With these Walter flung himself suddenly upon the assailants and forced them a few feet down the slope.Then he gave the word, and all sprang back, and leaping down from the wall into the courtyard ran through the barrier, Walter and Ralph being the last to pass as the French with exulting shouts leapt down from the breach.There was another fierce fight at the barrier.Walter left Ralph to defend this with a few men-at- arms while he saw that all was in readiness for closing the door rapidly in the keep.Then he ran back again.He was but just in time.Ralph indeed could for a long time have held the narrow passage, but the barriers themselves were yielding.The French were pouring in through the breach, and as those behind could not see the nature of the obstacle which arrested the advance of their companions they continued to push forward, and by their weight pressed those in front against the spikes in the barrier.Many perished miserably on these.Others, whose armour protected them from this fate, were crushed to death by the pressure; but this was now so great that the timbers were yielding.Walter, seeing that in another moment they would be levelled, gave the word, sprang back with Ralph and his party, and entered the keep just as with a crash the barrier fell and the French poured in a crowd into the courtyard.Bolting the door the defenders of the keep piled against it the stones which had been laid in readiness.
The door was on the first floor, and was approached by a narrow flight of stone steps, up which but two abreast could advance.In their first fury the French poured up these steps, but from the loopholes which commanded it the English bowmen shot so hard that their arrows pierced the strongest armour.Smitten through vizor and armour, numbers of the bravest of the assailants fell dead.Those who gained the top of the steps were assailed by showers of boiling oil from an upper chamber which projected over the door, and whose floor was pierced for this purpose, while from the top of the keep showers of stones were poured down.After losing great numbers in this desperate effort at assault the French drew off for a while, while their leaders held council as to the best measures to be taken for the capture of the keep.
After a time Walter from the summit saw several bodies of men detach themselves from the crowd still without the castle and proceed into the country.Two hours later they were seen returning laden with trunks of trees.These were dragged through the breach, and were, in spite of the efforts of the archers and of the men-at-arms with their stones, placed so as to form a sort of penthouse against one side of the keep.Numbers of the soldiers now poured up with sacks and all kinds of vessels which they had gathered from the surrounding villages, filled with earth.This was thrown over the beams until it filled all the crevices between them and formed a covering a foot thick, so that neither boiling oil nor water poured from above could penetrate to injure those working beneath its shelter.When all was ready a strong body armed with picks and crowbars entered the penthouse and began to labour to cut away the wall of the keep itself.
"Their commander knows his business," Walter said, "and the device is an excellent one.We can do nothing, and it only depends upon the strength of the wall how long we can hold out.The masonry is by no means good, and before nightfall, unless aid comes, there will be nought for us but death or surrender."
