They had
found them capable of defeat and overthrow; the spell was broken.
And it was the Maid who had done it!
Oh, how we fought around her that day! She was on foot now, for the
banks of the moat were slippery, and the press around the walls was
too great to admit easily of the tactics of horsemen. I never saw
her strike at any foe. It was her pennon rather than her sword in
which she trusted. Here was the rallying point for the bravest and
most desperate of the assailants, ever in the thickest of the
strife, ever pointing the way to victory.
It was the tower of the Boulevard against which we were directing
our attack. If that fell, Les Tourelles itself must needs follow,
isolated as it would then be in the midst of the river. We did not
know it then, but we were to learn later, that La Hire in the city
with a great band of citizens and soldiers to help him, was already
hard at work constructing a bridge which should carry him and his
men across to Les Tourelles, to take the English in the rear,
whilst their attention was concentrated upon our work on the other
side.
Pages:
207
208
209
210
211
212
213
214
215
216
217
218
219
220
221
222
223
224
225
226
227
228
229
230
231