wbridge clear and pouring the soldiers off it against the masonry,
and on to the dry moat. The besieged uttered a fierce shout, and in a
moment surrounded Baldwyn and his fellows; but strange to say, offered
them quarter. While a party disarmed and disposed of these, others fired
the turret in fifty places with a sort of hand grenades. At this work
who so busy as the tall knight. He put the fire-bags on his long spear,
and thrust them into the doomed structure late so terrible. To do this
he was obliged to stand on a projecting beam of the shattered hoard,
holding on by the hand of a pikeman to steady himself. This provoked
Denys; he ran out from his mantelet, hoping to escape notice in the
confusion, and levelling his crossbow missed the knight clean, but sent
his bolt into the brain of the pikeman, and the tall knight fell heavily
from the wall, lance and all. Denys gazed wonder-struck; and in that
unlucky moment, suddenly he felt his arm hot, then cold, and there was
an English arrow skewering it.

This episode was unnoticed in a much greater matter. The knight, his
armour glittering in the morning sun, fell headlong, but turning as he
neared the water, struck it with a slap that sounded a mile off.

None ever thought to see him again. But he fell at the edge of the
fascines on which the turret stood all cocked on one side, and his spear
stuck into them under water, and by a mighty effort he got to the side,
but could not get out. Anthony sent a dozen knights with a white flag to
take him prisoner. He submitted like a lamb, but said nothing.

He was taken to Anthony's tent.

That worthy laughed at first at the sight of his muddy armour, but
presently, frowning, said, "I marvel, sir, that so good a knight as
you should know his devoir so ill as turn rebel, and give us all this
trouble."

"I am nun-nun-nun-nun-nun-no knight."

"What then?"

"A hosier."

"A what? Then thy armour shall be stripped off, and thou shalt be tied
to a stake in front of the works, and riddled with arrows for a warning
to traitors."

"N-n-n-n-no! duda-duda-duda-duda-don't do that."

"Why not?"

"Tuta-tuta-tuta-townsfolk will-h-h-h-hang t'other
buba-buba-buba-buba-bastard."

"What, whom?"

"Your bub-bub-bub-brother Baldwyn."

"What, have you knaves ta'en him?"

The warlike hosier nodded.

"Hang the fool!" said Anthony, peevishly.

The warlike hosier watched his eye, and doffing his helmet, took out of
the lining an interc