by G. A. Henty
CHAPTER II
TERRIBLE NEWS
A few days after Brill had been so boldly captured, Count Bossuadvanced from Utrecht against it. The sea beggars, confident asthey were as to their power of meeting the Spaniards on the seas,knew that on dry land they were no match for the well trainedpikemen; they therefore kept within the walls. A carpenter, however,belonging to the town, who had long been a secret partisan of thePrince of Orange, seized an axe, dashed into the water, and swamto the sluice and burst open the gates with a few sturdy blows.The sea poured in and speedily covered the land on the north sideof the city.
The Spaniards advanced along the dyke to the southern gate, butthe sea beggars had hastily moved most of the cannon on the wallto that point, and received the Spaniards with so hot a fire thatthey hesitated. In the meantime the Lord of Treslong and anotherofficer had filled two boats with men and rowed out to the shipsthat had brought the enemy, cut some adrift, and set others on fire.The Spaniards at the southern gate lost heart; they were exposedto a hot fire, which they were unable to return. On one side theysaw the water rapidly rising above the level of the dyke on whichthey stood, on the other they perceived their only means of retreatthreatened. They turned, and in desperate haste retreated alongthe causeway now under water. In their haste many slipped off theroad and were drowned, others fell and were smothered in the water,and the rest succeeded in reaching such of the vessels as werestill untouched, and with all speed returned to Utrecht.
From the highest point of the masts to which they could climb,Captain Martin, Ned, and the crew watched the struggle. Ned hadbegged his father to let him go along the walls to the south gateto see the conflict, but Captain Martin refused.
"We know not what the upshot of the business may be," he said. "Ifthe Spaniards, which is likely enough, take the place, they willslaughter all they meet, and will not trouble themselves withquestioning anyone whether he is a combatant or a spectator. Besides,when they have once taken the town, they will question all here,and it would be well that I should be able to say that not onlydid we hold ourselves neutral in the affair, but that none of myequipage had set foot on shore today. Lastly, it is my purpose andhope if the Spaniards capture the place, to take advantage of thefact that all will be absorbed in the work of plunder, and to slipmy hawsers and make off. Wind and tide are both favourable, anddoubtless the crews of their ships will, for the most part, landto take part in the sack as soon as the town is taken."
However, as it turned out, there was no need of these precautions;the beggars were victorious and the Spaniards in full flight,and great was the rejoicing in Brill at this check which they hadinflicted upon their oppressors. Bossu, retiring from Brill, tookhis way towards Rotterdam. He found its gates closed; the authoritiesrefused to submit to his demands or to admit a garrison. Theydeclared they were perfectly loyal, and needed no body of Spanishtroops to keep them in order. Bossu requested permission for histroops to pass through the city without halting. This was grantedby the magistrates on condition that only a corporal's company shouldbe admitted at a time. Bossu signed an agreement to this effect.But throughout the whole trouble the Spaniards never once respectedthe conditions they had made and sworn to with the inhabitants,and no sooner were the gates opened than the whole force rushed in,and the usual work of slaughter, atrocity, and plunder commenced.Within a few minutes four hundred citizens were murdered, andcountless outrages and cruelties perpetrated upon the inhabitants.
Captain Martin completed the discharging of his cargo two days afterBossu made his ineffectual attempt upon the town. A messenger hadarrived that morning from Flushing, with news that as soon as thecapture of Brill had become known in that seaport, the Seigneur deHerpt had excited the burghers to drive the small Spanish garrisonfrom the town.
Scarcely had they done so when a large reinforcement of the enemyarrived before the walls, having been despatched there by Alva, tocomplete the fortress that had been commenced to secure the possessionof this important port at the mouth of the Western Scheldt. Herptpersuaded the burghers that it was too late to draw back now. Theyhad done enough to draw the vengeance of the Spaniards upon them;their only hope now was to resist to the last. A half witted manin the crowd offered, if any one would give him a pot of beer, toascend the ramparts and fire two pieces of artillery at the Spanishships.
The offer was accepted, and the man ran up to the ramparts anddischarged the guns. A sudden panic seized the Spaniards, and thewhole fleet sailed away at once in the direction of Middelburg.
The governor of the island next day arrived at Flushing and wasat once admitted. He called the citizens together to the marketplace and there addressed them, beseeching them to return to theirallegiance, assuring them that if they did so the king, who was thebest natured prince in all Christendom, would forget and forgivetheir offenses. The effect of the governor's oratory was sadly marredby the interruptions of De Herpt and his adherents, who remindedthe people of the fate that had befallen other towns that hadrevolted, and scoffed at such good nature as the king displayed inthe scores of executions daily taking place throughout the country.
The governor, finding his efforts unavailing, had left the town,and as soon as he did so the messenger was sent off to Brill, sayingthat the inhabitants of Flushing were willing to provide arms andammunition if they would send them men experienced in partisanwarfare. Two hundred of the beggars, under the command of Treslong,accordingly started the next day for Flushing. The Good Venturethrew off her hawsers from the wharf at about the same time thatthese were starting, and for some time kept company with them.
"Did one ever see such a wild crew?" Captain Martin said, shakinghis head. "Never, I believe, did such a party set out upon a warlikeadventure."
The appearance of Treslong's followers was indeed extraordinary.Every man was attired in the gorgeous vestments of the plunderedchurches--in gold and embroidered cassocks, glittering robes, orthe sombre cowls and garments of Capuchin friars. As they sailedalong their wild sea songs rose in the air, mingled with shoutsfor vengeance on the Spaniards and the Papacy.
"One would not think that this ribald crew could fight," CaptainMartin went on; "but there is no doubt they will do so. They mustnot be blamed altogether; they are half maddened by the miseriesand cruelties endured by their friends and relations at the handsof the Spaniards. I knew that when at last the people rose thecombat would be a terrible one, and that they would answer crueltyby cruelty, blood by blood. The Prince of Orange, as all men know,is one of the most clement and gentle of rulers. All his ordinancesenjoin gentle treatment of prisoners, and he has promised everyone over and over again complete toleration in the exercise ofreligion; but though he may forgive and forget, the people willnot.
"It is the Catholic church that has been their oppressor. In itsname tens of thousands have been murdered, and I fear that theslaughter of those priests at Brill is but the first of a seriesof bloody reprisals that will take place wherever the people getthe upper hand."
A fresh instance of this was shown a few hours after the GoodVenture put into Flushing. A ship arrived in port, bringing withit Pacheco, the Duke of Alva's chief engineer, an architect ofthe highest reputation. He had been despatched by the duke to takecharge of the new works that the soldiers had been sent to execute,and ignorant of what had taken place he landed at the port. He wasat once seized by the mob. An officer, willing to save his life,took him from their hands and conducted him to the prison; but thepopulace were clamorous for his blood, and Treslong was willingenough to satisfy them and to avenge upon Alva's favourite officerthe murder of his brother by Alva's orders. The unfortunate officerwas therefore condemned to be hung, and the sentence was carriedinto effect the same day.
A few days later an officer named Zeraerts arrived at Flushing witha commission from the Prince of Orange as Governor of the Islandof Walcheren. He was attended by a small body of French infantry,and the force under his command speedily increased; for as soonas it was known in England that Brill and Flush
ing had thrown offthe authority of the Spaniards, volunteers from England began toarrive in considerable numbers to aid their fellow Protestants inthe struggle before them.
The Good Venture had stayed only a few hours in Flushing. Inthe present condition of affairs there was no chance of obtaininga cargo there, and Captain Martin therefore thought it better notto waste time, but to proceed at once to England in order to learnthe intention of the merchants for whom he generally worked as towhat could be done under the changed state of circumstances thathad arisen.
Every day brought news of the extension of the rising. The Spanishtroops lay for the most part in Flanders, and effectually deterredthe citizens of the Flemish towns from revolting; but throughoutHolland, Zeeland, and Friesland the flame of revolt spread rapidly.The news that Brill and Flushing had thrown off the Spanish yokefired every heart. It was the signal for which all had been so longwaiting. They knew how desperately Spain would strive to regain hergrip upon the Netherlands, how terrible would be her vengeance ifshe conquered; but all felt that it was better to die sword in handthan to be murdered piecemeal. And accordingly town after town rose,expelled the authorities appointed by Spain and the small Spanishgarrisons, and in three months after the rising of Brill the greaterpart of the maritime provinces were free. Some towns, however, stillremained faithful to Spain. Prominent among these was Amsterdam, agreat trading city, which feared the ruin that opposition to Alvamight bring upon it, more than the shame of standing aloof whentheir fellow countrymen were fighting for freedom and the right toworship God in their own way.
On the 23rd of May, Louis of Nassau, with a body of troops fromFrance, captured the important town of Mons by surprise, but wasat once beleaguered there by a Spanish army. In June the States ofHolland assembled at Dort and formally renounced the authority ofthe Duke of Alva, and declared the Prince of Orange, the royallyappointed stadtholder, the only legal representative of the Spanishcrown in their country; and in reply to an eloquent address ofSainte Aldegonde, the prince's representative, voted a considerablesum of money for the payment of the army the prince was raisingin Germany. On the 19th of June a serious misfortune befell thepatriot cause. A reinforcement of Huguenot troops, on the way tosuccour the garrison of Mons, were met and cut to pieces by theSpaniards, and Count Louis, who had been led by the French King toexpect ample succour and assistance from him, was left to his fate.
On the 7th of July the Prince of Orange crossed the Rhine with14,000 foot and 7,000 horse. He advanced but a short distance whenthe troops mutinied in consequence of their pay being in arrears,and he was detained four weeks until the cities of Holland guaranteedtheir payment for three months. A few cities opened their gatesto him; but they were for the most part unimportant places, andMechlin was the only large town that admitted his troops. Stillhe pressed on toward Mons, expecting daily to be joined by 12,000French infantry and 3,000 cavalry under the command of AdmiralColigny.
The prince, who seldom permitted himself to be sanguine, believedthat the goal of his hopes was reached, and that he should now beable to drive the Spaniards from the Netherlands. But as he wasmarching forward he received tidings that showed him that all hisplans were shattered, and that the prospects were darker than theyhad ever before been. While the King of France had throughout beenencouraging the revolted Netherlanders, and had authorized hisminister to march with an army to their assistance, he was preparingfor a deed that would be the blackest in history, were it notthat its horrors are less appalling than those inflicted upon thecaptured cities of the Netherlands by Alva. On St. Bartholomew's Evethere was a general massacre of the Protestants in Paris, followedby similar massacres throughout France, the number of victims beingvariously estimated at from twenty-five to a hundred thousand.
Protestant Europe was filled with horror at this terrible crime.Philip of Spain was filled with equal delight. Not only was thedanger that seemed to threaten him in the Netherlands at once andforever, as he believed, at an end, but he saw in this destructionof the Protestants of France a great step in the direction he hadso much at heart--the entire extirpation of heretics throughoutEurope. He wrote letters of the warmest congratulation to the Kingof France, with whom he had formerly been at enmity; while thePope, accompanied by his cardinals, went to the church of St. Markto render thanks to God for the grace thus singularly vouchsafedto the Holy See and to all Christendom. To the Prince of Orangethe news came as a thunderclap. His troops wholly lost heart, andrefused to keep the field. The prince himself almost lost his lifeat the hands of the mutineers, and at last, crossing the Rhine, hedisbanded his army and went almost alone to Holland to share thefate of the provinces that adhered to him. He went there expectingand prepared to die.
"There I will make my sepulcher," was his expression in the letterin which he announced his intention to his brother. Count Louisof Nassau had now nothing left before him but to surrender. Hissoldiers, almost entirely French, refused any longer to resist,now that the king had changed his intentions, and the city wassurrendered, the garrison being allowed to retire with their weapons.
The terms of the capitulation were so far respected; but insteadof the terms respecting the townspeople being adhered to, a councilof blood was set up, and for many months from ten to twenty of theinhabitants were hanged, burned, or beheaded every day. The newsof the massacre of St. Bartholomew, of the treachery of the Kingof France towards the inhabitants of the Netherlands, and of thehorrible cruelties perpetrated upon the inhabitants of Mechlin andother towns that had opened their gates to the Prince of Orange,excited the most intense indignation among the people of England.
The queen put on mourning, but was no more inclined than beforeto render any really efficient aid to the Netherlands. She allowedvolunteers to pass over, furnished some meagre sums of money, butheld aloof from any open participation in the war; for if before,when France was supposed to be favourable to the Netherlands andhostile to Spain, she felt unequal to a war with the latter power,still less could she hope to cope with Spain when the deed of St.Bartholomew had reunited the two Catholic monarchs.
Captain Martin, married to a native of the Netherlands, and mixingconstantly with the people in his trade, was naturally ardent, evenbeyond the majority of his countrymen, in their cause, and overand over again declared that were he sailing by when a sea fightwas going on between the Dutch and the Spaniards, he would pulldown his English flag, hoist that of Holland, and join in the fray;and Ned, as was to be expected, shared to the utmost his father'sfeelings on the subject. Early in September the Good Venture startedwith a cargo for Amsterdam, a city that almost alone in Hollandadhered to the Spanish cause.
Sophie Martin was pleased when she heard that this was the ship'sdestination; for she was very anxious as to the safety of herfather and brothers, from whom she had not heard for a long time.Postage was dear and mails irregular. Few letters were written orreceived by people in England, still more seldom letters sent acrossthe sea. There would, therefore, under the ordinary circumstances,have been no cause whatever for uneasiness had years elapsed withoutnews coming from Amsterdam; and, indeed, during her whole marriedlife Sophie Martin had only received one or two letters by post fromher former home, although many communications had been brought byfriends of her husband's trading there. But as many weeks seldompassed without the Good Venture herself going into Amsterdam, forthat town was one of the great trading centres of Holland, therewas small occasion for letters to pass. It happened, however, thatfrom one cause or another, eighteen months had passed since CaptainMartin's business had taken him to that port, and no letter hadcome either by post or hand during that time.
None who had friends in the Netherlands could feel assured thatthese must, either from their station or qualities, be safe fromthe storm that was sweeping over the country. The poor equallywith the rich, the artisan equally with the noble, was liable tobecome a victim of Alva's Council of Blood. The net was drawn soas to catch all classes and conditions; and although it was uponthe Protestants that his fu
ry chiefly fell, the Catholics sufferedtoo, for pretexts were always at hand upon which these could alsobe condemned.
The Netherlands swarmed with spies and informers, and a singleunguarded expression of opinion was sufficient to send a man tothe block. And, indeed, in a vast number of cases, private animositywas the cause of the denunciation; for any accusation could besafely made where there was no trial, and the victims were oftenin complete ignorance as to the nature of the supposed crime forwhich they were seized and dragged away to execution.
When the vessel sailed Sophie Martin gave her husband a letterto her father and brothers, begging them to follow the example ofthousands of their countrymen, and to leave the land where life andproperty were no longer safe, and to come over to London. They wouldhave no difficulty in procuring work there, and could establishthemselves in business and do as well as they had been doing athome.
They had, she knew, money laid by in London; for after the troublesbegan her father had sold off the houses and other property he hadpurchased with his savings, and had transmitted the result to Englandby her husband, who had intrusted it for investment to a leadingcitizen with whom he did business. As this represented not onlyher father's accumulations but those of her brothers who workedas partners with him, it amounted to a sum that in those days wasregarded as considerable.
"I feel anxious, Ned," Captain Martin said as he sailed up the ZuiderZee towards the city, "as to what has befallen your grandfather anduncles. I have always made the best of the matter to your mother,but I cannot conceal from myself that harm may have befallen them.It is strange that no message has come to us through any of ourfriends trading with the town, for your uncles know many of mycomrades and can see their names in the shipping lists when theyarrive. They would have known how anxious your mother would beat the news of the devil's work that is going on here, and, beingalways tender and thoughtful for her, would surely have sent hernews of them from time to time as they had a chance. I sorely fearthat something must have happened. Your uncles are prudent men,going about their work and interfering with none; but they are men,too, who speak their mind, and would not, like many, make a falseshow of affection when they feel none.
"Well, well; we shall soon know. As soon as the ship is moored andmy papers are declared in order, you and I will go over to Vordwykand see how they are faring. I think not that they will followyour mother's advice and sail over with us; for it was but the lasttime I saw them that they spoke bitterly against the emigrants,and said that every man who could bear arms should, however greathis danger, wait and bide the time until there was a chance to strikefor his religion and country. They are sturdy men these Dutchmen,and not readily turned from an opinion they have taken up; andalthough I shall do my best to back up your mother's letter by myarguments, I have but small hope that I shall prevail with them."
In the evening they were moored alongside the quays of Amsterdam,at that time one of the busiest cities in Europe. Its trade wasgreat, the wealth of its citizens immense. It contained a large numberof monasteries, its authorities were all Catholics and devoted tothe cause of Spain, and although there were a great many well wishersto the cause of freedom within its walls, these were powerless totake action, and the movement which, after the capture of Brilland Flushing, had caused almost all the towns of Holland to declarefor the Prince of Orange, found no echo in Amsterdam. The vesselanchored outside the port, and the next morning after their paperswere examined and found in order she ranged up alongside the crowdedtiers of shipping. Captain Martin went on shore with Ned, visitedthe merchants to whom his cargo was consigned, and told them thathe should begin to unload the next day.
He then started with Ned to walk to Vordwyk, which lay two milesaway. On reaching the village they stopped suddenly. The roof ofthe house they had so often visited was gone, its walls blackenedby fire. After the first exclamation of surprise and regret theywalked forward until opposite the ruin, and stood gazing at it.Then Captain Martin stepped up to a villager, who was standing atthe door of his shop, and asked him when did this happen, what hadbecome of the old man Plomaert?
"You are his son-in-law, are you not?" the man asked in reply. "Ihave seen you here at various times." Captain Martin nodded. Theman looked round cautiously to see that none were within sound ofhis voice.
"You have not heard, then?" he said. "It was a terrible business,though we are growing used to it now. One day, it is some eightmonths since, a party of soldiers came from Amsterdam and hauledaway my neighbour Plomaert and his three sons. They were denouncedas having attended the field preaching a year ago, and you knowwhat that means."
"And the villains murdered them?" Captain Martin asked in horrorstricken tones.
The man nodded. "They were hung together next day, together withGertrude, the wife of the eldest brother. Johan was, as you know,unmarried. Elizabeth, the wife of Louis, lay ill at the time, ordoubtless she would have fared the same as the rest. She has gonewith her two daughters to Haarlem, where her family live. All theirproperty was, of course, seized and confiscated, and the house burntdown; for, as you know, they all lived together. Now, my friend,I will leave you. I dare not ask you in for I know not who may bewatching us, and to entertain even the brother-in-law of men whohave been sent to the gallows might well cost a man his life inour days."
Then Captain Martin's grief and passion found vent in words, andhe roundly cursed the Spaniards and their works, regardless ofwho might hear him; then he entered the garden, visited the summerhouse where he had so often talked with the old man and his sons,and then sat down and gave full vent to his grief. Ned felt almoststunned by the news; being so often away at sea he had never giventhe fact that so long a time had elapsed since his mother hadreceived a letter from her family much thought. It had, indeed,been mentioned before him; but, knowing the disturbed state of thecountry, it had seemed to him natural enough that his uncles shouldhave had much to think of and trouble them, and might well haveno time for writing letters. His father's words the evening beforehad for the first time excited a feeling of real uneasiness aboutthem, and the shock caused by the sight of the ruined house, andthe news that his grandfather, his three uncles, and one of hisaunts, had been murdered by the Spaniards, completely overwhelmedhim.
"Let us be going, Ned," his father said at last; "there is nothingfor us to do here, let us get back to our ship. I am a peaceableman, Ned, but I feel now as if I could join the beggars of thesea, and go with them in slaying every Spaniard who fell into theirhands. This will be terrible news for your mother, lad."
"It will indeed," Ned replied. "Oh, father, I wish you would let mestay here and join the prince's bands and fight for their freedom.There were English volunteers coming out to Brill and Flushing whenwe sailed from the Thames, and if they come to fight for Holland whohave no tie in blood, why should not I who am Dutch by my mother'sside and whose relations have been murdered?"
"We will talk of it later on, Ned," his father said. "You are youngyet for such rough work as this, and this is no common war. Thereis no quarter given here, it is a fight to the death. The Spaniardsslaughter the Protestants like wild beasts, and like wild beaststhey will defend themselves. But if this war goes on till you havegained your full strength and sinew I will not say you nay. As yousay, our people at home are ready to embark in a war for the causeof liberty and religion, did the queen but give the word; and whenothers, fired solely by horror at the Spaniards' cruelty, are readyto come over here and throw in their lot with them, it seems tome that it will be but right that you, who are half Dutch and havehad relatives murdered by these fiends, should come over and sidewith the oppressed. If there is fighting at sea, it may be that Imyself will take part with them, and place the Good Venture at theservice of the Prince of Orange. But of that we will talk lateron, as also about yourself. When you are eighteen you will stillbe full young for such work."
As they talked they were walking fast towards Amsterdam. "We willgo straight on board, Ned; and I will not put my foot ashore agai
nbefore we sail. I do not think that I could trust myself to meeta Spaniard now, but should draw my knife and rush upon him. I haveknown that these things happened, we have heard of these dailybutcherings, but it has not come home to me as now, when our ownfriends are the victims."
Entering the gate of the town they made their way straight downto the port, and were soon on board the Good Venture where CaptainMartin retired to his cabin. Ned felt too restless and excited togo down at present; but he told the crew what had happened, andthe exclamations of anger among the honest sailors were loud anddeep. Most of them had sailed with Captain Martin ever since he hadcommanded the Good Venture, and had seen the Plomaerts when theyhad come on board whenever the vessel put in at Amsterdam. The factthat there was nothing to do, and no steps to take to revenge themurders, angered them all the more.
"I would we had twenty ships like our own, Master Ned," one ofthem said. "That would give us four hundred men, and with those wecould go ashore and hang the magistrates and the councillors andall who had a hand in this foul business, and set their publicbuildings in a flame, and then fight our way back again to theport."
"I am afraid four hundred men would not be able to do it here asthey did at Brill. There was no Spanish garrison there, and herethey have a regiment; and though the Spaniards seem to have thehearts of devils rather than men, they can fight."
"Well, we would take our chance," the sailor replied. "If there wasfour hundred of us, and the captain gave the word, we would showthem what English sailors could do, mates--wouldn't we?"
"Aye, that would we;" the others growled in a chorus.
The next morning the work of unloading began. The sailors workedhard; for, as one of them said, "This place seems to smell ofblood--let's be out of it, mates, as soon as we can." At four in theafternoon a lad of about Ned's age came on board. He was the sonof the merchant to whom the larger part of the cargo of the GoodVenture was consigned.
"I have a letter that my father charged me to give into your hands,Captain Martin. He said that the matter was urgent, and begged meto give it you in your cabin. He also told me to ask when you thinkyour hold will be empty, as he has goods for you for the returnvoyage."
"We shall be well nigh empty by tomorrow night," Captain Martinsaid, as he led the way to his cabin in the poop. "The men havebeen working faster than usual, for it generally takes us threedays to unload."
"I do not think my father cared about that," the lad said when heentered the cabin; "it was but an excuse for my coming down here,and he gave me the message before all the other clerks. But methinksthat the letter is the real object of my coming."
Captain Martin opened the letter. Thanks to his preparation fortaking his place in his father's business, he had learnt to readand write; accomplishments by no means general among sea captainsof the time.
"It is important, indeed," he said, as he glanced through theletter. It ran as follows: "Captain Martin,--A friend of mine,who is one of the council here, has just told me that at the meetingthis afternoon a denunciation was laid against you for havingpublicly, in the street of Vordwyk, cursed and abused his Majestythe King of Spain, the Duke of Alva, the Spaniards, and the Catholicreligion. Some were of opinion that you should at once be arrestedon board your ship, but others thought that it were better to waitand seize you the first time you came on shore, as it might causetrouble were you taken from under the protection of the Britishflag. On shore, they urged, no question could arise, especiallyas many English have now, although the two nations are at peace,openly taken service under the Prince of Orange.
"I have sent to tell you this, though at no small risk to myselfwere it discovered that I had done so; but as we have had dealingsfor many years together, I think it right to warn you. I may saythat the counsel of those who were for waiting prevailed; but if,after a day or two, they find that you do not come ashore, I fearthey will not hesitate to arrest you on your own vessel. Pleaseto destroy this letter at once after you have read it, and act asseems best to you under the circumstances. I send this to you bymy son's hand, for there are spies everywhere, and in these daysone can trust no one."
"I am much obliged to you, young sir, for bringing me this letter.Will you thank your father from me, and say that I feel deeplyindebted to him, and will think over how I can best escape fromthis strait. Give him the message from me before others, that Ishall be empty and ready to receive goods by noon on the day aftertomorrow."
When the lad had left, Captain Martin called in Ned and WilliamPeters, his first mate, and laid the case before them.
"It is an awkward business, Captain Martin," Peters said. "Yousha'n't be arrested on board the Good Venture, as long as there isa man on board can wield a cutlass; but I don't know whether thatwould help you in the long run.
"Not at all, Peters. We might beat off the first party that cameto take me, but it would not be long before they brought up a forceagainst which we should stand no chance whatever. No, it is not byfighting that there is any chance of escape. It is evident by thisthat I am safe for tomorrow; they will wait at least a day to seeif I go ashore, which indeed they will make certain I shall dosooner or later. As far as my own safety is concerned, and thatof Ned here, who, as he was with me, is doubtless included in thedenunciation, it is easy enough. We have only to get into the boatafter dark, to muffle the oars, and to row for Haarlem, which liesbut ten miles away, and has declared for the Prince of Orange. ButI do not like to leave the ship, for if they found us gone theymight seize and declare it confiscated. And although, when we gotback to England, we might lay a complaint before the queen, therewould be no chance of our getting the ship or her value from theSpaniards. There are so many causes of complaint between the twonations, that the seizure of a brig would make no difference oneway or another. The question is, could we get her out?"
"It would be no easy matter," Peters said, shaking his head. "ThatFrench ship that came in this afternoon has taken up a berth outsideus, and there would be no getting out until she moved out of theway. If she were not there it might be tried, though it would bedifficult to do so without attracting attention. As for the Spanishwar vessels, of which there are four in the port, I should not fearthem if we once got our sails up, for the Venture can sail fasterthan these lubberly Spaniards; but they would send rowboats afterus, and unless the wind was strong these would speedily overhaulus."
"Well, I must think it over," Captain Martin said. "I should besorry indeed to lose my ship, which would be well nigh ruin to me,but if there is no other way we must make for Haarlem by boat."
The next day the work of unloading continued. In the afternoon thecaptain of the French ship lying outside them came on board. He hadbeen in the habit of trading with Holland, and addressed CaptainMartin in Dutch.
"Are you likely to be lying here long?" he asked. "I want to getmy vessel alongside the wharf as soon as I can, for it is slow workunloading into these lighters. There are one or two ships goingout in the morning, but I would rather have got in somewhere aboutthis point if I could, for the warehouses of Mynheer Strous, towhom my goods are consigned, lie just opposite."
"Will you come down into my cabin and have a glass of wine withme," Captain Martin said, "and then we can talk it over?"
Captain Martin discovered, without much trouble, that the Frenchcaptain was a Huguenot, and that his sympathies were all with thepeople of the Netherlands.
"Now," he said, "I can speak freely to you. I was ashore the daybefore yesterday, and learned that my wife's father, her threebrothers, and one of their wives have been murdered by the Spaniards.Well, you can understand that in my grief and rage I cursed theSpaniards and their doings. I have learnt that some spy has denouncedme, and that they are only waiting for me to set foot on shore toarrest me, and you know what will come after that; for at present,owing to the volunteers that have come over to Brill and Flushing,the Spaniards are furious against the English. They would rathertake me on shore than on board, but if they find that I do notland they will certainl
y come on board for me. They believe that Ishall not be unloaded until noon tomorrow, and doubtlessly expectthat as soon as the cargo is out I shall land to arrange for afreight to England. Therefore, until tomorrow afternoon I am safe,but no longer. Now, I am thinking of trying to get out quietlytonight; but to do so it is necessary that you should shift yourberth a ship's length one way or the other. Will you do this forme?"
"Certainly I will, with pleasure," the captain replied. "I willgive orders at once."
"No, that will never do," Captain Martin said. "They are all themore easy about me because they know that as long as your ship isthere I cannot get out, but if they saw you shifting your berth itwould strike them at once that I might be intending to slip away.You must wait until it gets perfectly dark, and then throw off yourwarps and slacken out your cable as silently as possible, and lether drop down so as to leave me an easy passage. As soon as it isdark I will grease all my blocks, and when everything is quiet tryto get her out. What wind there is is from the southwest, whichwill take us well down the Zuider Zee."
"I hope you may succeed," the French captain said. "Once undersail you would be safe from their warships, for you would be twoor three miles away before they could manage to get up their sails.The danger lies in their rowboats and galleys."
"Well, well, we must risk it," Captain Martin said. "I shall havea boat alongside, and if I find the case is desperate we will taketo it and row to the shore, and make our way to Haarlem, where weshould be safe."
Ned, who had been keeping a sharp lookout all day, observed thattwo Spanish officials had taken up their station on the wharf, notfar from the ship. They appeared to have nothing to do, and to beindifferent to what was going on. He told his father that he thoughtthat they were watching. Presently the merchant himself came downto the wharf. He did not come on board, but spoke to Captain Martinas he stood on the deck of the vessel, so that all around couldhear his words.
"How are you getting on, Captain Martin?" he asked in Dutch.
"Fairly well," Captain Martin replied. "I think if we push on weshall have her empty by noon tomorrow."
"I have a cargo to go back with you, you know," the merchant said,"and I shall want to see you at the office, if you will step roundtomorrow after you have cleared."
"All right, Mynheer, you may expect me about two o'clock.
"But you won't see me," he added to himself.
The merchant waved his hand and walked away, and a few minuteslater the two officials also strolled off.
"That has thrown dust into their eyes," Captain Martin said, "andhas made it safe for Strous. He will pretend to be as surprised asany one when he hears I have gone."
