As already stated, from Fort Saint Mary on the Kalloo side, and from Fort Philip, not far from Ordain on the Brabant shore of the Scheldt, strong structures, supported upon piers, had been projected, reaching, respectively, five hundred feet into the stream.  These two opposite ends were now connected by a permanent bridge of boats.  There were thirty-two of these barges, each of them sixty-two feet in length and twelve in breadth, the spaces between each couple being twenty-two feet wide, and all being bound together, stem, stern, and midships, by quadruple hawsers and chains.  Each boat was anchored at stem and stern with loose cables.  Strong timbers, with cross rafters, were placed upon the boats, upon which heavy frame-work the planked pathway was laid down.  A thick parapet of closely-fitting beams was erected along both the outer edges of the whole fabric.  Thus a continuous and well-fortified bridge, two thousand four hundred feet in length, was stretched at last from shore to shore.  Each of the thirty-two boats on which the central portion of the structure reposed, was a small fortress provided with two heavy pieces of artillery, pointing, the one up, the other down the stream, and manned by thirty-two soldiers and four sailors, defended by a breastwork formed of gabions of great thickness.

The forts of Saint Philip and St. Mary, at either end of the bridge, had each ten great guns, and both were filled with soldiers.  In front of each fort, moreover, was stationed a fleet of twenty armed vessels, carrying heavy pieces of artillery; ten anchored at the angle towards Antwerp, and as many looking down the river.  One hundred and seventy great guns, including the armaments of the boats under the bridge of the armada and the forts, protected the whole structure, pointing up and down the stream.

But, besides these batteries, an additional precaution had been taken.  On each side, above and below the bridge, at a moderate distance—­a bow shot—­was anchored a heavy, raft floating upon empty barrels.  Each raft was composed of heavy timbers, bound together in bunches of three, the spaces between being connected by ships’ masts and lighter spar-work, and with a tooth-like projection along the whole outer edge, formed of strong rafters, pointed and armed with sharp prongs and hooks of iron.  Thus a serried phalanx, as it were, of spears stood ever on guard to protect the precious inner structure.  Vessels coming from Zeeland or Antwerp, and the floating ice-masses, which were almost as formidable, were obliged to make their first attack upon these dangerous outer defences.  Each raft; floating in the middle of the stream, extended twelve hundred, and fifty-two feet across, thus protecting the whole of the bridge of boats and a portion of that resting upon piles.