Page:Tudor Jenks--The defense of the castle.djvu/194

168 rolling breastworks to the edge of the moat. But instead of throwing bundles of faggots and barrows of earth into the ditch, as had been done to prepare for the advance of the "cat," this time the engineers had made ready great logs bolted together, long enough to reach to the opposite bank, and these, being placed upon rollers behind the sheltering breastworks, could be shoved forward until their front ends rested upon the further side of the moat. One by one the great logs crawled out like big serpents, and built up a strong bridge for the support of the tower.

The defenders did all they could to interfere with the progress of this work—and kept up a steady rain of projectiles upon the besiegers' tower, and upon the engineers who were laying the bridge. But though they inflicted losses upon the Count's men, they also suffered many losses themselves, for the archers upon the tower could shoot against the castle-wall from a place as high as the ramparts, and were as well protected. This made the garrison cautious, and they could not prevent the placing of the bridge.

The engines of war that had been placed to command the tower snapped out their missiles, sending not only heavy, jagged rocks, but also barrels of flaming pitch upon their adversary. There were upon the flat top of the tower men whose duty it