ght. He, with
Ralph and two or three of the staunchest men, covered the retreat of
the rest through the streets, making desperate charges upon the body of
armed burghers pressing upon them. Ralph fought as usual with a mace
of prodigious weight, and the terror of his blows in no slight degree
enabled the party to reach the gate in safety, but Walter had no idea of
retreating further. He despatched one of his followers to gallop at full
speed to overtake the rear-guard of the army, which was still but two
miles distant, while with the rest he formed a line across the gate and
resisted all the attempts of the citizens to expel them.

The approach to the gate was narrow, and the overwhelming number of the
burghers were therefore of little avail. Walter had dismounted his force
and all fought on foot, and although sorely pressed they held their
ground until Lords Cobham and Holland, with their followers, rode up.
Then the tide of war was turned, the town was plundered and burnt, and
great numbers of the inhabitants slain. Walter gained great credit
for holding the gate, for had he been driven out, the town could have
resisted, until the arrival of Louis, all assaults of the English.

The river Somme now barred the passage of Edward. Most of the bridges
had been destroyed, and those remaining were so strongly fortified that
they could not be forced.

The position of the English was now very critical. On one flank and
in front were impassable rivers. The whole country was in arms against
them, and on their rear and flank pressed a hostile army fourfold their
strength. The country was swampy and thinly populated, and flour and
provisions were only obtained with great difficulty. Edward, on finding
from the reports of his marshals who had been sent to examine the
bridges, that no passage across the river could be found, turned
and marched down the river towards the sea, halting for the night at
Oisemont.

Here, a great number of peasantry attempted a defence, but were easily
defeated and a number of prisoners taken. Late in the evening the Earl
of Warwick, who had pushed forward as far as Abbeville and St. Valery,
returned with the news that the passages at those places were as
strongly guarded as elsewhere, but he had learnt from a peasant that
a ford existed somewhere below Abbeville, although the man was himself
ignorant of its position.

Edward at once called the prisoners belonging to that part of the
country before