y pretend to be frightened and ride off at full gallop in the
direction where the main French force was hidden behind rising ground. This
was all carried out, and the Good Knight with his men rushed forth upon the
pursuers, taking many prisoners, while the rest escaped in the direction of
Treviso, but were stopped at that wooden bridge and compelled to fight or
yield.

When the fighting was over, Bayard said: "Gentlemen, we really must take
that castle with all the spoils in it." When it was pointed out to him that
it was very strong and they had no artillery, he remarked that he knew a
way by which they might possess it in a quarter of an hour. So he sent for
the two captains who were taken and said to them: "I insist that the castle
be surrendered to me at once, for I know that you have the power to command
it, otherwise you will lose your heads." They saw that he was in earnest,
and one, who was the seneschal, sent orders to his nephew and the gates
were opened.

The Good Knight took possession of the castle, and within the walls of
Treviso found more than five hundred head of cattle and much other booty,
which was all sold later at Vicenza and divided amongst the victors. As
Bayard sat at table with the two Venetian captains, a young page of his,
named Boutieres, came in to show a prisoner he had taken during the
fighting--a big man twice his size. The boy had seen this standard-bearer
trying to escape, had made a rush at him with his lance, struck him to the
ground, and called upon him to surrender. He had given up his sword, to
Boutieres' great delight, and the lad of sixteen, with the standard he had
taken and his sturdy-looking prisoner, had caused great amusement in the
French company. When he was thus brought into the dining-hall before his
own captains, the standard-bearer looked very much ashamed of himself, and
protested that he had simply yielded to the force of numbers, not to that
boy. Thereupon Boutieres offered to give the man back his horse and his
arms and to fight him in single combat. If the standard-bearer won he
should go free without ransom; but if the young page won the man should
die. The Good Knight was delighted at this brave offer, but the Venetian
was afraid to accept it, and all the honour remained with the boy, who was
known to come of a brave race and proved himself worthy in the days to
come.

Most of the French army retired into the duchy of Milan, but Bayard appears
to have remaine