d into
the fosse, his shield up, defying the English; but the Basque did not
follow, for the Maid, seeing her banner in the hands of a man whom she
knew not, laid hold of it, crying, "Ha, mon estandart! mon estandart!"

There, as they struggled for it, the Basque being minded to follow
D'Aulon to the wall foot, the banner wildly waved, and all men saw it,
and rallied, and flocked amain to the rescue.

"Charge!" cried the Maid. "Forward, French and Scots; the place is
yours, when once my banner fringe touches the wall!"

With that word the wind blew out the banner fringe, and so suddenly that,
though I saw the matter, I scarce knew how it was done, the whole host
swarmed up and on, ladders, lifted, and so furiously went they, that they
won the wall crest and leaped within the fort. Then the more part of the
English, adread, as I think, at the sight of the Maid whom they had
deemed slain, fled madly over the drawbridge into Les Tourelles.

Then standing on the wall crest, whither I had climbed, I beheld strange
sights. First, through the dimness of the dusk, I saw a man armed,
walking as does a rope-dancer, balancing himself with his spear, across
the empty air, for so it seemed, above the broken arch of the bridge.
This appeared, in very sooth, to be a miracle; but, gazing longer, I saw
that a great beam had been laid by them of Orleans to span the gap, and
now other beams were being set, and many men, bearing torches, were
following that good knight, Nicole Giresme, who first showed the way over
such a bridge of dread. So now were the English in Les Tourelles between
two fires.

Another strange sight I saw, for in that swift and narrow stream which
the drawbridge spanned whereby the English fled was moored a great black
barge, its stem and stern showing on either side of the bridge. Boats
were being swiftly pulled forth from it into the stream, and as I gazed,
there leaped up through the dark one long tongue of fire. Then I saw the
skill of it, namely, to burn down the drawbridge, and so cut the English
off from all succour. Fed with pitch and pine the flame soared lustily,
and now it shone between the planks of the drawbridge. On the stone
platform of the boulevard, wherein the drawbridge was laid, stood a few
English, and above them shone the axe of a tall squire, Glasdale, as it
fell on shield and helm of the French. Others held us at bay with long
lances, and never saw I any knight do his devoir more fi