For two hours the assault continued, and then De Brissac, seeing how heavy was the loss, and how vain the efforts to scale the wall at any point, ordered the trumpeters to sound the retreat; when the besiegers drew off, galled by the fire of the defenders until they were out of range.
The attempts of the two columns which had attacked the house, itself, were attended with no greater success than those of their fellows; their efforts to gain a footing in any of the rooms on the first floor having been defeated, with heavy loss.
The leaders of the assailants held a consultation, after their troops had drawn off.
"It is of no use," De Brissac said, "to repeat the attack on the walls.

They are too stoutly defended.

It is out of the question for us to think of returning to Poitiers.

We undertook to capture the place, to harry the farms, to destroy all the Huguenots, and to return driving in all the cattle for the use of the army.

Of all this we have only so far burned the farmhouses, and we have lost something like a couple of hundred men.
"This time, we must try by fire.