ad taken place, in order that they
might see that his statements tallied exactly with those he had made.

When this had been done Walter obtained permission from the king
to despatch a cartel to Sir Phillip de Holbeaut denouncing him as a
perjured and dishonoured knight and challenging him to meet him in
mortal conflict at any time and place that he might name. At the same
time the king despatched a letter to Phillip of Valois saying that the
statements of the French knight and followers were wholly untrue,
and begging that a time might be appointed for the meeting of the two
knights in the lists.

To this King Phillip replied that he had ordered all private quarrels in
France to be laid aside during the progress of the war, and that so
long as an English foot remained upon French soil he would give no
countenance to his knights throwing away the lives which they owed to
France, in private broils.

"You must wait, Sir Walter, you see," the king said, "until you may
perchance meet him in the field of battle. In the mean time, to show
how lightly I esteem the foul charge brought against you, and how much
I hold and honour the bravery which you showed in defending the
castle which my son the prince entrusted to you, as well as upon other
occasions, I hereby promote you to the rank of knight-banneret."

Events now passed slowly before Calais. Queen Philippa and many of her
ladies crossed the Channel and joined her husband, and these added much
to the gaiety of the life in camp. The garrison at Calais was, it was
known, in the sorest straits for the want of food, and at last the
news came that the King of France, with a huge army of 200,000 men, was
moving to its relief. They had gathered at Hesdin, at which rendezvous
the king had arrived in the early part of April; but it was not until
the 27th of July that the whole army was collected, and marching by slow
steps advanced towards the English position.

King Edward had taken every precaution to guard all the approaches to
the city. The ground was in most places too soft and sandy to admit of
the construction of defensive works; but the fleet was drawn up close
inshore to cover the line of sand-hills by the sea with arrows and
war machines, while the passages of the marshes, which extended for
a considerable distance round the town, were guarded by the Earl of
Lancaster and a body of chosen troops, while the other approaches to the
city were covered by the English camp.