted to them, the young knights atonce ordered their men-at-arms to prepare for the ride.

  "When you have supped," Albert said, "see that you stuff yoursaddle-bags and ours with food for Van Voorden's household first, andthen for those who most need it."

  The meals were soon eaten. As they were about to mount Van Arteveldesaid to them:

  "There will be no lack of provisions to-morrow, for in two hours agreat train of waggons, loaded with provisions, will start under astrong guard, and to-morrow at daybreak herds of cattle will be broughtin and driven there; you may be sure also that the rivers will be openas soon as the news is known, for none will now venture to interferewith those bringing food into Ghent."

  The councillor was ready, and in a few minutes they had passed out ofthe city, and were galloping along the road to Ghent, just as the bellof the cathedral tolled the hour of ten. Two hours later, without havingonce checked the speed of their horses, they heard the bells ringingmidnight in Ghent. In ten minutes they approached the gate, and werechallenged from the walls.

  "I am the Councillor Moens," the knights' companion shouted. "I comefrom Philip Van Artevelde with good news. We have defeated the enemyand captured Bruges."

  There was a shout of delight from the walls, and in a minute thedrawbridge was lowered and the great gate opened. The councillor rodestraight to the town-hall. The doors were open, and numbers of thecitizens were still gathered there. Moens did not wait to speak tothem, but, running into the belfry, ordered the men there to ring theirmost joyous peal. The poor fellows had been lying about, trying todeaden their hunger by sleep, but at the order they leapt to theirfeet, seized the ropes, and Ghent was electrified by hearing thetriumphal peal bursting out in the stillness of the night.

  In the meantime those in the hall had crowded round the young knightsand their followers, but these, beyond saying that the news was good,waited until Moens' return. It was but a minute, and he at once shouted:

  "The enemy have been beaten! We have taken Bruges! By the morning foodwill be here!"

  Now from every belfry in the city the notes from the town-hall had beentaken up, the clanging of the bells roused every sleeper, and the wholetown poured into the street shouting wildly, for though they knew notyet what had happened, it was clear that some great news had arrived.All the councillors and the principal citizens had made for thetown-hall, which was speedily thronged. Moens took his place with thetwo young knights upon the raised platform at the end, and lifted hishand for silence. The excited multitude were instantly still, and thosenear the doors closed them, to keep out the sound of the bells. ThenMoens, speaking at the top of his voice that all might hear him, said:"I am now but the mouthpiece of these English knights, to whom VanArtevelde has given the honour of bearing the news to you, but sincethey are ignorant of our language I have come with them as interpreter.First, then, we have met the army of Bruges and the earl, fortythousand strong; we have defeated them with great slaughter, and withbut small loss to ourselves."

  A mighty shout rose from the crowd, and it was some minutes before thespeaker could continue.

  "Following on the heels of our flying foes, we entered the city, andBruges is ours."

  Another shout, as enthusiastic as the first, again interrupted him.

  "A great train of waggons filled with wine and provisions was to startat midnight, and will be here to-morrow morning at daybreak. Herds willbe driven in, and dispatched at once. By to-morrow night, therefore,the famine will be at an end, and every man, woman, and child in Ghentwill be able to eat their fill."

  Those at the door shouted the glad news to the multitude in the square,and a roar like that of the sea answered, and echoed the shouts in thehall.

  "Tell us more, tell us more!" the men cried, when the uproar ceased."We have seven or eight hours to wait for food; tell us all about it."

  "I will tell you first, citizens, why I am speaking to you in the nameof these English knights, and why they have been chosen to have thehonour of bringing these good tidings hither."

  He then told them how, the force being without horsemen, and bound tokeep straight along by the road, the two knights had volunteered toride out to see if any hostile force was approaching, and also toendeavour to find provisions.

  "The latter seemed hopeless," the councillor went on. "Every villagehad long since been deserted, and no living soul met the eye on theplain. They had been gone but three hours when one of their men-at-armsrode in, asking that all the bakers should be sent forward at once, forthat, in a mill less than two miles from the road, they had discoveredfifteen sacks of flour left behind. The bakers started at once withfive hundred men to bring on the bread as fast as it was baked to thespot where we were to halt.

  "This was not all, for, later on, the knights with some of the menjoined us at the camp with sufficient cattle, sheep, and horses, thatthe knights had found straying, to give every man a meal that night,and one the following morning. The next day they drove in a few more,and so it was not until to-day that we touched the store we took withus. It was the food that saved us. Had we been forced to eat our scantysupply that first night, we should have been fasting for well-nighforty-eight hours, and when the earl, with his knights and men-at-armsand the townsmen of Bruges, in all forty thousand men, marched out tomeet us, what chance would five thousand famished men have had againstthem? As it was, the food we got did wonders for us; and every manseemed to have regained his full strength and courage. When they camenigh to us we poured in one volley with all our guns, which put theminto confusion. The sun was in their eyes, and almost before they knewthat we had moved, we were upon them.

  "These two knights and their four men-at-arms flung themselves into thecrowd and opened the way for our footmen, and in five minutes the fightwas over. It may be that many of the craftsmen of Bruges were thereunwillingly, and that these were among the first to throw down theirarms and fly. However it was, in five minutes the whole force was infull flight. The earl's knights and their men-at-arms struck not asingle blow, but seeming panic-struck, scattered and fled in alldirections, the earl and forty men alone gaining Bruges. There theyclosed the gate against the fugitives, but these fled to other gates,and so hotly did we pursue them that we entered mixed up with them.

  "Van Artevelde committed to the two English knights the task of seizingall the gates, and of setting a guard to prevent any man from leaving,while the rest of us under him pushed forward to the market-place.There was no resistance. Thousands of the men had fallen in the battleand flight. Thousands had failed to enter the gates. All who did sowere utterly panic-stricken and terrified. Thus the five thousand menyou sent out have defeated forty thousand, and have captured Bruges,and I verily believe that not more than a score have fallen. Methinks,my friends, you will all agree with me that your governor has done wellto give these knights the honour of carrying the good news to Ghent."

  A mighty shout answered the question. The crowd rushed upon the twoyoung knights, each anxious to speak to them, and praise them. Withdifficulty the councillor, aided by some of his colleagues, surroundedthem, and made a way to a small door at the end of the platform. Oncebeyond the building, they hurried along by-streets to Van Voorden'shouse, to where, on entering the hall, they had charged the men-at-armsat once to take the horses, to hand over as much of the provisions aswere needed for the imme
diate wants of the household, and then to carrythe rest to the nuns of a convent hard by--for these were, they knew,reduced to the direst straits before the expedition started.

  "Welcome back, welcome back!" the Fleming exclaimed, as they entered,and the words were repeated by wife and daughter. "Your men-at-armstold my wife what had happened, and I myself heard it from the lowerend of the town-hall, where I arrived just as Moens began to speak. Isaw you escape from the platform, and hurried off, but have only thisinstant arrived. The crush was so great in the square that it wasdifficult to make my way through it, but forgive us if we say nothingfurther until we have eaten that food upon the table, for indeed wehave had but one regular meal since you left the town. Tell me first,though, for all were too excited to ask Moens the question--has theearl been captured?"

  "He had not, up to the moment when we left. The strictest search isbeing made for him. It is known that he must be somewhere in the town,for he and a party, not knowing that Van Artevelde was in themarket-place, well-nigh fell into his hands, and he certainly could nothave got through any of the gates before we had closed them and hadplaced a strong guard over them. Van Artevelde has given strict ordersthat he is to be taken uninjured, and he purposes to bring him here,and to make him sign a peace with us."

  "I trust that he will be caught," Van Voorden said; "but as for thepeace, I should have no faith in it, for be sure that as soon as he isonce free again he would repudiate it, and would at once set to work togather, with the aid of Burgundy, a force with which he could renew thewar, wipe out the disgrace that has befallen him, and take revenge uponthe city that inflicted it. Now, let us to supper."

  "We will but look on," Albert said, with a smile. "We supped at Brugesat half-past nine, but it will be a pleasure indeed to see you eat it."

  "We must not eat much," the merchant said to his wife and daughter."Let us take a little now, and to-morrow we can do better. It mightinjure us to give rein to our appetite after well-nigh starving for thelast two days."

  As soon as the meal was eaten all sallied out into the streets, theyoung knights first laying aside their armour, as they did not wish toattract attention. The bells were still ringing out with joyousclamour; at every house flags, carpets, and curtains had been hung out;torches were fixed to every balcony, and great bonfires had beenlighted in the middle of the streets, and in the open spaces andmarkets. The people were well-nigh delirious with joy; strangers shookhands and embraced in the streets; men and women forgot their weaknessand hunger, though many were so feeble but an hour before that theycould scarcely drag themselves along. The cathedral and churches wereall lighted up and crowded with worshippers, thanking God for havingpreserved them in their hour of greatest need.

  "Then, in truth, Sir Edgar," the Fleming said, as they went along, "thepeople of Bruges showed themselves to be but a cowardly rabble, and thefighting was poor indeed."

  "It could scarce be called fighting at all," Edgar said. "A few blowsfrom halbert and bill, and a few thrusts of the pike struck my armouras I charged among them, but after that, it was but a matter of cuttingdown fugitives. The rabble down in Kent fought with far greatercourage, for we had to charge through and through them several timesbefore they broke. I doubt not that very many were outside Brugesagainst their wills; they had not dared disobey the summons to arms. Itwas a panic, and a strange one. They had doubtless made up their mindsthat when we saw their multitude, we should surrender without a blowbeing struck. The sudden discharge of the guns shook them, and at ourfirst charge they bolted away panic-struck. The strangest part of theaffair was that the earl, who had a strong following of knights andmen-at-arms, made no effort to retrieve the battle. Had they butcharged down upon our flank when we had become disordered in thepursuit, they could have overthrown us without difficulty.

  "How it came about that they did not do so is more than I can say. Itis clear that the earl showed himself to be a great coward, and hisdisgrace this day is far greater than that of the burghers of Bruges,since he and his party fled without the loss of a single drop of blood,while thousands of the citizens have lost their lives."

  "'Tis good that he so behaved," Van Voorden said. "The story that he sodeserted the men of Bruges, who went to fight in his quarrel, willspeedily be known throughout Flanders, and that, with the news of ourgreat victory, will bring many cities to our side. I trust that VanArtevelde will treat Bruges with leniency."

  "He has already issued a proclamation that none of the small craftsmenof Bruges shall be injured, but exception is made in the case of thefour guilds that have always been foremost against Ghent; members ofwhich are to be killed when found."

  "'Tis a pity, but one can scarce blame him. And now, my friends, thatwe have seen Ghent on this wonderful night, it will be well that we gethome to bed. My wife and daughter are still weak from fasting, and Imyself feel the strain. As to you, you have done a heavy day's workindeed, especially having to carry the weight of your armour."

  The young knights were indeed glad to throw themselves upon theirpallets. They slept soundly until awakened by a fresh outburst of thebells. They sat up; daylight was beginning to break.

  "'Tis the train of provisions," Edgar said. "We may as well go out andsee the sight, and give such aid as we can to the council, for thefamishing people may well be too eager to await the proper division ofthe food."

  In a few days there was an abundance of everything in Ghent, for Dammeand Sluys opened their gates at once. In the former there were vastcellars of wine, of which 6,000 tuns were sent by ships and carts toGhent, while at Sluys there was a vast quantity of corn and meal in theships and storehouses of foreign merchants. All this was bought andpaid for at fair prices and sent to the city. Besides food and wine,Ghent received much valuable spoil. All the gold and silver vessels ofthe earl were captured at Bruges, with much treasure, and a great storeof gold and jewels was taken at his palace at Male, near Bruges.

  Philip Van Artevelde at once sent messages to all the towns of Flanderssummoning them to send the keys of their gates to Ghent, and toacknowledge her supremacy. The news of the victory had caused greatexultation in most of these cities, and with the exception ofOudenarde, all sent deputations at once to Ghent to congratulate her,and to promise to support her in all things. In the meantime the gatesand a portion of the wall of Bruges had been beaten down, and fivehundred of the burgesses were taken to Ghent as hostages. The youngknights remained quietly there until Philip Van Artevelde returned. Hewas received with frantic enthusiasm. He had assumed the title ofRegent of Flanders, and now assumed a state and pomp far greater thanthat which the earl himself had held. He had an immense income, for notonly were his private estates large, but a sort of tribute was paid byall the towns of Flanders, and Ghent for a time presented a scene ofgaiety and splendour equal to that of any capital in Europe.

  Siege was presently laid to Oudenarde, where the garrison had beenstrongly reinforced by a large party of men-at-arms and cross-bowmen,sent by the earl. Every city in Flanders sent a contingent of fightingmen to join those of Ghent, and no less than a hundred thousand menwere assembled outside Oudenarde. Thither went the two young friends assoon as the siege began. They had come out to see fighting and notfeasting, and they had lost the society of Van Voorden, he having beenrequested by Van Artevelde to return to England, to conclude a treatybetween her and Ghent. Flanders was indeed master of itself, for theearl was a fugitive at the Court of his son-in-law, the Duke ofBurgundy, who was endeavouring to induce France to join him againstFlanders.

  For a time he failed, for the king was much better disposed to theFlemings than he was to the earl, but when, some time later, Charlesdied, and Burgundy became all-powerful with the young king, hissuccessor, France also prepared to take the field against Flanders.Thus a close alliance between the latter and England became of greatimportance to both, and had it not been for the extreme unpopularity ofthe Duke of Lancaster and his brother Gloucester, the course of eventsmight have been changed. For war with France was al
ways popular inEngland, and the necessary supplies would at once have been voted byparliament had it not been thought that when an army was raisedLancaster would, instead of warring with France, use it for furtheringhis own claims in Spain. Many English knights, however, came over ontheir own account to aid the Flemings, and no less than two hundredarchers at Calais quietly left the town, with the acquiescence, if notwith the encouragement, of the authorities, to take service with VanArtevelde.

  One day, the two friends returned to camp after being away for sometime watching what was going on. On entering their tent, Albert, whowas the first to enter, gave a shout of surprise and pleasure. Edgarpushed in to see what could have thus excited his friend, and so movedhim from his usual quiet manner. He, too, was equally surprised, andalmost equally pleased, when he saw Albert standing with his handclasped in that of his father.

  "I thought that I should surprise you," Sir Ralph said, "by coming overboth to see this great gathering, and also to have a look at you. Weheard of your doings from Van Voorden. He was good enough, after hisfirst interview with the king and council, to ride down to tell us howit fared with you, and it gave us no small pleasure, as you may wellsuppose, to hear that you had already gained so much credit, and thatyou both were well in health, I went back to town with him, and stayedthree weeks there. There was much talk in the council. All were wellcontent that there should be an alliance with the Flemings, but itseems to me there is not much chance of an English army taking thefield to help them at present.

  "The king is altogether taken up with his marriage, and is thinkingmuch more of fetes and pageants than of war. Then 'tis doubtful whetherthe commons would grant the large sum required. The present is a badtime; the rebellion has cost much money, and what with the destructionof property, with the fields standing untilled, and the expenses of theCourt, which are very heavy, in truth the people have reasonable causefor grumbling thereat. Then, again, if an army were sent to Flanders,Lancaster would most surely have the command, and you know how much heis hated, and, I may say, feared. Naught will persuade men that he hasnot designs upon the crown. For this I can see no warrant, butassuredly he loves power, and he and Gloucester overshadow the king.

  "Then, again, his wishes are, certainly, to lead a great army intoSpain, and he would oppose money being spent on operations in Flanders.Thus, I fear, our alliance is like to be but of little use to Ghent orFlanders. Were but the Black Prince or his father upon the thronethings would be different indeed, and we should have a stout army herebefore many weeks are over. We of the old time feel it hard indeed tosee England playing so poor a part. There is another reason, moreover,why our barons do not press matters on. In the first place, they arejealous of the influence that the king's favourites have with him, andthat those who, by rank and age, should be his councillors meet withbut a poor reception when they come to Court.

  "But methinks that even these things hinder much less than the conductof the people of Ghent. Since Bruges was captured there have been, asyou know, parties going through the land as far as the frontiers ofFrance, plundering and destroying all the houses and castles of theknights and nobles, under the complaint that they were favourable tothe earl, but in truth chiefly because these knaves hate those ofgentle blood and are greedy of plunder. Our nobles deem it--andmethinks that they have some reason for doing so--to be a businesssomething like that which we have had in England, save that with us itwas the country people, while here it is those of the towns who wouldfain pull down and destroy all those above them in station. Certainly,their acts are not like to win the friendship and assistance of ourEnglish nobles and knights."

  "Indeed, I see that, Sir Ralph," Edgar said. "At first we were greatlyin favour of Ghent, seeing that they were in a desperate strait andthat all reasonable terms were refused them, but of late we have notbeen so warm in their cause. Van Artevelde himself is assuredly honestand desirous of doing what is right, but methinks he does wrong inkeeping up the state of a king and bearing himself towards all those ofthe other cities of Flanders as if Ghent were their conqueror, andlaying heavy taxes upon them, while he himself is swayed by thecouncils of the most violent of the demagogues of Ghent."

  "But now tell me--how goes on the siege?"

  "It goes not on at all. Oudenarde is a strong place; it is defended bymany broad ditches, and has a garrison of knights and men-at-arms ofthe earl, who, as we know, take upon themselves all the defence,knowing that there are men in the town who would fain surrender, andfearing that these would throw open the gates to us, or give us suchaid as they could, were there a chance. Still more, the siege goes onbut slowly, or rather we may say goes on not at all, for want of aleader. Van Artevelde himself knows nothing whatever of the business ofwar, nor do any of those about him.

  "The men of the towns will all fight bravely in a pitched field, asthey have often shown, but as to laying a siege, they know naught ofit, and it seems to us that the matter might go on for a year and yetbe no nearer its end. They are far more occupied in making ordinancesand collecting contributions, and in doing all they can for the honourand glory of Ghent, than in thinking of taking Oudenarde, which,indeed, when captured, would be of no great consequence to them."

  Sir Ralph nodded. "Methinks you are right, Edgar. I arrived here justas you went out this morning, and hearing from your men that you werenot like to return till midday, I have ridden round to see what wasbeing done, and to my surprise saw that, in the three months since thisgreat host sat down before Oudenarde, naught of any use whatever hasbeen accomplished. With such an army, if Flanders wishes to maintainher freedom, she should have summoned Burgundy to abstain from givingaid to the earl, and on his refusal should have marched with her wholeforce against him, captured some of his great towns, and met his hostin a fair field. Methinks you two are doing no good to yourselves here,and that it will be just as well for you both to go back to England fora time, until you see how matters shape themselves."