ad a lesson
which they will remember, and if so be that they have brought with them
no machines we may hold out against them for any time."

It was soon manifest, however, that along with the scaling-ladders the
enemy had brought one of their war-machines. Men were seen dragging
massive beams of timber towards the walls, and one of the wagons was
drawn forward and upset on its side at a distance of sixty yards from
the wall, not, however, without those who drew it suffering much from
the arrows of the bowmen. Behind the shelter thus formed the French
began to put together the machine, whose beams soon raised themselves
high above the wagon.

In the meantime groups of men dragged great stones laid upon a sort of
hand sledge to the machine, and late in the afternoon it began to cast
its missiles against the wall. Against these Walter could do little. He
had no sacks, which, filled with earth, he might have lowered to cover
the part of the walls assailed, and beyond annoying those working the
machines by flights of arrows shot high in the air, so as to descend
point downwards among them, he could do nothing.

The wall crumbled rapidly beneath the blows of the great stones, and
Walter saw that by the following morning a breach would be effected.
When night fell he called his men together and asked if any would
volunteer to carry news through the enemy to the prince. The enterprise
seemed well-nigh hopeless, for the French, as if foreseeing that such
an attempt might be made, had encamped in a complete circle round the
castle, as was manifest by the position of their fires. Several
men stepped forward, and Walter chose three light and active
men--archers--to attempt the enterprise. These stripped off their steel
caps and breastpieces, so that they might move more quickly, and when
the French fires burned low and all was quiet save the creak of the
machine and the dull heavy blows of the stones against the wall, the
three men were lowered by ropes at different points, and started on
their enterprise. A quarter of an hour later the garrison heard shouts
and cries, and knew that a vigilant watch had been set by the French,
and that one, if not all, of their friends had fallen into their hands.
All night long the machine continued to play.

An hour before daylight, when he deemed that the enemy's vigilance
would be relaxed, Walter caused himself with Ralph and twelve of his
men-at-arms to be lowered by ropes from the wall. E