The English captain was preparing to break through the French force when he saw a thick cloud of smoke rising over the fort Saint-Loup.

He understood that the French had captured and set fire to it; and sadly he returned to the camp of Saint-Laurent-des-Orgerils.[1020] [Footnote 1020: Perceval de Cagny says: "Soon after [the arrival of the Maid on the edge of the entrenchments] those in the fort wished to surrender to her: she would not take them for ransom and said she would capture them in any event, and redoubled the attack.

And straightway the fort was taken and almost all put to death." This is hard to believe.

The English would sooner have surrendered to the humblest menial in the Armagnac host than to the Maid: and it is not likely that she would have refused to hold them as prisoners for ransom.

Besides, Perceval de Cagny has not the remotest idea of what happened on the 4th of May.