as
each rope is strong enough to hold double our weight there will be no
difficulty in lowering ourselves from the walls."

"You have done well indeed, Ralph," Walter said. "Let us make our way
thither at once. Everyone is so excited in the city, that, as yet, there
will be but few guards upon the wall. The sooner, therefore, that we
attempt to make our escape the better."

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 been
posted at the gates. The Flemings, however, could have felt no fear of
an attack by so small a force as the five hundred English whom they knew
to be in the neighbourhood.

Walter and his companion soon knotted the ropes together and lowered
themselves into the moat. A few strokes took them to the other side, and
scrambling out, they made their way across the country to the spot
where the English had been posted. They found the Earl of Salisbury, who
commanded, in a great state of uneasiness. No message had reached him
during the day. He had heard the alarm-bells of the city ring, and a
scout who had gone forward returned with the news that the gates were
closed and the drawbridges raised, and that a strong body of men manned
the walls.

"Your news is indeed bad," he said, when Walter related to him the
events which had taken place in the town. "This will altogether derange
the king's plans. Now that his ally is killed I fear that his hopes of
acquiring Flanders for England will fall to the ground. It is a thousand
pities that he listened to Van Artevelde and allowed him to enter Ghent
alone. Had his majesty landed, as he wished, and made a progress through
the country, the prince receiving the homage of all the large towns, we
could then very well have summoned Ghent as standing alone against all
Flanders. The citizens then would, no doubt, have gladly opened their
gates and received the prince, and if they had refused we would have
made short work of them. However, as it has turned out, it is as well
that we did not enter the town with the Fleming, for against so large
and turbulent a population we should have had but little chance. And
now, Master Somers, we will march at once for Sluys and bear the news
to the king, and you shall tell me as we ride thither how you and your
man-at-arms managed to escape with whole skins from such a tumult."

The king was much gri