Page:Tudor Jenks--The defense of the castle.djvu/41

Rh departure of his old master in eagerly discussing the needs of the castle and its garrison.

After that first day, Edgar and Hugh were accustomed to make a round of the whole inclosure every twenty-four hours, and then to meet for a talk, in which they compared notes. As a result, the garrison was kept up to its highest state of efficiency. The men were drilled in the use of their weapons; archery was practiced; arrows were made, bowstrings twisted, and pieces of timber were cut and fitted for the frames of the engines of war that then served as artillery. Hugh's love for his bow had given him a keen interest in all weapons of precision, and he had made a special study of different forms of catapults—the great bows for sending enormous arrows, and of balistæ and mangonels for hurling other missiles.

There were several skillful joiners among the craftsmen in the castle, and there was no lack of materials in the woods round about. The river bank supplied plenty of the round stones for missiles, and for the next two or three months, the men all worked as busily as if an attack was to be expected at any moment. As each new engine of war was completed, it was set up in the courtyard and tested. When it had passed inspection, all the pieces were carefully numbered so it could be put