supplies furnished them. They had eaten no meat but horseflesh for
weeks, and even that was gone. The cavalry horses were all consumed, and
even the chargers of the officers were not respected. An aid-de-camp of
Parma fastened his steed one day at the door of the Prince's tent, while
he entered to receive his commander's instructions. When he came out
again, a few minutes afterwards, he found nothing but the saddle and
bridle hanging where he had fastened the horse. Remonstrance was
useless, for the animal had already been cut into quarters, and the only
satisfaction offered to the aid-de-camp was in the shape of a steak. The
famine was long familiarly known as the "Ninove starvation," but
notwithstanding this obstacle, the place was eventually surrendered.

An attempt upon Lochum, an important city, in Gelderland, was
unsuccessful, the place being relieved by the Duke of Anjou's forces, and
Parma's troops forced to abandon the siege. At Steenwyk, the royal arms
were more successful, Colonel Tassis, conducted by a treacherous Frisian
peasant, having surprised the city which had so, long and so manfully
sustained itself against Renneberg during the preceding winter. With
this event the active operations under Parma closed for the year. By the
end of the autumn, however, he had the satisfaction of numbering, under
his command, full sixty thousand well-appointed and disciplined troops,
including the large reinforcements recently despatched: from Spain and
Italy. The monthly expense of this army-half of which was required for
garrison duty, leaving only the other moiety for field Operations--was
estimated at six hundred and fifty thousand florins. The forces under
Anjou and the united provinces were also largely increased, so that the
marrow of the land was again in fair way of being thoroughly exhausted by
its defenders and its foes.

The incidents of Anjou's administration, meantime, during the year 1582,