t place, and being the
landing-place of a great portion of the English bands, it was full of
bustle and excitement. Every day ships brought in nobles and their
followings.

The King of England was already in Normandy hastening the preparations,
and each band, as it landed, marched down to the meeting-place on the
plains of Vezelay. Already they began to experience a taste of the
hardships which they were to endure.

In those days there was no regular supply train for an army, but each
division or band supported itself by purchase or pillage, as the case
might be, from the surrounding country.

As the English troops were marching through a friendly country, pillage
was of course strictly forbidden; but while many of the leaders paid for
all they had, it must be owned that among the smaller leaders were many
who took anything that they required with or without payment.

The country was eaten up.

The population in those days was sparse, and the movement of so large a
number of men along a certain route completely exhausted all the
resources of the inhabitants; and although willing to pay for all that
his men required, the Earl of Evesham had frequently to lie down on the
turf supperless himself.

"If this is the case now," he said to Cuthbert, "what will it be after we
have joined the French army? Methinks whatever we may do if we reach the
Holy Land, that we have a fair chance of being starved before we sail."

After a long succession of marches they arrived in sight of the great
camp at Vezelay. It was indeed rather a canvas town than a camp. Here
were gathered nearly 100,000 men, a vast host at any time, but in those
days far greater in proportion to the strength of the countries than at
present. The tents of the leaders, nobles, and other knights and
gentlemen, rose in regular lines, forming streets and squares.

The great mass of troops, however, were contented to sleep in the open
air; indeed the difficulties of carriage were so great that it was only
the leaders who could carry with them their canvas abodes. Before each
tent stood the lance and colours of its owner, and side by side in the
centre of the camp stood the royal pavilions of Phillip of France and
Richard of England, round which could be seen the gonfalons of all the
nobles of Western Europe.

Nothing could be gayer than the aspect of this camp as the party rode
into it. They were rather late, and the great body of the host were
already assemb