Page:Tudor Jenks--The defense of the castle.djvu/159

Rh and some of these men began to fall. This caused some confusion, and for a few moments the great structure halted, as if it were frightened and hesitating whether to advance. Within the tower were many archers, and these now began to reply to the arrows from the castle. Out of the loop-holes of the tower came an answering rain of arrows and bolts, and some of the marksmen of the garrison were hit. They hastened to take cover, and thereafter were more cautious about exposing themselves. The engineers also were exposed to the Count's archers, but they stood bravely to their work, since they could not leave the mangonels.

Hugh regretted the necessity of exposing these men, but it would not do to lose the chance of disabling the tower, even if a number of the engineers had to be sacrificed. So now and then a cry was heard as an arrow found its mark, and one of the garrison went down; but another brave man stepped forward at once to take the empty place, and the mangonels never stopped. As far as possible the workers sheltered themselves behind the framework, and so the loss of men was not great. At last, just as one of the mangonels had projected a heavy rock, Hugh himself burst into a cheer, that was at once echoed by the men around him, for they saw that the rock had struck