they saw Louis and Duke Charles together at the
head of the advancing army, the king wearing in his hat the cross of St.
Andrew of Burgundy, his false voice shouting "Hurrah for Burgundy!"

The surprise of the Liegoise was shared by many of the French, whose
sense of national honor was shocked to see so utter a lack of pride and
so open a display of treachery in their monarch. They had not deemed his
boasted policy capable of such baseness. Louis afterwards excused
himself with the remark, "When pride rides before, shame and hurt
follow close after," a saying very pretty as a politic apothegm, but not
likely to soothe the wounded pride of France.

The treachery of Louis roused a different feeling in the hearts of the
Liegoise,--that of indignation. They determined to defend their city,
despite its lack of ramparts, and met the advancing army with such
spirit that it was obliged to convert its assault into a siege. Night
after night the Burgundian army was troubled by the bold sorties of the
citizens. In one of these the duke and king both were in danger of
capture. At ten o'clock, one night, about six hundred well-armed men
made a sudden assault upon the duke's quarters. They were ill-defended.
Charles was in bed. Only twelve archers were on guard, and these were
playing at dice. The assault came with startling suddenness. The archers
seized their arms, but had great difficulty in defending the door-way.
Charles hastened to put on breast-plate and helmet and to join them.
But only the opportune arrival of aid saved him from being seized in the
midst of his army.

Louis ran a similar danger. His quarters had simultaneously been
attacked. Luckily for him, his Scotch guardsmen were more ready than
those of Burgundy. They repulsed the attack, with little heed whether
their arrows killed hostile Liegoise or friendly Burgundians. As for the
assailants, they found it easier to get into the French camp than out of
it. They were killed almost to a man.

On the next day the duke and his councillors determined on an assault.
The king was not present, and when he heard of it he did not favor the
plan.

"You have seen the courage of these people," he remarked. "You know how
murderous and uncertain is street-fighting. You will lose many brave men
to no purpose. Wait two or three days, and the Liegoise will certainly
come to terms."

Most of the Burgundian captains were of the same opinion. The duke,
whose rash spirit could ill