Page:Tudor Jenks--The defense of the castle.djvu/85

Rh forces, and they leaned upon their weapons awaiting the arrival of their foemen.

Suddenly a trumpet sounded, a flight of arrows followed, and then the Count's forces advanced. They came on steadily, slowly at first, and then quickening into a run. No sooner were they within range, than the arrows and bolts of the garrison began to find victims here and there, while much less damage was done by the volleys of the besiegers.

Hugh ordered his men in the palisade to withhold their arrows until the ranks of the attacking party had advanced on each side far enough to be within range from the sides of the palisade. Then these bowmen were ordered to shoot at will, and to make every arrow tell. Three or four of these archers had been especially charged to repel the attack on the front of the palisade, but even these few were enough to protect it, for their aim was so sure and their rate of fire so rapid that the charge divided as it came to that little stronghold of sharpshooters. Luke, it is true, tried bravely to carry out his plan of an attack against the palisade. With a few of his boldest men, he made his way close up to the timbers, and four or five of them at once tried to uproot the palisades. But Hugh and his men received this attack by hacking briskly with their swords at the fingers