atter to their homes, or other distant
hiding-places; and the news that they had by a ruse captured the castle,
came as a thunderclap.

Sir Rudolph's first impulse was to call his men together and to march
towards the castle. The drawbridge was up, and the walls bristled with
armed men. It was useless to attempt a parley; still more useless to
think of attacking the stronghold without the proper machines and
appliances. Foaming with rage, Sir Rudolph took possession of a cottage
near, camped his men around and prepared for a siege.

There were among the mercenaries many men accustomed to the use of
engines of war. Many, too, had aided in making them; and these were at
once set to work to construct the various machines in use at that time.
Before the invention of gunpowder, castles such as those of the English
barons were able to defy any attack by an armed force for a long period.
Their walls were so thick that even the balistas, casting huge stones,
were unable to breach them except after a very long time. The moats
which surrounded them were wide and deep, and any attempt at storming by
ladders was therefore extremely difficult; and these buildings were
consequently more often captured by famine than by other means. Of
provisions, as Sir Rudolph knew, there was a considerable supply at
present in the castle, for he had collected a large number of bullocks in
order to feed the strong body who had been added to the garrison. The
granaries, too, were well stored; and with a groan Sir Rudolph thought of
the rich stores of French wines which he had collected in his cellars.

After much deliberation with the knights with him and the captain of the
mercenaries, it was agreed in the first instance to attempt to attack the
place by filling up a portion of the moat and ascending by scaling
ladders. Huge screens of wood were made, and these were placed on
waggons; the waggons themselves were filled with bags of earth, and a
large number of men getting beneath them shoved the ponderous machines
forward to the edge of the moat. The bags of stones and earth were then
thrown in, and the waggons pushed backwards to obtain a fresh supply.
This operation was of course an exceedingly slow one, a whole day being
occupied with each trip of the waggons. They were not unmolested in their
advance, for, from the walls, mangonels and other machines hurled great
stones down upon the wooden screens, succeeding sometimes, in spite of
their thic