"I would not miss meeting Sir Gervaise for all I possess, Edgar. What I fear most, however, is that he may find some pretext for avoiding a conflict, so do thou make it public that at the earl’s tourney Sir John Chartris will issue a challenge to Sir Gervaise de Maupas to a combat _à outrance_. Thus only, when all are agog with expectation, can we be sure that he will not disappoint us." "I will see to it, Sir John. I will make the encounter so public that it will be hard indeed for De Maupas to find a way out with honour." The next day the whole of the expeditionary force embarked, and sail was set for the south of France. Edgar was kept very busy, for Sir John, who was often in attendance on the Earl of Derby, left in his hands all the arrangements for the accommodation of the Wolsingham ladies and their maids on shore and afloat, the victualling of the Wolsingham men-at-arms and their horses during the voyage, and the responsibility of seeing to the general comfort and wellbeing of the whole of the party. He carried out his many duties, however, with a thoroughness that soon earned him the respect and affection of all concerned, except perhaps of the ladies, who may have missed the gallantries of Aymery and Roland and have found Edgar’s directness not altogether to their liking. Certainly the lady Beatrice more than once rallied him severely upon a devotion to duty that scarce, she said, permitted him to smile at a merry thrust. But Edgar lightly passed the matter off, for he was indeed far too absorbed in the coming campaign to care to take the place of either Aymery or Roland. The mention of a tourney, too, had given him much food for thought. It seemed possible that some place might be found for esquires in the proceedings, and might not he as well as his master figure in the conflicts? Full of the idea, and dreading lest he might be getting somewhat out of practice with the sword--for since he had been esquire to Sir John he had been so busy that he had had fewer opportunities for practising than formerly--Edgar set Peter to make enquiries and to find out if any men-at-arms or esquires of especial note for skill with weapons were accompanying the expedition. After a voyage swift and pleasant, though quite devoid of incident, the fleet arrived at Bayonne, where the earl’s force landed and marched along the coast to Bordeaux. Here the army encamped, and, having joined forces with the available troops of the province, mustered quite a goodly array. To Sir John’s stern delight, it was not long before the Earl of Derby proposed a tournament, with the object of interesting the townspeople in the campaign and of strengthening the warlike spirit of his men in readiness for active operations. His proposals were received with general acclamation, and, a date being fixed, the arrangements proceeded with the greatest speed and enthusiasm.