midnight
That evening Van Artevelde invited all the principal men and officers to sup with him , and gave them instructions for the morrow . He said that he was not sorry that no large force of Englishmen had come to their aid , for had they done so they would assuredly have had the credit of the victory . He also gave orders that no prisoners should be taken save the king himself , whom they would bring to Ghent and instruct in the Flemish language . A false alarm roused the camp at midnight , and although it proved to be ill-founded , the Flemings were so uneasy at the thought that they might be attacked unawares , that great fires were lighted and meat cooked and wine drunk until an hour before daylight , when they arranged themselves in order of battle and also occupied a heath beyond the wood . A large dyke ran across in front of them , and behind them the ground was covered by small bushes . Philip Van Artevelde was in the centre with 9,000 picked men of Ghent , whom he always kept near his person , as he had but little faith in the goodwill of those from other towns . Beyond these were the contingents of Alost and Grammont , of Courtray and Bruges , Damme and Sluys .