Five or six men, more eager than their fellows, were already on the ladder, and were overturned with it. They fell, and a great shout of laughter arose from besiegers and besieged alike; one would have said they were schoolboys at play.
At that moment a signal was given to indicate that the besiegers had passed the chains drawn across the mouth of the harbor.
Ravailly and Remonenq at once seized a ladder and prepared to go down into the moat, shouting:—
"This way, Navailles! Escalade! escalade! up! up!"
"My poor Ravailly," cried Canolles, "I beseech you to stop where you are."
But at the same instant the shore battery, which had kept silent hitherto, flashed and roared, and a cannon-ball ploughed up the dirt all around Canolles.
"Go to!" said Canolles, extending his cane, "if you will have it so! Fire, my lads, fire all along the line!"
Thereupon, although not a man could be seen, a row of muskets appeared, pointing down at the parapet, a girdle of flame enveloped the crown of the wall, while the detonation of two huge pieces of artillery answered Monsieur de La Rochefoucauld's battery.
Half a score of men fell; but their fall, instead of discouraging their comrades, inspired them with fresh ardor. The shore battery replied to the battery on the rampart; a cannon-ball struck down the royal standard, and another killed one of Canolles' lieutenants, named D'Elboin.
Canolles looked around and saw that his men had reloaded their weapons.