Page:Tudor Jenks--The defense of the castle.djvu/252

the garrison. Under cover of this exchange of missiles, the rest of the Count's soldiers were able to move forward the covered shed—the "cat" that had already served them to breach the outer wall, and to push it slowly through the courtyard until it rested, extending across the narrow ditch, against the front of the earthwork. The cat was followed by the wheeled battering-ram, which, though its beak was somewhat bent and twisted, was yet effective enough. Protected by the roof of the cat, the soldiers were able to ply the ram without serious interference, and upon the earthwork the effect of its blows was tremendous. It splintered the logs, pushed them from their places, and soon drove its way right through the earth and stonework. But the defenders were ready to take advantage of this opening, and they flung blazing faggots through, pushing them with long poles, and thus succeeded in filling the cat with smoke. In order to extinguish these blazing bundles, the soldiers were forced to stop the ram, and then the defenders shot bolts and arrows through the holes left by the destruction of their intrenchment. Soon, however, the besiegers found that they could still operate the ram from the back part of the cat, and by moving it about they increased the size of the opening they had already made.