ern part of the kingdom, and the success of his cause seemed now wholly dependent upon its possession. If it were lost, no resource was left him but a retreat into the south-eastern provinces of France, and it seemed very doubtful if he could have long continued any effectual opposition to the English when driven into that part of the country. Thus all the hopes of Charles seemed dependent on the fate of Orleans. He intrusted its defence to the Lord of Gaucour, a brave and experienced officer: the best troops he could command, led by many of his most faithful officers, were sent there; the inhabitants were all true to him, and the sad experience of war, which had so long been forced upon all Frenchmen, was such as to make every citizen in some sort a soldier. All was prepared by King Charles for that great struggle on which he, and all who felt any interest in his failure or success, looked as decisive of his fortune. At length, in the month of October 1428, the Earl of Salisbury, with ten thousand men appeared before Orleans. He was killed on the third day by a shot from the walls, but his loss was supplied by the Earl of Suffolk, who arrived with a large additional force of English and Burgundians. Both sides had cannon, but these instruments of death were then so ill constructed, that their effect, especially in the battering in of stone walls, was trifling compared to that produced by those used at the present day. From the walls of a town a pretty good aim could be taken with the smaller and less cumbrous pieces of artillery, and although these could not be pointed or fired very quickly, yet the defenders could often guess where the enemy would crowd the thickest, and were thus able to do them frequent and great damage. The Earl of Salisbury was killed from appearing at a loop-hole in a tower, often used as a spyingplace by the assailants, which had been marked by the cannoniers on the walls the day before. The English, therefore, depended more |