, on the whole, victorious in this battle,
still many of the English knights were killed, and quite a number were
taken prisoners and carried off by the French to be held for ransom.
One of these prisoners, a Scotch knight named Douglas, made his escape
after his capture in a very singular manner. He was standing in his
armor among his captors late in the evening, at a place at some
distance from the field, where the French had taken him and some other
prisoners for safety, and the French were about to take off his armor,
which, from its magnificence, led them to suppose that he was a person
of high rank and importance, as he really was, and that a grand ransom
could be obtained for him, when another Scotch knight, named Ramsay,
suddenly fixing his eyes upon him, pretended to be in a great rage,
and, advancing toward him, exclaimed,

"You miserable wretch! How comes it that you dare to deck yourself out
in this way in your master's armor? You have murdered and robbed him,
I suppose. Come here and pull off my boots."

Douglas understood at once Ramsay's design, and so, with pretended
tremblings, and looks of guilt and fear, he came to Ramsay and pulled
off one of his boots. Ramsay took up the boot and struck Douglas upon
the head with it. The other English prisoners, wondering, asked Ramsay
what he meant.

"That is Lord Douglas," said they.

"Lord Douglas?" repeated Ramsay, in a tone of contempt. "No such
thing. It is his servant. He has killed his master, I suppose, and
stolen his armor." Then, turning to Douglas and brandishing the boot
over him again, he cried out,

"Off with you, you villain! Go and look over the field, and find your
master's body, and when you have found it come back and tell me, that
I may at least give him a decent burial."

So saying, he took out forty shillings, and gave the money to the
Frenchmen as the ransom of the pretended servant, and then drove
Douglas off, beating him with the boot and saying,

"Away with you! Begone!"

Douglas bore this all very patiently, and went away with the air of a
detected impostor, and soon got back safely to the English camp.

* * * * *

After the battle of Poictiers Prince Edward moved on toward the
westward with his army, taking with him his royal prisoners, and
stopping at all the large towns on his way to celebrate his victory
with feastings and rejoicings. At last he reached Bordeaux on the
coast, and from Bordea