* Every Gothic castle and city had, beyond the outer-walls, * a fortification composed of palisades, called the * barriers, which were often the scene of severe * skirmishes, as these must necessarily be carried before * the walls themselves could be approached. Many of those * valiant feats of arms which adorn the chivalrous pages of * Froissart took place at the barriers of besieged places.

"On the contrary, Your Majesty," said Balashev, hardly able to remember what had been said to him and following these verbal fireworks with difficulty, "the troops are burning with eagerness..."