Another minute, and the town was taken, but so well had the firing of the mine been timed, that just at this instant the underpinners gave way, and the tower suddenly sank away from the walls tearing the drawbridge clear and pouring the soldiers off it against the masonry and on to the dry moat. The besieged uttered a fierce shout and in a moment surrounded Baldwyn and his fellows; but strange to say offered them quarter. While a party disarmed and disposed of these, others fired the turret in fifty places with a sort of hand grenades. At this work who so busy as the tall knight. He put fire-bags on his long spear, and thrust them into the doomed structure late so terrible. To do this he was obliged to stand on a projecting beam of the shattered hoard, holding on by the hand of a pikeman to steady himself. This provoked Denys, he ran out from his mantelet, hoping to escape notice in the confusion, and levelling his cross-bow missed the knight clean, but sent his bolt into the brain of the pikeman, and the tall knight fell heavily from the wall lance and all. Denys gazed wonderstruck: and, in that unlucky moment suddenly he felt his arm hot, then cold, and there was an English arrow skewering it. This episode was unnoticed in a much greater matter. The knight, his armour glittering in the morning sun, fell headlong, but, turning as he neared the water, struck it with a slap that sounded a mile off. None ever thought to see him again. But he fell at the edge of the fascines on which the turret stood all cocked on one side, and his spear stuck into them under water, and by a mighty effort he got to the side, but could not get out. Anthony sent a dozen knights with a white flag to take him prisoner. He submitted like a lamb, but said nothing. He was taken to Anthony's tent. That worthy laughed at first at the sight of his muddy armour. But presently, frowning, said, "I marvel, sir, that so good a knight as you should know his devoir so ill as turn rebel, and give us all this trouble." "I am nun--nun--nun--nun--nun--no knight." "What, then?" "A hosier." "A what? Then thy armour shall be stripped off, and thou shalt be tied to a stake in front of the works, and riddled with arrows for a warning to traitors." "N--n--n--n--no! duda--duda--duda--duda--don't do that." "Why not?" "Tuta--tuta--tuta--townsfolk will--h--h--h--hang t'other buba--buba--buba--buba--bastard." "What, whom?" "Your bub--bub--bub--brother Baldwyn." "What, have yon knaves ta'en him?" The warlike hosier nodded. "Hang the fool!" said Anthony peevishly.