Page:Tudor Jenks--The defense of the castle.djvu/250

222 earthwork again, for he saw no glory in being slain by a chance shot. The Count then sullenly retired from before the intrenchment, where he found Luke trying to bring his men into the frame of mind for a second assault. The Count went to him at once, and speaking loud enough for all to hear said: "You were right, Luke. With such as these soldiers we cannot take the least of the defenses by assault. At the first twang of the bowstrings all fly like hares! So let us bring forward your gimcracks and jiggermarees, your see-saws and go-carts, and batter us down the earthwork."

This speech of course made the soldiers no more anxious to risk their lives for the speaker, and besides helped to make enemies for Luke, since the men saw no reason to doubt that he had been complaining of them for cowardice. They considered it unjust, and one grizzled old fellow whose hair had whitened during many a hard campaign was not afraid to answer. Rising from his crouching position behind a fragment of the wall, he said: "My lord Count, I have seen service with knights that could claim at least as much knowledge of war and battles as either yourself or your esquire; and I have seen men with weapons in their hands since you and he were boys in school. But though I know the respect due my betters, I think that we