"It was the best thing you could do.

We have brought up supper.

We generally sit down and eat after the knights have done, but this is much better, as you are here." They sat down on the beds, carved the pasty with their daggers, and after they had finished Gervaise gladly accepted the proposal of the others to take a walk round the walls.
They started from the corner of the castle looking down upon the spit of land dividing the two ports.
"You see," De Lille said, "there is a row of small islands across the mouth of the outer port, and the guns of St.Nicholas, and those on this wall, would prevent any hostile fleet from entering." "I hardly see what use that port is, for it lies altogether outside the town, and vessels could not unload there." "No.

Still, it forms a useful place of refuge.

In case a great fleet came to attack us, our galleys would lay up in the inner port, which would be cleared of all the merchant craft, as these would hamper the defence; they would, therefore, be sent round into the outer port, where they would be safe from any attack by sea, although they would doubtless be burnt did an army besiege the town." Passing along the walls of the grand master's palace, which was a strongly fortified building, and formed a citadel that could be defended after the lower town and the rest of the castle had been taken, they came to the western angle of the fortifications.
"You must know that each langue has charge of a separate part of the wall.