That evening she led her little force out of Compiègne in a sortie against the besiegers. She charged the Burgundians at Margny, (Marn-yee) which is near Compiègne, and drove them twice back to another village called Clairoix (Klare-wah). But her enemies were there reinforced and finally drove her back. Again she rallied her men and charged them. But there were very few of her followers with her this time, and she was surrounded and captured. She would not yield at first, hoping to be killed; but the Burgundians did not wish this, as she was more valuable to them alive than dead. They hoped to get a great ransom for her. It might be imagined that the king and the people of France would have been glad to pay any sum for the safe return of the Maid, who had so greatly helped their native land. But Charles was indolent, and his advisers, who did not like Joan, counseled him not to ransom her. Therefore, he never made an effort to save her, nor did he show any interest in her fate. Jean de Luxembourg was Joan's captor, and he sold her to the English. She knew what her fate would be in their hands, and one day when she was taking the air on the flat roof of the great tower at Beaurevoir, (Bo-re-vwar), where she was imprisoned, she leaped, hoping to kill herself. Strangely, she was not hurt,--not a bone in her body was broken,--but after the fall she found that she could not move a limb. It was destined that she should not escape. She was recaptured and turned over to the English, who put her into a new prison. [Illustration: ERECTED AT ORLEANS JOAN OF ARC, BY PRINCESS MARIE OF ORLEANS] THE TRIAL AND DEATH OF THE MAID[*] Monograph Number Six in The Mentor Reading Course The English turned Joan of Arc over to the Inquisition on January 3, 1431. The Inquisition was a court which tried people for religious offenses against the church. They put her into a cage in the castle of Rouen. Chains were placed on her legs, and five rough soldiers kept watch in the room day and night. Her captors wished to prove her a witch to take away the sting of having been defeated by a girl. The principal enemy of Joan was Pierre Cauchon (co-shong), the Bishop of Beauvais (bo-vay´), who hoped to be made Archbishop of Rouen by the English. Her examination by the Court of the Inquisition began on January 9th. For three months these wise men examined the Maid every day. She had no advocate, and was forced to defend herself. But she showed that she was far wiser than her learned judges. She would never answer questions about her Saints and Voices except when the Voices gave her permission to do so. In particular the judges wished to know the secret of the king, which secret they knew Joan possessed. But in spite of the king's neglect of the Maid, she would never betray him. Finally they told her they would torture her. They took her to the torture chamber and asked her if she would tell them then. But Joan said: