Lysbeth, a Tale of the Dutch

by H. Rider Haggard

  Having finished reading the translation of this cypher document, Dirkbent his head while he folded it, not wishing that his face should beseen. Foy also turned aside to hide the tears which gathered in hiseyes, while Lysbeth wept openly.

  "A sad letter and sad times!" said Dirk at length.

  "Poor Elsa," muttered Foy, then added, with a return of hopefulness,"perhaps he is mistaken, he may escape after all."

  Lysbeth shook her head as she answered,

  "Hendrik Brant is not the man to write like that if there was any hopefor him, nor would he part with his daughter unless he knew that the endmust be near at hand."

  "Why, then, does he not fly?" asked Foy.

  "Because the moment he stirred the Inquisition would pounce upon him, asa cat pounces upon a mouse that tries to run from its corner," repliedhis father. "While the mouse sits still the cat sits also and purrs;when it moves----"

  There was a silence in which Dirk, having fetched the will of HendrikBrant from a safe hiding place, where it had lain since it reached hishands some months before, opened the seals and read it aloud.

  It proved to be a very short document, under the terms of which Dirk vanGoorl and his heirs inherited all the property, real and personal, ofHendrik Brant, upon trust, (1) to make such ample provision for hisdaughter Elsa as might be needful or expedient; (2) to apply theremainder of the money "for the defence of our country, the freedom ofreligious Faith, and the destruction of the Spaniards in such fashionand at such time or times as God should reveal to them, which," addedthe will, "assuredly He will do."

  Enclosed in this document was an inventory of the property thatconstituted the treasure. At the head came an almost endless list ofjewels, all of them carefully scheduled. These were the first threeitems:

  "Item: The necklace of great pearls that I exchanged with the EmperorCharles when he took a love for sapphires, enclosed in a watertightcopper box.

  "Item: A coronet and stomacher of rubies mounted in my own gold work,the best that ever I did, which three queens have coveted, and none wasrich enough to buy.

  "Item: The great emerald that my father left me, the biggest known,having magic signs of ancients engraved upon the back of it, andenclosed in a chased case of gold."

  Then came other long lists of precious stones, too numerous to mention,but of less individual value, and after them this entry:

  "Item: Four casks filled with gold coin (I know not the exact weight ornumber)."

  At the bottom of this schedule was written, "A very great treasure, thegreatest of all the Netherlands, a fruit of three generations of honesttrading and saving, converted by me for the most part into jewels, thatit may be easier to move. This is the prayer of me, Hendrik Brant, whoowns it for his life; that this gold may prove the earthly doom of anySpaniard who tries to steal it, and as I write it comes into my mindthat God will grant this my petition. Amen. Amen. Amen! So say I,Hendrik Brant, who stand at the Gate of Death."

  All of this inventory Dirk read aloud, and when he had finished Lysbethgasped with amazement.

  "Surely," she said, "this little cousin of ours is richer than manyprinces. Yes, with such a dowry princes would be glad to take her inmarriage."

  "The fortune is large enough," answered Dirk. "But, oh! what a burdenhas Hendrik Brant laid upon our backs, for under this will the wealth isleft, not straight to the lawful heiress, Elsa, but to me and my heirson the trusts started, and they are heavy. Look you, wife, the Spaniardsknow of this vast hoard, and the priests know of it, and no stone onearth or hell will they leave unturned to win that money. I say that,for his own sake, my cousin Hendrik would have done better to accept theoffer of the Spanish thief Ramiro and give him three-fourths and escapeto England with the rest. But that is not his nature, who was everstubborn, and who would die ten times over rather than enrich the menhe hates. Moreover, he, who is no miser, has saved this fortune thatthe bulk of it may be spent for his country in the hour of her need,and alas! of that need we are made the judges, since he is called away.Wife, I foresee that these gems and gold will breed bloodshed and miseryto all our house. But the trust is laid upon us and it must be borne.Foy, to-morrow at dawn you and Martin will start for The Hague to carryout the command of your cousin Brant."

  "Why should my son's life be risked on this mad errand?" asked Lysbeth.

  "Because it is a duty, mother," answered Foy cheerfully, although hetried to look depressed. He was young and enterprising; moreover, theadventure promised to be full of novelty.

  In spite of himself Dirk smiled and bade him summon Martin.

  A minute later Foy was in the great man's den and kicking at hisprostrate form. "Wake up, you snoring bull," he said, "awake!"

  Martin sat up, his red beard showing like a fire in the shine of thetaper. "What is it now, Master Foy?" he asked yawning. "Are they afterus about those two dead soldiers?"

  "No, you sleepy lump, it's treasure."

  "I don't care about treasure," replied Martin, indifferently.

  "It's Spaniards."

  "That sounds better," said Martin, shutting his mouth. "Tell me aboutit, Master Foy, while I pull on my jerkin."

  So Foy told him as much as he could in two minutes.

  "Yes, it sounds well," commented Martin, critically. "If I know anythingof those Spaniards, we shan't get back to Leyden without somethinghappening. But I don't like that bit about the women; as likely as notthey will spoil everything."

  Then he accompanied Foy to the upper room, and there received hisinstructions from Dirk with a solemn and unmoved countenance.

  "Are you listening?" asked Dirk, sharply. "Do you understand?"

  "I think so, master," replied Martin. "Hear;" and he repeated sentenceby sentence every word that had fallen from Dirk's lips, for whenhe chose to use it Martin's memory was good. "One or two questions,master," he said. "This stuff must be brought through at all hazards?"

  "At all hazards?" answered Dirk.

  "And if we cannot bring it through, it must be hidden in the best waypossible?"

  "Yes."

  "And if people should try to interfere with us, I understand that wemust fight?"

  "Of course."

  "And if in the fighting we chance to kill anybody I shall not bereproached and called a murderer by the pastor or others?"

  "I think not," replied Dirk.

  "And if anything should happen to my young master here, his blood willnot be laid upon my head?"

  Lysbeth groaned. Then she stood up and spoke.

  "Martin, why do you ask such foolish questions? Your peril my son mustshare, and if harm should come to him as may chance, we shall knowwell that it is no fault of yours. You are not a coward or a traitor,Martin."

  "Well, I think not, mistress, at least not often; but you see here aretwo duties: the first, to get this money through, the second, to protectthe Heer Foy. I wish to know which of these is the more important."

  It was Dirk who answered.

  "You go to carry out the wishes of my cousin Brant; they must beattended to before anything else."

  "Very good," replied Martin; "you quite understand, Heer Foy?"

  "Oh! perfectly," replied that young man, grinning.

  "Then go to bed for an hour or two, as you may have to keep awaketo-morrow night; I will call you at dawn. Your servant, master andmistress, I hope to report myself to you within sixty hours, but if I donot come within eighty, or let us say a hundred, it may be well to makeinquiries," and he shuffled back to his den.