CHAPTER XIII: THE WHITE FORD
They made their way without interruption to the wall. This they found,as they expected, entirely deserted, although, no doubt, guards had beenposted at the gates. The Flemings, however, could have felt no fear ofan attack by so small a force as the five hundred English whom they knewto be in the neighbourhood.
Walter and his companion soon knotted the ropes together and loweredthemselves into the moat. A few strokes took them to the other side, andscrambling out, they made their way across the country to the spotwhere the English had been posted. They found the Earl of Salisbury, whocommanded, in a great state of uneasiness. No message had reached himduring the day. He had heard the alarm-bells of the city ring, and ascout who had gone forward returned with the news that the gates wereclosed and the drawbridges raised, and that a strong body of men mannedthe walls.
"Your news is indeed bad," he said, when Walter related to him theevents which had taken place in the town. "This will altogether derangethe king's plans. Now that his ally is killed I fear that his hopes ofacquiring Flanders for England will fall to the ground. It is a thousandpities that he listened to Van Artevelde and allowed him to enter Ghentalone. Had his majesty landed, as he wished, and made a progress throughthe country, the prince receiving the homage of all the large towns, wecould then very well have summoned Ghent as standing alone against allFlanders. The citizens then would, no doubt, have gladly opened theirgates and received the prince, and if they had refused we would havemade short work of them. However, as it has turned out, it is as wellthat we did not enter the town with the Fleming, for against so largeand turbulent a population we should have had but little chance. Andnow, Master Somers, we will march at once for Sluys and bear the newsto the king, and you shall tell me as we ride thither how you and yourman-at-arms managed to escape with whole skins from such a tumult."
The king was much grieved when he heard of the death of Artevelde, andheld a council with his chief leaders. At first, in his indignation andgrief, he was disposed to march upon Ghent and to take vengeance for themurder of his ally, but after a time calmer counsels prevailed.
The Flemings were still in rebellion against their count, who was thefriend of France. Were the English to attack Ghent they would lose thegeneral goodwill of the Flemings, and would drive them into the armsof France, while, if matters were left alone, the effect of the popularoutburst which had caused the death of Artevelde would die away, andmotives of interest and the fear of France would again drive them intothe arms of England. The expedition therefore returned to England, andthere the king, in a proclamation to his people, avoided all allusion tothe death of his ally, but simply stated that he had been waited upon bythe councils of all the Flemish towns, and that their faithful obedienceto himself as legitimate King of France, was established upon a firmerbasis than ever.
This course had the effect which he had anticipated from it. The peopleof Flanders perceived the danger and disadvantage which must accrueto their trade from any permanent disagreement with England. They wereconvinced by the events which soon afterwards happened in France thatthe King of England had more power than Phillip of Valois, and could,if he chose, punish severely any breach of faith towards him. Theytherefore sent over commissioners to express their grief and submission.The death of Artevelde was represented as the act of a frantic mob, andsevere fines were imposed upon the leaders of the party who slew him,and although the principal towns expressed their desire still to remainunder the rule of the Count of Flanders, they suggested that the tieswhich bound them to England should be strengthened by the marriage ofLouis, eldest son of the count, to one of Edward's daughters. More thanthis, they offered to create a diversion for the English forces actingin Guienne and Gascony by raising a strong force and expelling theFrench garrisons still remaining in some parts of the country. Thiswas done. Hugo of Hastings was appointed by the king captain-general inFlanders, and with a force of English and Flemings did good service byexpelling the French from Termond and several other towns.