ng army at Helchin,
which barred the access to that fortress. Being situated on the banks
of the Scheldt, it was so completely within the power of the governor
to hinder the approaches of the besiegers, by letting out the waters,
that the King of France said, on hearing they had commenced its
siege--"They must have an army of ducks to take it." An extraordinary
drought at this period, however, which lasted seven weeks, had so
lowered the Scheldt and canals, that the approaches were pushed with
great celerity, and on the 5th September the garrison surrendered at
discretion. Marlborough wrote to Godolphin on this occasion--"The
taking of Dendermonde, making the garrison prisoners of war, was more
than could have been expected; but I saw they were in a consternation.
That place could never have been taken but by the hand of God, which
gave us seven weeks without rain. The rain began the day after we had
taken possession, and continued without intermission for the three
next days."[19]

Ath was the next object of attack. This small but strong fortress is
of great importance, as lying on the direct road from Mons to Brussels
by Halle; and, in consequence of that circumstance, it was rendered a
fortress of the first order, when the barrier of strongholds, insanely
demolished by Joseph II. before the war of the Revolution, was
restored by the Allies, under the direction of Wellington, after its
termination. Marlborough entrusted the direction of the attack to
Overkirk, while he himself occupied, with the covering army, the
position of Leuze. Vendome's army was so much discouraged that he did
not venture to disturb the operations; but retiring behind the
Scheldt, between Conde and Montagne, contented himself with throwing
strong garrisons into Mons and Charleroi, which he apprehended would
be the next object of attack. The operations of the besiegers against
Ath were pushed with great vigour; and on the 4th October the
garrison, eight hundred strong, all that remained out of two thousand
who manned the works when the siege began, surrendered prisoners of
war. Marlborough was very urgent after this success to undertake the
siege of Mons, which would have completed the conquest of Brabant and
Flanders; but he could not persuade the Dutch authorities to furnish
him with the requisite stores to undertake it.[20] After a parade of
his army in the open field near Cambron, in the hope of drawing
Vendome, who boasted of having one hun