planted his batteries, and commenced a regular cannonade. The place was
stronger than Liefkenshoek, however, and Teligny thoroughly comprehended
the importance of maintaining it for the States. Mondragon dug mines,
and Teligny countermined. The Spanish daily cannonade was cheerfully
responded to by the besieged, and by the time Mondragon had shot away
fifty thousand pounds of powder, he found that he had made no impression
upon the fortress, while the number of his troops had been diminishing
with great rapidity. Mondragon was not so impetuous as he had been on
many former occasions. He never ventured an assault. At last Teligny
made a sortie at the head of a considerable force. A warm action
succeeded, at the conclusion of which, without a decided advantage on
either side, the sluice-gate in the fortress was opened, and the torrent
of the Scheldt, swollen by a high tide, was suddenly poured upon the
Spaniards. Assailed at once by the fire from the Lillo batteries, and by
the waters of the river, they were forced to a rapid retreat. This they
effected with great loss, but with signal courage; struggling breast high
in the waves, and bearing off their field-pieces in their arms in the
very face of the enemy.

Three weeks long Mondragon had been before Fort Lille, and two thousand
of his soldiers had been slain in the trenches. The attempt was now
abandoned. Parma directed permanent batteries to be established at
Lillo-house, at Oordam, and at other places along the river, and
proceeded quietly with his carefully-matured plan for closing the river.

His own camp was in the neighbourhood of the villages of Beveren, Kalloo,
and Borght. Of the ten thousand foot and seventeen hundred horse, which
composed at the moment his whole army, about one-half lay with him, while
the remainder were with Count Peter Ernest Mansfield, in the
neighbourhood of Stabroek. Thus the Prince occupied a position on the