after assault be driven back again and again but always rally and charge anew all in a blaze of eagerness and delight till at last the est of rained so thick that old d who was wounded the retreat for the king had charged him on his head to let no harm come to and away everybody rushed after him � as he supposed but when he turned and looked there were we of the staff still away wherefore he rode back mark twain and her to come saying she was mad to stay there with only a dozen men her eye danced merrily and she upon him crying out a dozen men name of god i h ve fifty thousand and will never till this place is taken sound the charge which he did and over the walls we went and the fortress was ours old d thought her mind was wandering but all she meant was that she felt the might of fifty thousand men in her heart it was a fanciful expression but to my thinking truer word was never said then there was the affair near where we charged the through the open field four times the last time the best prize of it d the and pitiless of the region about now and then other such affairs and at last away toward the end of may we were in the neighborhood of and resolved to go to the help of that place which was being by the duke of i had been lately and was not able to ride without help but the good dwarf took me on behind him and i held on to him and was safe enough we started at midnight in a sullen of warm rain and went slowly and softly and in dead silence for we had to slip through the enemy s lines we were only we made no answer but held our breath and crept steadily and stealthily along and got through recollections of op arc out any accident about three or half past we reached just as the gray dawn was breaking in the east set to work at once and a plan with de captain of the city � a plan for a toward evening against the enemy who was posted in three bodies on the other side of the in the level plain from our side one of the city gates communicated with a bridge the end of this bridge was defended on the other side of the river by one of those called a and this also commanded a raised road which stretched from its front across the plain to the village of a force of occupied another was at a couple of miles above the raised road and a body of english was holding a mile and a half it a kind of bow and arrow arrangement you see the the arrow the at the of it at the at one end of the bow at the other s plan was to go straight per against carry it by assault then turn swiftly upon up to the right and capture that camp in the same way then face to the rear and be ready for heavy work for the duke of lay behind with a reserve s lieutenant with and the of the was to keep the english troops from coming up from below and seizing the and cutting off s retreat in case she should have to make one also a fleet of covered boats was to be stationed near the mark twain as an additional help in case a retreat should become necessary it was the th of may at four in the afternoon moved out at the head of six hundred cavalry � on her last march in this life it breaks my heart i had got myself helped up the walls and from there i saw much that happened the rest was told me long afterward by our two knights and other eye witnesses crossed the bridge and soon left the behind her and went away over the raised road with her at her heels she had on a brilliant silver gilt cape over her and i could see it and and rise and fall like a little patch of white flame it was a bright day and one could see far and wide over that plain soon we saw the english force advancing swiftly and in handsome order the sunlight flashing from its arms into the at and was then she saw the other moving down from rallied her men and charged again and was again rolled back two occupy a good deal of time � and time was precious here the english were approaching the road now from but the opened fire on them and they were checked her men with inspiring words and led them to the charge again in great style this time she carried with a then she turned at once to the right and plunged into the plain and struck the force was just arriving then there recollections op of arc was heavy work and plenty of it the two each other backward turn about and about and victory first to the one then to the other now all of a sudden there was a panic on our side some say one thing caused it some another some say the made our front ranks think retreat was being cut off by the english some say the rear ranks got the idea that was killed anyway our men broke and went flying in a wild for the tried to rally them and face them crying to them that victory was sure but it did no good they divided and swept by her like a wave old d begged her to retreat while there was yet a chance for safety but she refused so he seized her horse s bridle and bore her along with 