Here he equipped the soldiers with ropes and scaling ladders. The night was foggy and the escalade relied upon stealth, because the number of ladders that could be employed was limited. On the first attempt, the ladders slipped while the soldiers were on them; if the watch of the garrison had been more aware of the danger, the noise could have given warning of the attack and the castle might have been successfully defended. However, no alarm was raised. On the second attempt, the ladders were fixed more securely, and, their 'craws' or steel hooks being lodged firmly into the crevices of the rock. The leaders of the party then took hold of a small intermediate ledge where an ash tree was growing. They attached their ropes to the tree and pulled up the remainder of their company. However, they were still only halfway to the base of the curtain wall.