of whom about a hundred were men at arms. The
prisoners, however, were not numerous, most of them having been rescued
by D'Hymbercourt, who now proceeded to occupy the contested suburb, and
to place guards opposite to the town, from which it was divided by an
open space, or esplanade, of five or six hundred yards, left free of
buildings for the purposes of defence. There was no moat betwixt the
suburb and town, the ground being rocky in that place. A gate fronted
the suburb, from which sallies might be easily made, and the wall was
pierced by two or three of those breaches which Duke Charles had caused
to be made after the battle of Saint Tron, and which had been hastily
repaired with mere barricades of timber.

D'Hymbercourt turned two culverins on the gate, and placed two others
opposite to the principal breach, to repel any sally from the city, and
then returned to the Burgundian army, which he found in great disorder.
In fact, the main body and rear of the numerous army of the Duke had
continued to advance, while the broken and repulsed vanguard was in the
act of retreating; and they had come into collision with each other, to
the great confusion of both. The necessary absence of D'Hymbercourt, who
discharged all the duties of Marechal du Camp, or, as we should now say,
of Quartermaster General, augmented the disorder; and to complete the
whole, the night sank down dark as a wolf's mouth; there fell a thick
and heavy rain, and the ground on which the beleaguering army must needs
take up their position, was muddy and intersected with many canals. It
is scarce possible to form an idea of the confusion which prevailed in
the Burgundian army, where leaders were separated from their soldiers,
and soldiers from their standards and officers. Every one, from the
highest to the lowest, was seeking shelter and accommodation where he
could individually find it; while the wearied and wounded, who had been
engaged in the battle, were calling in vain for shelter and refreshment;
and while those who knew nothing of the disaster were pressing on to
have their share in the sack of the place, which they had no doubt was
proceeding merrily.

When D'Hymbercourt returned, he had a task to perform of incredible
difficulty, and imbittered by the reproaches of his master, who made
no allowance for the still more necessary duty in which he had been
engaged, until the temper of the gallant soldier began to give way under
the Duke's unreaso