Men were seen dragging massive beams of timber towards the walls, and one of the wagons was drawn forward and upset on its side at a distance of sixty yards from the wall, not, however, without those who drew it suffering much from the arrows of the bowmen.

Behind the shelter thus formed the French began to put together the machine, whose beams soon raised themselves high above the wagon.
In the meantime groups of men dragged great stones laid upon a sort of hand sledge to the machine, and late in the afternoon it began to cast its missiles against the wall.

Against these Walter could do little.

He had no sacks, which, filled with earth, he might have lowered to cover the part of the walls assailed, and beyond annoying those working the machines by flights of arrows shot high in the air, so as to descend point downwards among them, he could do nothing.
The wall crumbled rapidly beneath the blows of the great stones, and Walter saw that by the following morning a breach would be effected.
When night fell he called his men together and asked if any would volunteer to carry news through the enemy to the prince.

The enterprise seemed well-nigh hopeless, for the French, as if foreseeing that such an attempt might be made, had encamped in a complete circle round the castle, as was manifest by the position of their fires.