By England's Aid; Or, the Freeing of the Netherlands, 1585-1604

by G. A. Henty

  CHAPTER XVII.

  A SPANISH MERCHANT.

  As soon as the sails had been set, and the vessel was under way, theSpaniard came out from the cabin. "My daughter is attiring herself,senor," he said to Stephen Boldero, for Geoffrey was at the time at thehelm. "She is longing to see you, and to thank you for the inestimableservices you have rendered to us both. But for you I should now bedying or dead, my daughter a slave for life in the palace of the bey.What astonishes us both is, that such noble service should have beenrendered to us by two absolute strangers, and not strangers only, butby Englishmen--a people with whom Spain is at war--and who assuredlycan have no reason to love us. How came you first to think ofinteresting yourself on our behalf?"

  "To tell you the truth, senor," Stephen Boldero said bluntly, "it wasthe sight of your daughter and not of yourself that made us resolve tosave you if possible, or rather, I should say, made my friend Geoffreydo so. After ten years in the galleys one's heart gets pretty tough,and although even I felt a deep pity for your daughter, I own it wouldnever have entered my mind to risk my neck in order to save her. ButGeoffrey is younger and more easily touched, and when he saw her as shelanded pale and white and grief-stricken, and yet looking as if her ownfate touched her less than the parting from you, my good friendGeoffrey Vickars was well-nigh mad, and declared that in some way orother, and at whatever risk to ourselves, you must both be saved. Inthis matter I have been but a passive instrument in his hands; asindeed it was only right that I should be, seeing that he is of gentleblood and an esquire serving under Captain Vere in the army of thequeen, while I am but a rough sailor. What I have done I have donepartly because his heart was in the matter, partly because theadventure promised, if successful, to restore me to freedom, and partlyalso, senor, for the sake of your brave young daughter."

  "Ah, you are modest, sir," the Spaniard said. "You are one of those whobelittle your own good deeds. I feel indeed more grateful than I canexpress to you as well as to your friend."

  The merchant's daughter now appeared at the door of the cabin. Herfather took her hand and led her up to Boldero. "This, Dolores, is oneof the two Englishmen who have at the risk of their lives saved me fromdeath and you from worse than death. Thank him, my child, and to theend of your life never cease to remember him in your prayers."

  "I am glad to have been of assistance, senora," Boldero said as thegirl began to speak; "but as I have just been telling your father, Ihave played but a small part in the business, it is my friend DonGeoffrey Vickars who has been the leader in the matter. He saw you asyou landed at the boat, and then and there swore to save you, and allthat has been done has been under his direction. It was he who followedand rescued your father, and I have really had nothing to do with theaffair beyond hiding myself in the hole and helping to tie up yourMoors."

  "Ah, sir," the girl said, laying her hands earnestly upon the sailor'sshoulder, "it is useless for you to try to lessen the services you haverendered us. Think of what I was but an hour since--a captive with themost horrible of all fates before me, and with the belief that myfather was dying by inches in the hands of some cruel task-master, andnow he is beside me and I am free. This has been done by two strangers,men of a nation which I have been taught to regard as an enemy. Itseems to me that no words that I can speak could tell you even faintlywhat I feel, and it is God alone who can reward you for what you havedone."

  Leaving Boldero the Spaniard and his daughter went to the stern, whereGeoffrey was standing at the helm.

  "My daughter and I have come to thank you, senor, for having saved usfrom the worst of fates and restored us to each other. Your friendtells me that it is to you it is chiefly due that this has come about,for that you were so moved to pity at the sight of my daughter when wefirst landed, that you declared at once that you would save her fromher fate at whatever risk to yourself, and that since then he has beenbut following your directions."

  "Then if he says that, senor, he belies himself. I was, it is true, thefirst to declare that we must save your daughter at any cost if it werepossible to do so; but had I not said so, I doubt not he would haveannounced the same resolution. Since then we have planned every thingtogether; and as he is older and more experienced than I am, it wasupon his opinion that we principally acted. We had long made up ourminds to escape when the opportunity came. Had it not been that we werestirred into action by seeing your daughter in the hands of the Moors,it might have been years before we decided to run the risks. Thereforeif you owe your freedom to us, to some extent we owe ours to you; andif we have been your protectors so far, we hope that when we arrive inSpain you will be our protectors there, for to us Spain is as much anenemy's country as Barbary."

  "That you can assuredly rely upon," the trader replied. "All that Ihave is at your disposal."

  For an hour they stood talking. Dolores said but little. She had feltno shyness with the stalwart sailor, but to this youth who had done hersuch signal service she felt unable so frankly to express her feelingsof thankfulness.

  By morning the coast of Africa was but a faint line on the horizon, andthe ship was headed west. Except when any alteration of the sails wasrequired, the two Moors who acted as the crew were made to retire intothe forecastle, and were there fastened in, Geoffrey and Bolderosleeping by turns.

  After breakfast the little party gathered round the helm, and at therequest of Juan Mendez, Geoffrey and Stephen both related how it befellthat they had become slaves to the Moors.

  "Your adventures are both singular," the trader said when they hadfinished. "Yours, Don Geoffrey, are extraordinary. It is marvellousthat you should have been picked up in that terrible fight, and shouldhave shared in all the perils of that awful voyage back to Spainwithout its being ever suspected that you were English. Once landed inthe service as you say of Senor Burke, it is not so surprising that youshould have gone freely about Spain. But your other adventures arewonderful, and you and your friend were fortunate indeed in succeedingas you did in carrying off the lady he loved; and deeply they must havemourned your supposed death on the deck of the Moorish galley. And nowtell me what are your plans when you arrive in Spain?"

  "We have no fixed plans, save that we hope some day to be able toreturn home," Geoffrey said. "Stephen here could pass well enough as aSpaniard when once ashore without being questioned, and his idea is, ifthere is no possibility of getting on board an English or Dutch ship atCadiz, to ship on board a Spaniard, and to take his chance of leavingher at some port at which she may touch. As for myself, although Ispeak Spanish fluently, my accent would at once betray me to be aforeigner. But if you will take me into your house for a time until Ican see a chance of escaping, my past need not be inquired into. Youcould of course mention, were it asked, that I was English by birth,but had sailed in the Armada with my patron, Mr. Burke, and it would benaturally supposed that I was an exile from England."

  "That can certainly be managed," the trader said. "I fear that it willbe difficult to get you on board a ship either of your countrymen or ofthe Hollanders; these are most closely watched lest fugitives from thelaw or from the Inquisition should escape on board them. Still, someopportunity may sooner or later occur; and the later the better pleasedshall I be, for it will indeed be a pleasure to me to have you with me."

  In the afternoon Geoffrey said to Stephen, "I have been thinking,Stephen, about the men in the hold, and I should be glad for them toreturn to their homes. If they go with us to Spain they will be madegalley-slaves, and this I should not like, especially in the case ofthe bey's superintendent. The bey was most kind to us, and this manhimself always spoke in our favour to him, and behaved well to us. Ithink, therefore, that out of gratitude to the bey we should let themgo. The wind is fair, and there are, so far as I can see, no signs ofany change of weather. By to-morrow night the coast of Spain will be insight. I see no reason, therefore, why we should not be able tonavigate her until we get near the land, when Mendez can engage thecrew of some fishing-boat to take us into a port. If we pu
t them intothe boat with plenty of water and provisions, they will make the coastby morning; and as I should guess that we must at present be somewhereabreast of the port from which we started, they will not be very farfrom home when they land."

  "I have no objection whatever, Geoffrey. As you say we were not treatedbadly, at any rate from the day when the bey had us up to his house;and after ten years in the galleys, I do not wish my worst enemies sucha fate. We must, of course, be careful how we get them into the boat."

  "There will be three of us with swords and pistols, and they will beunarmed," Geoffrey said. "We will put the two men now in the forecastleinto the boat first, and let the others come up one by one and taketheir places. We will have a talk with the superintendent first, andgive him a message to the bey, saying that we are not ungrateful forhis kindness to us, but that of course we seized the opportunity thatpresented itself of making our escape, as he would himself have done insimilar circumstances; nevertheless that as a proof of our gratitude tohim, we for his sake release the whole party on board, and give themthe means of safely returning."

  An hour later the boat, pulled by four oars, left the side of the shipwith the crew, the superintendent and guards, and the two women who hadcome on board to attend upon Dolores upon the voyage.

  The next morning the vessel was within a few miles of the Spanishcoast. An hour later a fishing-boat was hailed, and an arrangement madewith the crew to take the vessel down to Carthagena, which was, theylearned, some fifty miles distant. The wind was now very light, and itwas not until the following day that they entered the port. As it wasat once perceived that the little vessel was Moorish in rigging andappearance, a boat immediately came alongside to inquire whence shecame.

  Juan Mendez had no difficulty in satisfying the officer as to hisidentity, he being well known to several traders in the town. His storyof the attack upon his ship by Barbary pirates, its capture, and hisown escape and that of his daughter by the aid of two Christiancaptives, excited great interest as soon as it became known in thetown; for it was rare, indeed, that a captive ever succeeded in makinghis escape from the hands of the Moors. It had already been arrangedthat, in telling his story, the trader should make as little aspossible of his companions' share in the business, so that publicattention should not be attracted towards them. He himself with Doloresat once disembarked, but his companions did not come ashore until afternightfall.

  Stephen Boldero took a Spanish name, but Geoffrey retained his own, asthe story that he was travelling as a servant with Mr. Burke, awell-known Irish gentleman who had accompanied the Armada, wassufficient to account for his nationality. Under the plea that he wasanxious to return to Cadiz as soon as possible, Senor Mendez arrangedfor horses and mules to start the next morning. He had sent off twotrunks of clothes to the ship an hour after he landed, and the twoEnglishmen therefore escaped all observation, as they wandered aboutfor an hour or two after landing, and did not go to the inn whereMendez was staying until it was time to retire to bed.

  The next morning the party started. The clothes that Geoffrey waswearing were those suited to an employe in a house of business, whilethose of Boldero were such as would be worn by the captain or mate of amerchant vessel on shore. Both were supplied with arms, for althoughthe party had nothing to attract the cupidity of robbers beyond thetrunks containing the clothes purchased on the preceding day, and thesmall amount of money necessary for their travel on the road, thecountry was so infested by bands of robbers that no one travelledunarmed. The journey to Cadiz was, however, accomplished withoutadventure.

  The house of Senor Mendez was a large and comfortable one. Upon theground floor were his offices and store-rooms. He himself and hisfamily occupied the two next floors, while in those above his clerksand employes lived. His unexpected return caused great surprise, and ina few hours a number of acquaintances called to hear the story of theadventures through which he had passed, and to condole with him on theloss of his wife. At his own request Stephen Boldero had been given incharge of the principal clerk, and a room assigned to him in the upperstory.

  "I shall be much more comfortable," he said, "among your people, DonMendez. I am a rough sailor, and ten years in the galleys don't improveany manners a man may have had. If I were among your friends I would beout of place and uncomfortable, and should always have to be bowing andscraping and exchanging compliments, and besides they would soon findout that my Spanish was doubtful. I talk a sailor's slang, but I doubtif I should understand pure Spanish. Altogether, I should be veryuncomfortable, and should make you uncomfortable, and I would very muchrather take my place among the men that work for you until I can get onboard a ship again."

  Geoffrey was installed in the portion of the house occupied by themerchant, and was introduced by him to his friends simply as theEnglish gentleman who had rescued him and his daughter from the handsof the Moors, it being incidentally mentioned that he had sailed in theArmada, and that he had fallen into the hands of the corsairs in thecourse of a voyage made with his friend Mr. Burke to Italy. He at oncetook his place as a friend and assistant of the merchant; and as thelatter had many dealings with Dutch and English merchants, Geoffrey wasable to be of considerable use to him in his written communications tothe captains of the various vessels of those nationalities in the port.

  "I think," the merchant said to him a fortnight after his arrival inCadiz, "that, if it would not go against your conscience, it would bemost advisable that you should accompany me sometimes to church. Unlessyou do this, sooner or later suspicion is sure to be roused, and youknow that if you were once suspected of being a heretic, theInquisition would lay its hands upon you in no time."

  "I have no objection whatever," Geoffrey said. "Were I questioned Ishould at once acknowledge that I was a Protestant; but I see no harmin going to a house of God to say my prayers there, while others aresaying theirs in a different manner. There is no church of my ownreligion here, and I can see no harm whatever in doing as you suggest."

  "I am glad to hear that that is your opinion," Senor Mendez said, "forit is the one point concerning which I was uneasy. I have ordered aspecial mass at the church of St. Dominic to-morrow, in thanksgivingfor our safe escape from the hands of the Moors, and it would be wellthat you should accompany us there."

  "I will do so most willingly," Geoffrey said. "I have returned thanksmany times, but shall be glad to do so again in a house dedicated toGod's service."

  Accordingly the next day Geoffrey accompanied Don Mendez and hisdaughter to the church of St. Dominic, and as he knelt by them wonderedwhy men should hate each other because they differed as to the ways andmethods in which they should worship God. From that time on heoccasionally accompanied Senor Mendez to the church, saying his prayersearnestly in his own fashion, and praying that he might some day berestored to his home and friends.

  He and the merchant had frequently talked over all possible plans forhis escape, but the extreme vigilance of the Spanish authorities withreference to the English and Dutch trading ships seemed to preclude anypossibility of his being smuggled on board. Every bale and package wasclosely examined on the quay before being sent off. Spanish officialswere on board from the arrival to the departure of each ship, and nocommunication whatever was allowed between the shore and these vessels,except in boats belonging to the authorities, every paper and documentpassing first through their hands for examination before being sent onboard. The trade carried on between England, Holland, and Spain at thetime when these nations were engaged in war was a singular one; but itwas permitted by all three countries, because the products of each wereurgently required by the others. It was kept within narrow limits, andthere were frequent angry complaints exchanged between the Englishgovernment and that of Holland, when either considered the other to begoing beyond that limit.

  Geoffrey admitted to himself that he might again make the attempt toreturn to England, by taking passage as before in a ship bound forItaly, but he knew that Elizabeth was negotiating with Philip forpe
ace, and thought that he might as well await the result. He was,indeed, very happy at Cadiz, and shrank from the thought of leaving it.

  Stephen Boldero soon became restless, and at his urgent request JuanMendez appointed him second mate on board one of his ships sailing forthe West Indies, his intention being to make his escape if anopportunity offered; but if not, he preferred a life of activity towandering aimlessly about the streets of Cadiz. He was greatly grievedto part from Geoffrey, and promised that, should he ever reach England,he would at once journey down to Hedingham, and report his safety tohis father and mother.

  "You will do very well here, Master Geoffrey," he said. "You are quiteat home with all the Spaniards, and it will not be very long before youspeak the language so well that, except for your name, none would takeyou for a foreigner. You have found work to do, and are really betteroff here than you would be starving and fighting in Holland. Besides,"he said with a sly wink, "there are other attractions for you. JuanMendez treats you as a son, and the senorita knows that she oweseverything to you. You might do worse than settle here for life. Likeenough you will see me back again in six months' time, for if I see nochance of slipping off and reaching one of the islands held by thebucaneers, I shall perforce return in the ship I go out in."

  At parting Senor Mendez bestowed a bag containing five hundred goldpieces upon Stephen Boldero as a reward for the service he had renderedhim.

  Geoffrey missed him greatly. For eighteen months they had beenconstantly together, and it was the sailor's companionship andcheerfulness that had lightened the first days of his captivity; andhad it not been for his advice and support he might now have beentugging at an oar in the bey's corsair galley. Ever since they had beenat Cadiz he had daily spent an hour or two in his society; for whenwork was done they generally went for a walk together on thefortifications, and talked of England and discussed the possibility ofescape. After his departure he was thrown more than before into thesociety of the merchant and his daughter. The feeling that Dolores had,when he first saw her, excited within him had changed its character.She was very pretty now that she had recovered her life and spirits,and she made no secret of the deep feeling of gratitude she entertainedtowards him. One day, three months after Stephen's departure, SenorMendez, when they were alone together, broached the subject on whichhis thoughts had been turned so much of late.

  "Friend Geoffrey," he said, "I think that I am not mistaken insupposing that you have an affection for Dolores. I have marked itsgrowth, and although I would naturally have rather bestowed her upon acountryman, yet I feel that you have a right to her as having saved herfrom the horrible fate that would have undoubtedly befallen her, andthat it is not for me, to whom you have restored her, besides saving myown life, to offer any objection. As to her feelings, I have no doubtwhatever. Were you of my religion and race, such a match would affordme the greatest happiness. As it is I regret it only because I feelthat some day or other it will lead to a separation from me. It isnatural that you should wish to return to your own country, and as thiswar cannot go on for ever, doubtless in time some opportunity for doingso will arrive. This I foresee and must submit to, but if there ispeace I shall be able occasionally to visit her in her home in England.I naturally hope that it will be long before I shall thus lose her. Sheis my only child, and I shall give as her dower the half of mybusiness, and you will join me as an equal partner. When the war isover you can, if you wish, establish yourself in London, and thencecarry on and enlarge the English and Dutch trade of our house. I mayeven myself settle there. I have not thought this over at present, noris there any occasion to do so. I am a wealthy man and there is no needfor me to continue in business, and I am not sure when the time comes Ishall not prefer to abandon my country rather than be separated from mydaughter. At any rate for the present I offer you her hand and a sharein my business."

  Geoffrey expressed in suitable terms the gratitude and delight he feltat the offer. It was contrary to Spanish notions that he should receivefrom Dolores in private any assurance that the proposal in which shewas so largely concerned was one to which she assented willingly, buther father at once fetched her in and formally presented her toGeoffrey as his promised wife, and a month later the marriage wassolemnized at the church of St. Dominic.