emed more movable, to change their locality and attack at a
less prepared spot. During the night Godfrey moved his quarters to the
gate of Kedar. With the greatest difficulty the tower on wheels and
other machines were moved. Tancred got his machines ready between the
gate of Damascus and the angular tower known later as the Tower of
Tancred.

[Sidenote: _Filling a Ravine_]

A ravine which needed to be filled delayed Raymond, who succeeded, by
paying a small sum to every one who would throw three stones, in
building, in three days, a good path across the ravine. This done, the
signal was given for a general attack.

[Sidenote: _The Fight Begins_]

The camp of the Christians was summoned to arms by the trumpets on the
14th of July, 1099. Men and machines began their awful task. The air was
full of flints hurled to the walls by ballistas and mangonels. Under
large shields and covered galleries, the battering-rams approached the
walls. A cloud of arrows swept the ramparts, and the ladders were
erected at the most promising points. Northeast and south the rolling
towers were pushed to the walls, and Godfrey set the example of being
first to open the battle from their tops. The resistance was as vigorous
as the attack. Arrows, spears, boiling oil, Greek fire, and the
missiles from the besieged machines repulsed the attack. Through a hole
made by the besiegers the besieged attacked the machines of the
Christians, hoping to burn them. Night came on after a twelve hours'
fight without victory to either side.

[Sidenote: _Battle of Second Day_]

[Sidenote: _Saracens Attempt to Burn Towers_]

The next day, after a night spent in repairing the attacking machines on
the one hand and the guardian walls on the other, the order to attack
was early given after heartening speeches by the Christian leaders and
tent-to-tent visitations by the clergy. An Egyptian army was reported as
approaching and the report greatly encouraged the besieged. The
besiegers were infuriated by a damaging resistance, whose strength and
energy they had underrated. The battle opened with a fierceness
unparalleled. Javelins, stones, and beams were hurled in such numbers
that some met in the air and both fell on the besiegers. Flaming torches
and firepots were hurled from the walls. The Christian towers did their
work in the midst of flames, particularly the Tower of Godfrey, on whose
roof a golden cross shone. The leaders fought amidst piles of their dea