To prevent the earl from fixing his quarters in the suburbs, and fortifying them, the French had demolished the whole, including many excellent houses, and upward of twelve churches, belonging to the four orders of mendicant friars, with several fine houses of recreation for the burghers of Orleans. By thus doing they could discharge the cannon from the ramparts freely all around. Lord Salisbury, notwithstanding this, and a violent opposition from the garrison, who made many sallies, and fired on him from culverines, and other instruments of death, to the wounding and killing many of his men, quartered himself and his army near to the walls. The English repulsed these attacks with the utmost courage, to the wonder of the besieged; and while these skirmishings were going on, the earl ordered the tower at the end of the bridge, over the Loire, to be stormed, which was won, as well as a small bulwark hard by, in spite of the defence of the French. The earl commanded a party to enter and guard this tower, that the garrison might not unobserved make any sallies from the town. He then, with his captains, made a lodgment in some of the ruins that remained in the suburbs near the walls; and his men, in their usual manner, raised huts of earth, to shelter themselves from the effects of the arrows which were showered at them from the battlements. The earl, on the third day after his arrival before Orleans, entered the tower on the bridge, and ascended to the second story, whence from a window that overlooked the town he was observing what was passing within, and was considering on the best mode of reducing it to obedience. While thus occupied, a stone from a veuglaire struck the window, whence the earl, hearing the report, had withdrawn, but too late, for the shot carried away part of his face, and killed a gentleman behind him dead on the spot[16]. The army were greatly grieved at this unfortunate accident, for he was much feared and beloved by them, and considered as the most subtle, expert, and fortunate in arms, of all the english captains. The earl, though so severely wounded, lived eight days; and having summoned all his captains, he admonished them, in the name of the king of England, to reduce the town of Orleans to his obedience without fail: having done this, he was carried to Mehun, and there died, as I have said, at the end of eight days. The earl of Suffolk was now the commander of the english army before Orleans, having under him the lords Scales, Talbot, sir Lancelot de Lisle, Classedach and others. The English, notwithstanding the loss they had suffered in the death of the earl of Salisbury, recovered their vigour, and exerted themselves in every way to carry the town. They also erected block-houses in various parts, in which large detachments were posted, to prevent any surprise from the enemy.