quickly as possible, for at any moment it may suit Burgundy and Orleans to
patch up their quarrel again. Burgundy is astute and cunning, and if he
sees that the Orleans princes with Armagnac and the Duke of Bourbon are
likely to get the best of it, he will use the king and queen to intervene
and stop the fighting. Seeing that this may be so, the rogues who have
their eye on their neighbours' goods and possessions will, you may be
sure, lose no time in stretching out their hands for them."

A week later came the news that Sir Clugnet de Brabant, who styled himself
Admiral of France, had gathered two thousand men from the Orleanist
garrisons and, with scaling-ladders and other warlike machines, had
attacked the town of Rethel. The inhabitants had, however, notice of their
coming, and resisted so stoutly that the Orleanists had been forced to
retreat, and had then divided into two parties, each of whom had scoured
the country, making prisoners all whom they met, firing the villages and
driving off the cattle, and then returned to the town of Ham and to the
various garrisons from which they had been drawn. Some of the tenants had
returned to their farms, but when the news spread they again took refuge
in the castle. It was probable that Artois, where almost all the towns
were held by the Burgundian party, would be the next object of attack. The
Orleanists remained quiet for eight days only, then the news came that
they had moved out again from Ham eight thousand strong, and were marching
west.

Two days later several fugitives from the country round arrived at the
castle with news that the Orleanists were advancing against Bapaume, and
the next morning they heard that they had, after a fierce fight, won their
way to the gate of the town. The Burgundian garrison had then sallied out
and at first met with success, but had been obliged to retreat within the
walls again. The Orleanists, however, considering the place too strong to