est to the city,
fearing that the British would press in at the rear of the Irish, and
that he might not then be able to raise the drawbridge, ordered this to
be done at once--thereby cutting off the retreat of the soldiers still on
the bridge. These jumped over the parapet into the river, and strove to
reach the city wall by swimming. Some did so, but great numbers were
drowned. This incident greatly increased the standing feud between the
Irish and French, the former declaring that the latter not only never
fought themselves, but were ready, at the first alarm, to sacrifice their
allies in order to secure their own safety.

The success of Ginckle's second raid had been complete, in so far that he
had inflicted great slaughter upon the Irish infantry, and had gained a
moral victory; but he was no nearer capturing the town. An attack across
the long narrow bridge was not even to be thought of; and he again
retired across the river.

The Irish were disheartened. Sarsfield, though a dashing cavalry
commander, appeared wholly incapable of handling large bodies of men.
Ginckle had twice given him a great opportunity, but on neither occasion
had he made the slightest effort to utilize it.

On the first occasion, surprise and uncertainty might excuse inaction on
the part of the army in Limerick, but there was no such excuse the second
time. Their force outside the town gate was but a small one; it was
certain that the English could not push across the bridge; and, as
Ginckle had taken the best part of his army across, Sarsfield could have
issued out with his whole force on the Limerick side, crushed the British
force remaining there, and captured the camp and all its stores--in which
case Ginckle's position would have been desperate. But not a movement was
made to seize an opportunity which would have been patent to any military
commander possessing genius and energy; nor, until it was too late, was
any attempt made to reinforce the detachment which, on the other side of
the bridge, was withstanding the attack of a vastly superior force.

Ginckle, relying upon the moral effect of the blow he had just struck,
renewed his negotiations. Some of the Irish leaders had already received
bribes. Others were genuinely anxious that the war should cease, now that
William was ready to grant terms which would secure the ends for which
they had been fighting. Others, again, were animated by hostility to the
French, and the fear that, if