do next. What thinkst thou, Edward?" he
asked his son, who was standing by his side.

"He will win the day," the young prince said; "and in faith, although
the others are my comrades, I should be glad to see it. He will make a
gallant knight, sir, one of these days, and remember he is engaged to
follow my banner, so you must not steal him from me. See, my liege, they
are taking planks and ladders to the outwork."

"They are doing wrongly then," the king said, "for even should they
bridge the moat where the drawbridge is, they cannot scale the wall
there, since the tower defends it, and the ladders are but long enough
to reach the lower wall. No, their leader has changed his mind, they are
taking the planks along the edge of the moat towards the tower on the
left, and will aid the assault by its bridge by a passage of the moat
there."

It seemed, indeed, that this was the plan. While some of the assailants
kept up the arrow fire on the wall others mounted the tower, while a
party prepared to throw a bridge of planks across the moat. The bridge
from the tower was now lowered; but a shout of triumph rose from the
defenders when it was seen that by some mistake of the carpenters this
was too short, and when lowered did not reach within six feet of the
wall.

"All the better," the king said, while the prince gave an angry
exclamation. "Accidents of this kind will happen, and give an
opportunity to a leader to show his resources. Doubtless he will carry
planks up to the tower and so connect the bridge and the wall."

This, indeed, was what the assailants tried to do, while a party threw
planks across the moat, and rushing over placed ladders against the
wall and strove to climb. They strove in vain, however. The ladders were
thrown down as fast as they were placed, while the defenders, thickly
clustered on the walls, drove back those who tried to cross from the
tower.

"I do not see the leader of the assailants," the prince said.

"He has a white plume, but it may have been shorn off," the king said.
"Look, the young Pembroke is making a sortie!"

From the sortie gate behind the tower the defenders now poured out,
and running down to the edge of the moat fell upon the stormers. These,
however, received them with great steadiness, and while some continued
the attack the rest turned upon the garrison, and, headed by Ralph the
smith, drove them gradually back.

"They fight well and steadily," the king said. "One would