Page:Tudor Jenks--The defense of the castle.djvu/149

Rh castle, they would find it built in part upon the earth. If he could keep his men at work next day during the noise made by the volleys of the mangonels, he hoped that it would not be long before he could undermine a part of the great tower. Any noise made in penetrating the causeway would be taken by the garrison to be made by work upon the cat or the ram—for during the hours spent by the leaders of the garrison in their long talk, the Count's men had brought forward the ram. and it was now safely hidden under the roof of the cat; so that when the cat was once more pushed forward against the wall, the ram could be advanced with it, and could then begin to batter the stone-work with its iron beak.

Under Luke's directions, a tunnel was begun well forward in the causeway, where the mouth of it would be hidden even when the end of the cat rested against the walls. This tunnel went rapidly through the soft new earth, and as fast as a narrow opening was made, it was built up inside with woodwork to keep the earth from falling in again. About an hour before daybreak, the miners reported that they had reached the other side of the moat, and were at work upon the solid earth beneath the castle wall.

Luke now warned them to proceed with the utmost caution for fear the garrison would hear