day she directed a letter
of warning to be sent to the English, urging them to retreat before
compelled to do so by the "fire of Heaven." She then reconnoitred the
city, determining in her mind where to begin the attack; and as she saw
no signs that the English had taken heed of her letter, she finally
mounted the walls of the town, and in a loud voice warned the English to
depart before overtaken with the shame and disaster in store for them.
To this the English responded with insults and ribald words, and told
her to "Go home and keep her cows." Joan wept at their insults to her
modesty, and would have at once opened an attack, had she not been
dissuaded by her generals, who begged her to await the arrival of her
army.

Despite their bold words, the English were so influenced by Joan's
peculiar power, that they allowed her army to enter Orleans with a
convoy of provisions, and made no resistance. They seemed to be
paralyzed with fear, and many of them expressed a belief that she was
aided by the devil. Although the maid was immensely popular with the
army, a lurking secret jealousy of her was already at work in the
breasts of some of her officers; and these men chose an hour when she
was taking a brief repose, to open an attack upon the English, hoping to
take the glory of a conquest to themselves. But Joan's Voices awoke her,
and told her the blood of France was being spilled; and seizing her
white banner, she mounted her horse, and rushed into the strife, turning
the tide of battle at once in favor of the French army, which had
already suffered loss. Wherever the white flag was seen, a superhuman
strength seemed to take possession of the men; and after a fierce battle
of three hours, the bastile of St. Loup was won by the French.

The bastile des Augustins fell next, and here Joan was slightly wounded
in the foot; but she resolved to attack the only remaining hold of the
English the following day. Her officers counselled together and reported
themselves unfavorable to this project, as the bastile des Tournelles
was very strong, and filled with the bravest of the English army. But
Joan replied, "I, too, have been at council with God, and we shall fight
to-morrow."

They did fight, the English with fury, the French "as if they believed
themselves immortal." After three hours of warfare Joan saw her men
hesitate under the fierce attack of the enemy. She seized a ladder,
planted it against a wall, and began to ascend