88 TREVAMTAN. 



For more than a month every attempt was baffled, though many 

 had been made of the most furious nature, and often in the dead of 

 night, would the fiercestattacks be made upon the lines of the assail- 

 ants, sometimes with great danger to the duke himself, who fear- 

 lessly exposed his person wherever peril was to be found. Frequently 

 was the moat passed, and scaling-ladders fixed to the walls, but to 

 be thrown down again by the ever-vigilant defenders. At length the 

 duke, wearied by the length of the seige, and obstinacy of the defence 

 resolved to make a grand night attack. 



The night selected was dark and rainy. Violent gusts of wind tore 

 among the tents, threatening to drive them into the sea; and nearly 

 all the camp-fires were extinguished. During two or three days pre- 

 vious no attack had been made on the fortress, and few soldiers had 

 shown themselves before the walls, so that the L>eseiged were lulled 

 into the belief that either the enteiprise was about to be abandoned, 

 or that fresh instructions had arrived from the monarch to offer terms 

 of pacification ; at any rate, they did not expect that on so dark and 

 dismal a night, they should be assailed. Accordingly the duke, in the 

 dead of the night, had passed the moat in several places, under cover 

 of the darkness, before he was observed by the sentinels, who were 

 too intent upon sheltering themselves from the war of the elements, to 

 perform the duty to which they were appointed. When the important 

 discovery was made, an alann was instantly given, and as many 

 soldiers as were able, thronged to the walls and began to pour down 

 scalding pitch, and boiling water, to cast large masses of rock, and to 

 shoot cross-bow-shafts among the advancing foe. 



To all appearance the attack was directed entirely to one quarter, 

 which consequently brought the mass of the defenders to that point. 

 But this was merely a ruse de guerre of the duke's ; for whilst the 

 other jmrt of the wall was left nearly defenceless, a select band of the 

 boldest of his men had gained a footing upon the very battlements. 

 Some were hurled down into the moat, and were drowned, the weight 

 of their armour rendering it impossible for them to save themselves 

 by swimming. Others no sooner reached the inside of the battlements, 

 than they were put to the sword. But owing to the very small num- 

 ber defending that particular spot, a few men gamed sufficient room 

 to defend themselves, and drove back those who held the rampart. 

 This success gave time to more men to mount and come to their succour 



