Page:Tudor Jenks--The defense of the castle.djvu/286

258 siege, though one he had seen employed with success in Palestine during the crusades. It was not Luke's fault that the siege had not proceeded more regularly and more in accordance with the recognized rules for the capture of fortifications, but rather the fault of the Count, who was impatient of all delays and could not be made to see that the more haste was the less speed, when going against a resolute foe behind a well-constructed and stoutly-defended castle. The failure of Luke's trick that day had not put the Count into any better humor with his assistant, and it was only with great difficulty that Luke had gained permission to put into practice his new device. But the Count's consent was given, though grudgingly, and so Luke had constructed during the day a new machine which may be thus described:

A great crate or open box was hung by four strong chains, fastened to its four corners, to a large beam. The other end of the beam was weighted with stones and with metal as if the whole was an enormous balance. Then a high mast was cut and into the top of it a great spike was driven, leaving a part projecting. The long beam was now pierced to admit the spike, so that the beam could move up and down or round about, swinging on the spike. Thus the whole apparatus was like an old-fashioned pair of scales. How it