midnight
In the chivalrous spirit of the times the king determined that Sir Walter Manny should continue in command of the enterprise ; he and the Black Prince , disguised as simple knights , fighting under his banner . In the meantime a considerable force had been collected at St. Omer , where a large number of knights and gentlemen obeyed the summons of Jeffrey de Charny . On the night appointed they marched for Calais , in number five hundred lances and a corresponding number of footmen . They reached the river and bridge of Nieullay a little after midnight , and messengers were sent on to the governor , who was prepared to receive them . On their report De Charny advanced still nearer to the town , leaving the bridge and passages to the river guarded by a large body of crossbow-men under the command of the Lord De Fiennes and a number of other knights . At a little distance from the castle he was met by Almeric de Pavia , who yielded his son as a hostage according to his promise , calculating , as was the case , that he would be recaptured by the English . Then , having received the greater portion of the money agreed upon , he led a party of the French over the castle to satisfy them of his sincerity .