Meanwhile Messire John de Barlas had found a place at which the first brook could be forded, and had crossed it with two thousand cross-bow men. Having gained the open meadow, he drew up his men in a compact mass, and poured such a shower of arrows upon the Flemish slingers, that the sky was almost darkened by them, and a large number of Flemings fell dead or wounded to the ground, while the French archers continued to make a steady advance.
Messire Solomon van Sevecote himself had seized the sling of one of the fallen Guildsmen, in order to animate the survivors by his own example; but an iron bolt from a cross-bow pierced the vizor of his helmet, and flung him dead to the ground. Then the Flemings, seeing their general struck down, with so large a number of their comrades, and finding their supply of stones fall short, closed their ranks, and fell back on the camp in good order. Only one slinger from Furnes remained standing in the middle of the field, as though he scorned the arrows of the Frenchmen. He stood calm and unmoved, while the arrows flew hissing over him and around him. Slowly and with deliberation he placed a heavy stone in his sling, and measured carefully the distance of the spot at which he wished to take aim. After a few preparatory whirls, he let go the end of the sling, and the stone flew whistling through the air. A cry of anguish burst from the French captain, and in a moment he lay lifeless on the ground—the stone had pierced his helmet and crushed his skull; and Messire John de Barlas lay weltering in his blood. Thus, in the first attack, perished the leaders of the first two divisions of the French army. The archers were so infuriated by this disastrous sight, that they threw away their cross-bows, grasped their swords, and impetuously pursued the slingers as far as the second brook, which ran in front of the Flemish encampment. At this moment Messire Valepaile, who was standing by the side of Robert d'Artois, seeing the advantage gained by the cross-bow men, exclaimed:
"Oh seneschal, the rascally foot-soldiers will, after all, gain the honor of the day. While they are counting the foe, what are we knights doing here? It is foul shame; we are standing still, as though we dared not fight."
"Mountjoy St. Denis!" shouted Robert. "Forward, constable! fall on them!"
At this command all the horsemen of the first division gave their horses the rein, and rushed on impetuously and in disorder; for each wished to be the first to strike the blow of honor. So eager was their onset, that they rode over the cross-bow men, and many hundreds of the hapless foot-soldiers were trampled to death beneath the hoofs of the horses, while the remainder fled in all directions over the meadow. Thus the cavalry robbed the French of the advantage which the cross-bow men had gained, and gave the Flemish slingers time to fill up their ranks, and form again in order. Then arose from the prostrate horsemen a groan so fearful, a death-cry so general and so prolonged, that at a distance it might have been taken for the combined shoutings of a triumphant army; on they rushed, trampling down into the marsh those who had fallen, heedless of their deprecating cries. Scarcely had the shrieks of those who first sank died away on the air, when they who had trodden them under foot were in their turn overthrown and trampled down by others; and so the deathwail was continued unceasingly. The companies in the rear, thinking that the action was become general, spurred their horses on toward the brook, and thus increased the number of the victims of the seneschal's folly and imprudence.
As yet the Flemings had made no attack upon them; they stood motionless and silent, gazing with wonder and awe on the dismal tragedy enacted before them. Their generals proceeded with more skill and more prudence; other warriors would have thought this the fittest moment for a general attack, and so would perhaps have crossed the brook and fallen on the French; but Guy, and John Borluut, his chief adviser, would not relinquish the advantage which their position gave them.
At length both the brooks were filled with dead bodies of men and horses, and Raoul de Nesle had the good fortune to force a passage with about a thousand horsemen. He formed them in a close squadron, and shouted, "France! France! forward! forward!"
They charged with furious intrepidity into the centre of the Flemish troops; but the latter planted their "good-days" firmly on the ground, and received the horsemen on the points of these frightful weapons. A large number of the assailants were thrown from their horses by the shock, and quickly despatched. But Godfrey of Brabant, who had also crossed the brook with nine hundred horse, threw himself with such impetuosity on the squadron of William van Gulick, that he overthrew both this and the three first divisions, and so broke the line of the Flemings. And now began a terrible struggle; the French horsemen had thrown away their spears, and rushed on the Flemings with their long battle-swords. The latter defended themselves bravely with their clubs and halberds, and dismounted many a horseman; but still the advantage remained with Godfrey of Brabant; his men had made a clear space all around them, and there was thus a
