The garrison, however, did not make so honourable a retreat,--for without any reasonable cause, nor seeing the enemy near them, great part mutinied, and sallied out of the blockhouse in the utmost confusion and disorder, leaving behind the artillery, the most part of their armour, and much other baggage, and thus they marched to Rue. Some of their captains took great pains to rally and bring them back, but in vain. Fire had been secretly set to the outworks, which soon communicated with the blockhouse and consumed it. The English made a sally from the castle, shouting after them as they would have done to a ribald mob. Shortly after, the captains, who were (as may be supposed) the most valiant and renowned belonging to the duke of Burgundy, left the place, ashamed of the conduct of their men, and went to Rue, and thence to other places under their obedience. The principal among them were, sir John de Croy, bailiff of Hainault, sir Florimont de Brimeu, sir Jacques de Brimeu, sir Baudo de Noyelle--all four bearing the order of the Golden Fleece; sir Waleran de Moreul, the lord d'Auxi, sir Galois de Renty, the lord de Fremesen, sir Robert de Saveuses, sir Jacques de Craon, sir Jean d'Arly, with a great number of knights and esquires from Picardy who were much blamed for this dishonourable retreat.--They excused themselves by throwing the fault on the archers, whom they said they could not restrain. The English heard of this event the day it happened, and were greatly rejoiced. In consequence, they resolved to recross the Somme and return to the places they had come from, and burnt down the town of Auxi, which was a fair and considerable place. They took the road to Crotoy, and lodged at Nonnion[13]: on the morrow, they recrossed the Somme at the place where they had crossed it before, and quartered themselves at the abbey of St Valery, and thence returned to Rouen and other parts under their command, carrying with them many prisoners, horses, cattle, and all the plunder they had made. They had done great damage to the country by burning seven or eight towns and villages, without meeting with any opposition from their adversaries, who had hanged only thirty or forty foragers that had straggled at too great a distance from the main body. When the English were departed, the duke of Burgundy retired to Hêdin, where he dismissed all his men at arms excepting those appointed to guard the frontiers. FOOTNOTES: [Footnote 11: Forest-monstier,--election of Dourlens, near Abbeville.] [Footnote 12: Broye,--bailiwick of Hêdin.] [Footnote 13: Nonnion. Q.] CHAP. XII. A LARGE BODY OF MEN AT ARMS, UNDER THE COMMAND OF SEVERAL FRENCH CAPTAINS, HARRASS THE COUNTRY OF HAINAULT.--THEY ARE NICKNAMED SKINNERS.