 Chapter 18 of By Pike and Dyke, a tale of the rise of the Dutch Republic, this LibriVox recording is in the public domain. By Pike and Dyke by G. A. Henty. Chapter 18 The Siege of Leiden The Spaniards had no sooner appeared before Leiden than they set to work to surround it with a cordon of redoubts. No less than sixty-two, including those left standing since the last siege, were erected and garrisoned, and the town was therefore cut off from all communication from without. Its defenders were few in number, there being no troops in the town, save a small corps composed of exiles from other cities, and five companies of the burger-guard. The walls, however, were strong, and it was famine rather than the foe that the citizens feared. They trusted to the courage of the burgers to hold the walls, and to the energy of the Prince of Orange to relieve them. The Prince, although justly irritated by their folly and neglecting to carry out his orders, sent a message by a pigeon to them, encouraging them to hold out, and reminding them that the fate of their country depended upon the issue of this siege. He implored them to hold out for at least three months, assuring them that he would within that time devise means for their deliverance. The citizens replied, assuring the Prince of their firm confidence in their own fortitude and his exertions. On the 6th of June the Grand Commander issued what was called a pardon, signed and sealed by the King. In it he invited all his airing and repentant subjects to return to his arms, and accept a full forgiveness for their past offence, upon the sole condition that they should once more enter the Catholic Church. A few individuals mentioned by name were alone excluded from this amnesty. But all Holland was now Protestant, and its inhabitants were resolved that they must not only be conquered but annihilated before the Roman Church should be re-established on their soil. In the whole province but two men came forward to take advantage of the amnesty. Many Netherlanders belonging to the King's party sent letters from the camp to their acquaintances in the city, exhorting them to submission, and imploring them to take pity upon their poor old fathers, their daughters, and their wives. But the citizens of Leiden thought the best they could do for these relatives was to keep them out of the clutches of the Spaniards. At the commencement of the siege the citizens gathered all their food into the magazines, and at the end of June the daily allowance to each full grown man was half a pound of meat and half a pound of bread, women and children receiving less. The Prince had his headquarters at Delft and Rotterdam, and an important fortress called the Poldervaart between these two cities secured him the control of the district watered by the rivers Isel and Maas. On the 29th of June the Spaniards attacked this fort but were beaten off with a loss of seven hundred men. The Prince was now occupied in endeavoring to persuade the Dutch authorities to permit the great sluices at Rotterdam, Schiedem, and Delft Haven to be opened. The damage to the country would be enormous, but there was no other course to rescue Leiden and with it the whole of Holland from destruction. It was not until the middle of July that his eloquent appeals and arguments prevailed and the estates consented to his plan. Subscriptions were opened in all the Dutch towns for maintaining the inhabitants of the district that was to be submerged until it could be again restored, and a large sum was raised, the women contributing their plate and jewelry to the furtherance of the scheme. On the 3rd of August all was ready and the Prince himself superintended the breaking down of the dykes in sixteen places while at the same time the sluices at Schiedem and Rotterdam were opened and the water began to pour over the land. While waiting for the water to rise stores of provisions were collected in all the principal towns and two hundred vessels of small draft of water gathered in readiness. Unfortunately no sooner had the work been done than the Prince was attacked by a violent fever brought on by anxiety and exertion. On the 21st of August a letter was received from the town saying that they had now fulfilled their original promise, for they had held out two months without food and another month without food. Their bread had long been gone and their last food, some malt cake, would last but four days. After that was gone there was nothing left but starvation. Upon the same day they received a letter from the Prince assuring them that the dykes were all pierced and the water rising upon the great dyke that separated the city from the sea. The letter was read publicly in the marketplace and excited the liveliest joy among the inhabitants. Bands of music played in the streets and salvos of cannon were fired. The Spaniards became uneasy at seeing the country beyond them gradually becoming covered with water and consulted the country people and the royalists in their camp, all of whom assured them that the enterprise of the Prince was an impossibility, and that the water would never reach the walls. The hopes of the besieged fell again, however, as day after day passed without change, and it was not until the first of September when the Prince began to recover from his fever and was personally able to superintend the operations that these began in earnest. The distance from Lydon to the outer dyke was fifteen miles, ten of these were already flooded, and the flotilla, which consisted of more than two hundred vessels, manned in awe with twenty-five hundred veterans, including eight hundred of the wild sea-beggars of Zeeland, renowned as much for their ferocity as for nautical skill, started on their way, and reached without difficulty the great dyke called the land-skiding. Between this town and Lydon were several other dykes, all of which would have to be taken. All these, besides the sixty-two forts, were defended by the Spanish troops, four times the number of the relieving force. Ned had been in close attendance upon the Prince during his illness, and when the fleet was ready to start requested that he might be allowed to accompany it. This the Prince at once granted, and introduced him to Admiral Boiseau. I shall be glad if you will take Captain Martin in your own ship, he said, young as he is he has seen much service, and is full of resource and invention. You will, I am sure, find him of use, and he can act as messenger to convey your orders from ship to ship. The Prince had given orders that the land-skiding, whose top was still a foot and a half above water, should be taken possession of at all hazard, and this was accomplished by surprise on the night of the tenth. The Spaniards stationed there were either killed or driven off, and the Dutch fortified themselves upon it. At daybreak the Spaniards stationed in two large villages close by advanced to recover the important position, but the Dutch, fighting desperately, drove them back with the loss of some hundreds of men. The dyke was at once cut through, and the fleet sailed through the gap. The Admiral had believed that the land-skiding once cut, the water would flood the country as far as Leiden, but another dyke, the Greenway, rose a foot above water three quarters of a mile inside the land-skiding. As soon as the water had risen over the land sufficiently to float the ships, the fleet advanced, seized the Greenway and cut it, but as the water extended in all directions it grew also shallower, and the Admiral found that the only way by which he could advance was by a deep canal leading to a large mirror called the Freshwater Lake. This canal was crossed by a bridge, and its sides were occupied by three thousand Spanish soldiers. Boiseau endeavored to force the way but found it impossible to do so, and was obliged to withdraw. He was now almost despairing. He had accomplished but two miles the water was sinking rather than rising owing to a long continued east wind, and many of his ships were already aground. On the eighteenth, however, the wind shifted to the north-west, and for three days blew agale. The water rose rapidly, and at the end of the second day the ships were all afloat again. Hearing from a peasant of a comparatively low dyke between two villages, Boiseau at once sailed in that direction. There was a strong Spanish force stationed here, but these were seized with a panic and fled, their courage unhinged by the constantly rising waters, the appearance of the numerous fleet, and their knowledge of the reckless daring of the wild sailors. The dyke was cut, the two villages with their fortifications burned, and the fleet moved on to north-ow. The enemy abandoned this position also, and fled to Zutermir, a strongly fortified village a mile and a quarter from the city walls. Gradually the Spanish army had been concentrated round the city as water drove them back, and they were principally stationed at this village and the two strong forts of Laman and Leiterdorp, each within a few hundred yards of the town. At the last named post Valdez had his headquarters, and Colonel Borgia commanded at Laman. The fleet was delayed at north-ow by another dyke called the Kirkway, the waters, too, spreading again over a wider space, and diminished from the east wind again setting in, sank rapidly, and very soon the whole fleet was aground, for there were but nine inches of water, and they required twenty to float them. Day after day they lay motionless. The Prince of Orange, who had again been laid up with the fever, rose from his sickbed and visited the fleet. He encouraged the dispirited sailors, rebuked their impatience, and after reconnoitering the ground issued orders for immediate destruction of the Kirkway, and then returned to Delft. All this time Leiden was suffering horribly. The burgers were aware that the fleet had set forth to their relief, but they knew better than those on board the obstacles that opposed its progress. The flames of the burning villages and the sound of artillery told them of its progress until it reached north-ow. Then there was a long silence, and hope almost deserted them. They knew well that so long as the east wind continued to blow there could be no rise in the level of the water, and anxiously they looked from the walls and the old tower for signs of a change. They were literally starving and their misery far exceeded even that of the citizens of Harlem. A small number of cows only remained, and of these few were killed every day, and tiny morsels of meat distributed, the hides and bones being chopped up and boiled. The green leaves were stripped from the trees, and every herb gathered and eaten. The mortality was frightful, and whole families died together in their houses from famine and plague, for pestilence had now broken out, and from six to eight thousand people died from this alone. Leiden abandoned all hope, and yet they spurned the repeated summonses of Valdez to surrender. They were fully resolved to die rather than to yield to the Spaniards. From time to time, however, murmurs arose among the suffering people, and the heroic burgomaster, Adrienne van der Werf, was at once surrounded by a crowd and assailed by reproaches. He took off his hat and calmly replied to them, I tell you I have made an oath to hold the city, and may God give me strength to keep it. I can die but once, either by your hands, the enemies, or by the hand of God. My own fate is indifferent to me, not so that of the city entrusted to my care. I know that we shall all starve if not soon relieved, but starvation is preferable to the dishonored death which is the only alternative. Your menaces move me not, my life is at your disposal. Here is my sword, plunge it into my breast and divide my flesh among you. Take my body to appease your hunger, but expect no surrender so long as I remain alive. Still the east wind continued until Stout Admiral Boisso himself almost disbared, but on the night of the first of October a violent gale burst from the northwest, and then shifting blew more strongly from the southwest. The water was piled up high upon the southern coast of Holland, and sweeping furiously inland poured through the ruined dykes, and in twenty-four hours the fleet was afloat again. At midnight they advanced in the midst of the storm and darkness. Some Spanish vessels that had been brought up to aid the defenders were swept aside and sunk. The fleet, sweeping on past half-submerged stacks and farmhouses, made its way to the freshwater mirror. Some shallows checked it for a time, but the crews sprang overboard into the water, and by main strength hoisted their vessels across them. Two obstacles alone stood between them and the city. The forts of Zutervoud and Laman, the one five hundred and the other but two hundred and fifty yards from the city. Both were strong and well supplied with troops and artillery, but the panic which had seized the Spaniards extended to Zutervoud. Hardly was the fleet in sight in the gray light of the morning when the Spaniards poured out from the fortress and spread along a road on the dyke leading in a westerly direction towards the hag. The waves driven by the wind were beating on the dyke, and it was crumbling rapidly away, and hundreds sank beneath the flood. The Zealander's drove their vessels up alongside and pierced them with their harpoons or, plunging into the waves, attacked them with sword and dagger. The numbers killed amounted to not less than a thousand. The rest affected their escape to the hag. Zutervoud was captured and set on fire, but Laman still barred their path. Bristling with guns, it seemed to defy them either to capture or pass it on their way to the city. Leiderdorp, where Valdez and his main force lay, was a mile and a half distant on the right and within a mile of the city, and the guns of the two forts seemed to render it next to impossible for the fleet to pass on. Boiseau, after reconnoitering the position, wrote despondently to the prince that he intended, if possible, on the following morning to carry the fort, but if unable to do so, he said, there would be nothing for it but to wait for another gale of wind to still further raise the water, and enable him to make a wide circuit and enter Leiden on the opposite side. A pigeon had been dispatched by Boiseau in the morning informing the citizens of his exact position, and at nightfall the burgomaster and a number of citizens gathered at the watchtower. Yonder, cried the magistrate, pointing to Laman, behind that fort are bread and meat and brethren in thousands. Shall all this be destroyed by Spanish guns, or shall we rush to the aid of our friends? We will tear the fortress first to fragments with our teeth and nails, was the reply, and it was resolved that a sortie should be made against Laman at daybreak, when Boiseau attacked it on the other side. A pitch-dark night set in, a night full of anxiety to the Spaniards, to the fleet, and to Leiden. The sentries on the walls saw lights flitting across the waters, and in the dead of night the whole of the city wall between two of the gates fell with a loud crash. The citizens armed themselves and rushed to the breach, believing that the Spaniards were on them at last, but no foe made his appearance. In the morning the fleet prepared for the assault, all was still and quiet in the fortress, and the dreadful suspicion that the city had been carried at night, and that all their labor was in vain seized those on board. Suddenly a man was seen waiting out from the fort, while at the same time a boy waved his cap wildly from its summit. The mystery was solved. The Spaniards had fled, panic-stricken in the darkness. Had they remained they could have frustrated the Enterprise, and Leiden must have fallen, but the events of the two preceding days had shaken their courage. Valdez retired from Leiterdorp and ordered Colonel Borgia to evacuate Laman. Thus they had retreated at the very moment that the fall of the wall sapped by the flood laid bare a whole side of the city for their entrance. They heard the crash in the darkness, and it but added to their fears, for they thought that the citizens were sallying out to take some measures which would further add to the height of the flood. Their retreat was discovered by the boy, who, having noticed the procession of lights in the darkness, became convinced that the Spaniards had retired, and persuaded the magistrates to allow him to make his way out to the fort to reconnoiter. As soon as the truth was known the fleet advanced, passed the fort, and drew up alongside the quays. These were lined by the famishing people, every man, woman, and child having strength to stand having come out to greet their deliverers. Bread was thrown from all the vessels among the crowd as they came up, and many died from too eagerly devouring the food after their long fast. Then the Admiral stepped ashore, followed by the whole of those on board the ships. Magistrates and citizens, sailors and soldiers, women and children, all repaired to the great church and returned thanks to God for the deliverance of the city. The work of distributing food and relieving the sick was then undertaken. The next day the Prince, in defiance of the urgent entreaties of his friends, who were afraid of the effects of the pestilential air of the city, upon his constitution enfeebled by sickness, repaired to the town. Shortly afterwards, with the advice of the States, he granted the city as a reward for its suffering a ten-days annual fair without tolls or taxes, and it was further resolved that a university should, as a manifestation of the gratitude of the people of Holland, be established within its walls. The fiction of the authority of Philip was still maintained, and the charter granted to the university was, under the circumstances, a wonderful production. It was drawn up in the name of the King, and he was gravely made to establish the university as a reward to Leiden for rebellion against himself. Considering, it said, that during these present wearisome wars within our provinces of Holland and Zeeland, all good instruction of youth in the sciences and literary arts is likely to come into entire oblivion, considering the difference of religion, considering that we are inclined to gratify our city of Leiden with its burgers on account of the heavy burden sustained by them during this war with such faithfulness, we have resolved, after ripely deliberating with our dear cousin William Prince of Orange, Stadholder, to erect a free public school and university, etc. So ran the document establishing this famous university, all needful regulations for its government being entrusted by Philip to his above-mentioned Dear Cousin of Orange. Ned Martin was not one of those who entered Leiden with Wasso's relieving fleet. His long watching and anxiety by the bedside of the Prince had told upon him, and he felt strangely unlike himself when he started with the fleet. So long as it was fighting its way forward, the excitement kept him up, but the long delay near the village of Al, and the deep despondency caused by the probable failure of their hopes of rescuing the starving city, again brought on an attack of the fever that had already seized him before starting, and when the Prince of Orange paid his visit to the fleet, Wasso told him the young officer he had recommended to him was down with fever, which was, he believed, similar to that from which the Prince himself was but just recovering. The Prince at once ordered him to be carried on board his own galley, and took him with him back to Delft. Here he lay for a month completely prostrated. The Prince several times visited him personally, and as soon as he became in some degree convalescent, said to him, I think we have taxed you too severely, and have worked you in proportion to your zeal rather than to your strength. The surgeon says that you must have rest for a while, and that it will be well for you to get away from our marshes for a time. For two years you have done good and faithful service, and even had it not then for this fever you would have a right to rest, and I think that your native air is best for you at present. With the letters that came to me from Flushing this morning is one from your good father, asking for news of you. His ship arrived there yesterday, and he has heard from one of those who are with Boiseau that you have fallen ill. Therefore, if it be to your liking, I will send you in one of my galleys to Flushing. I thank your excellency much, Ned said. Indeed, for the last few days I have been thinking much of home and longing to be back. I fear that I shall be a long time before I shall be fit for hard work again here. You will feel a different man when you have been a few hours at sea, the Prince said kindly. I hope to see you with me again some day. There are many of your countrymen who, like yourself, have volunteered in our ranks and served us well without pay or reward, but none of them have rendered better service than you have done. And now farewell. I will order a galley to be gotten readiness at once. I leave myself for Leiden in half an hour. Take this, my young friend, in remembrance of the Prince of Orange, and I trust that you may live to hand it down to your descendants, as a proof that I appreciated your good services on behalf of a people struggling to be free. So saying he took off his watch and laid it on the table by Ned's bedside, pressed the lad's hand, and retired. He felt it really a sacrifice to allow this young Englishman to depart. He had for years been a lonely man, with few confidants and no domestic pleasures. He lived in an atmosphere of trouble, doubt, and suspicion. He had struggled alone against the might of Philip, the apathy of the western provinces, the coldness and often treachery of the nobles, the jealousies and niggerdliness of the estates, representing cities each of which thought rather of itself and its privileges than of the general good. And the company of this young Englishman, with his frank utterances, his readiness to work at all times, and his freedom from all ambitions or self-interested designs, had been a pleasure and relief to him, and he frequently talked to him far more freely than even to his most trusted counsellors. Ever since the relief of Alkmar, Ned had been constantly with him, save when dispatched on missions to various towns, or to see that the naval preparations were being pushed on with all speed, and his illness had made a real blank in his little circle. However, the doctors had spoken strongly as to the necessity for Ned's getting away from the damp atmosphere of the half-submerged land, and he at once decided to send him back to England, and seized the opportunity directly the receipt of Captain Martin's letter informed him that the ship was at flushing. An hour later four men entered with a litter. The servants had already packed Ned's mails, and he was carried down and placed on board one of the Prince's vessels. They rode down into the maz, and then hoisting sail proceeded down the river, kept outside the island to Valkaryn, and then up the estuary of the Skelth to Flushing. It was early morning when they arrived in port. Ned was carried upon deck, and soon made out the good venture lying a quarter of a mile away. He was at once placed in the boat and rode alongside. An exclamation from Peters as he looked over the side and saw Ned lying in the stern of the boat, called Captain Martin out from his cabin. Why, Ned, my dear boy, he exclaimed as he looked over the side, you seem in grievous state indeed. There is not much the matter with me, Father. I have had fever, but am getting over it, and it will need but a day or two at sea to put me on my feet again. I have done with the war at present, and the Prince has been good enough to send me in one of his own galleys to you. We will soon get you round again, never fear, Master Ned. Peters said as he jumped down into the boat to aid in hoisting him on board. No wonder the damp airs of this country have got into your bones at last. I never can keep myself warm when we are once in these canals. If it wasn't for their skeetom I don't believe the Dutchman could stand it themselves. Ned was soon lifted on board and carried into the cabin aft. The good venture had already discharged her cargo, and as there was no chance of filling up again at flushing, sail was made an hour after he was on board and the vessel put out to sea. It was now early in November, but although the air was cold the day was fine and bright, and as soon as the vessel was under way Ned was wrapped in cloaks and laid on a mattress on deck, with his head well propped up with pillows. One seems to breathe in fresh life here, Father, he said. It is pleasant to feel the motion and the shock of the waves after being so long on land. I feel stronger already, while so long as I was at Delft I did not seem to gain from one day to the other. I hope we shan't make too rapid a voyage. I don't want to come home as an invalid. We shall not make a fast run of it unless the wind changes, Ned. It blows steadily from the west at present, and we shall be lucky if we cast anchor under a week in the pool. All the better, Father, in a week I shall be on my legs again unless I am greatly mistaken. Ned's convalescence was indeed rapid, and by the time they entered the mouth of the Thames he was able to walk from side to side of the vessel, and as the wind still held from the west it was another four days before they dropped anchor near London Bridge. Ned would have gone ashore in his old attire, but upon putting it on the first day he was able to get about, he found he had so completely outgrown it that he was obliged to return to the garments he had worn in Holland. He was now more than eighteen years of age and nearly six feet in height, he had broadened out greatly, and the position he had for the last year held as an officer charged with authority by the Prince had given him a manner of decision and authority altogether beyond his years. As he could not wear his sailor dress, he chose one of the handsomest of those he possessed. It consisted of maroon doublet and trunks, slashed with white, with a short mantle of dark green, and hose of the same color. His cap was maroon in color, with small white and orange plumes, and he wore a rough round his neck. Captain Martin saluted him with a bow of reverence as he came on deck. Why, Ned, they will think that I am bringing a court gallant with me. Your mother and the girls will be quite abashed at all this finery. I felt strange and at myself at first, Ned laughed, but of course I am accustomed to it now. The Prince is not one who cares for state himself, but as one of his officers I was obliged to be well dressed, and indeed this dress and the others I wear were made by his orders and presented to me. Indeed I think I am very moderate in not decking myself out with the two gold chains I have, the one a present from his highness, the other from the city of Alkmar, to say nothing of the watch set with jewels that the Prince gave me on leaving. Ned's mother and the girls were on the lookout, for the good venture had been noticed as she passed. Ned had at his father's suggestion kept below in order that he might give them a surprise on his arrival. I verily believe they won't know you, he said as they approached the gate. You have grown four inches since they saw you last, and your cheeks are thin and pale instead of being round and sunburnt. This, with your attire, has made such a difference that I am sure any one would pass you in the street without knowing you. Ned hung a little behind while his mother and the girls met his father at the gate. As soon as the embraces were over, Captain Martin turned to Ned and said to his wife, My dear, I have to introduce an officer of the Prince who has come over for his health to stay a while with us. This is Captain Martin. Dame Martin gave a start of astonishment, looked incredulously for a moment at Ned, and then with a cry of delight threw herself into his arms. It really seems impossible that this can be Ned, she said, as after kissing his sisters he turned to her. Why, husband, it is a man! And a very fine one, too, wife. He tops me by two inches, and as to his attire, I feel that we must all smarten up to be fit companions to such a splendid bird, why the girls look quite odd by him. But you look terribly pale, Ned, and thin, his mother said, and you are so healthy and strong. I shall soon be healthy and strong again, mother. When I have got out of these fine clothes, which I only put on because I could not get into my old ones, and you have fed me up for a week on good English beef, you will see that there is no such great change in me after all. And now let us go inside, Captain Martin said, there is a surprise for you there. Ned entered, and was indeed surprised at seeing his aunt Elizabeth sitting by the fire while his cousins were engaged upon their needlework at the window. They, too, looked for a moment doubtful as he entered, for the fifteen months since they had last seen him when he left him at the surrender of Harlem, had changed him much, and his dress at that time had been very different to that he now wore. It was not until he exclaimed, well, aunt, this is indeed a surprise, that they were sure of his identity, and they welcomed him with a warmth scarcely less than his mother and sisters had shown. Elizabeth Plomart was not of a demonstrative nature, but although she had said little at the time, she had felt deeply the care and devotion which Ned had exhibited to her and her daughters during the siege, and knew that had it not been for the supplies of food scanty as they were, that he nightly brought in, she herself, and probably the girls, would have succumbed to hunger. When did you arrive, aunt? Ned asked when the greetings were over. Four months ago, Ned, life was intolerable in Harlem owing to the brutal conduct of the Spanish soldiers. I was a long time bringing myself to move. Had it not been for the girls I should never have done so, but things became intolerable, and when most of the troops were removed at the time Count Louis advanced, we managed to leave the town and make our way north. It was a terrible journey to Enkhausen, but we accomplished it, and after being there a fortnight took passage in a ship for England, and, as you see, here we are. A few days after Ned's return home, his aunt and cousins moved into a house close by, which they had taken a short time before. Dame Plomart's half of the property purchased with the money that had been transmitted by her father-in-law and his sons to England, being ample to keep them in considerable comfort. Just as Ned was leaving Delft, some dispatches had been placed in his hands for delivery upon his arrival in London to Lord Walsingham. The great minister was in attendance upon the Queen at Greenwich, and thither Ned proceeded by boat on the morning after his arrival. On stating that he was the bearer of dispatches from the Prince of Orange, Ned at once obtained an audience, and bowing deeply presented his letters to the Queen's counselor. The latter opened the letter addressed to himself, and after reading a few words, said, Be seated, Captain Martin. The Prince tells me that he sends it by your hand, but that as you are prostrate by fever you will be unable to deliver it personally. I am glad to see that you are so far recovered. Ned seated himself while Lord Walsingham continued the perusal of his dispatches. The Prince is pleased to speak in very high terms of you, Captain Martin, he said, and tells me that as you are entirely in his confidence you will be able to give me much information besides that that he is able to write. He then proceeded to question Ned at length as to the state of feeling in Holland, its resources and means of resistance, upon all of which points Ned replied fully. The interview lasted near two hours, at the end of which time Lord Walsingham said, When I hand the letter enclosed within my own to the Queen, I shall report to her majesty very favorably as to your intelligence, and it may possibly be that she may desire to speak to you herself, for she is deeply interested in this matter, and all those circumstances have prevented her showing that warmth for the welfare of Holland that she feels. She has no less the interest of that country at heart, and will be well pleased to find that one of her subjects has been rendering such assistance, as the Prince is pleased to acknowledge in his letter to me. Please therefore to leave your address with my secretary in the next room in order that I may communicate with you if necessary. Two days later one of the royal servants brought a message that Captain Martin was to present himself on the following day at Greenwich, as her majesty would be pleased to grant him an audience. Knowing that the Queen loved that those around her should be bravely attired, Ned dressed himself in the suit that he had only worn once or twice when he had attended the Prince to meetings of the estates. It was of a peuce-colored satin slashed with green, with a short mantle of the same material, with the cape embroidered in silver. The bonnet was to match with a small white feather. He placed the chain the Prince had given him round his neck, and with an ample rough and manchettes of flimish lace, and his rapier by his side, he took his place in the boat, and was rode to Greenwich. He felt some trepidation as he was ushered in. A page conducted him to the end of the chamber, where the Queen was standing with Lord Walsingham at her side. Ned bowed profoundly, the Queen held out her hand, and, bending on one knee, Ned reverently placed it to his lips. "'I am gratified, Captain Martin,' she said, at the manner in which my good cousin, the Prince of Orange, has been pleased to speak of your services to him. You are young indeed, sir, to have passed through such perilous adventures, and I would feign hear from your lips the account of the deliverance of Leiden, and of such other matters as you have taken part in.' The Queen then seated herself, and Ned related modestly the events at Leiden, Harlem, Alkmar, and the two sea-fights in which he had taken part. The Queen several times questioned him closely as to the various details. "'We are much interested,' she said, in these fights, in which the Burgers of Holland have supported themselves against the soldiers of Spain, seeing that we may ourselves some day have to maintain ourselves against that power. How comes it, young sir, that you came to mix yourself up in these matters? We know that many of our subjects have crossed the water to fight against the Spaniards, but these are for the most part restless spirits, who are attracted as much perhaps by a love of adventure as by their sympathy with the people of the Netherlands.' Ned then related the massacre of his Dutch relations by the Spaniards, and how his father had lost a leg while sailing out of Antwerp. "'I remember me now,' the Queen said, the matter was laid before our council, and we remonstrated with the Spanish ambassador, and he, in turn, accused our seamen of having first sunk a Spanish galley without cause or reason, and were not employed in these dangerous enterprises of which you have been speaking. Do you say that you have been in attendance upon the Prince himself? He speaks in his letter to my Lord Walsingham of his great confidence in you. How came you first, a stranger and a foreigner, to gain the confidence of so wise and prudent a Prince? He entrusted a mission to me of some slight peril, Your Majesty, and I was fortunate enough to carry it out to his satisfaction. "'Tell me more of it,' the Queen said. "'It may be that we ourselves shall find some employment for you, and I wish to know upon what grounds we should place confidence in you. Tell me fully the affair. I am not pressed for time and love to listen to tales of adventure.' Ned thus commanded, related in full the story of his mission to Brussels. "'Truly the Prince's confidence was well reposed in you,' she said, when Ned had finished. "'You shall hear from us anon, Captain Martin, since you know Holland so well, and are high in the confidence of the Prince, we shall doubtless be able to find means of utilizing your services for the benefit of the realm.' So saying, she again extended her hand to Ned, who, after kissing it, retired from the audience chamber delighted with the kindness and condescension of Elizabeth. When he had left, the Queen said to Lord Walsingham, "'A very proper young officer, Lord Walsingham, and one of parts and intelligence as well as of bravery. Me thinks we may find him useful in our communications with the Prince of Orange, and from his knowledge of the people we may get sureer intelligence from him of the state of feeling there with regard to the alliance they are proposing with us, and to their offers to come under our protection, than we can from our own envoy. It is advisable, too, at times to have two mouthpieces, the one to speak in the public ear, the other to deliver our private sentiments and plans. "'He is young for so great a responsibility,' Lord Walsingham said, hesitatingly. "'If the Prince of Orange did not find him too young to act in matters in which the slightest indiscretion might bring a score of heads to the block, I think that we can trust him, my Lord. In some respects his youth will be a distinct advantage. Did we send a personage of age and rank to Holland? It might be suspected that he had a special mission from us, and our envoy might complain that we were treating behind his back, but a young officer like this could come and go without attracting observation, and without even Philip's spies suspecting that he was dabbling in affairs of state.' At this time indeed the Queen was, as she had long been, playing a double game with the Netherlands. Holland and Zealand were begging the Prince to assume absolute power. The Prince of Orange, who had no ambition whatever for himself, was endeavouring to negotiate with either England or France to take the estates under their protection. Elizabeth, while jealous of France, was unwilling to incur the expenditure in men and still more money that would be necessary, were she to assume protection of Holland as its sovereign under the title offered to her of Countess of Holland, and yet, though unwilling to do this herself, she was still more unwilling to see France step in and occupy the position offered to her, while above all she shrank from engaging at present in a life-and-death struggle with Spain. Thus, while ever assuring the Prince of Orange of her good will, she abstained from rendering any absolute assistance, although continuing to hold out hopes that she would later on accept the sovereignty offered. For the next three weeks Ned remained quietly at home. The gatherings in the summer house were more largely attended than ever, and the old sailors were never tired of hearing from Ned stories of the sieges in Holland. It was a continual source of wonder to them how Will Martin's son, who had seemed to them a boy like other boys, should have gone through such perilous adventures, should have had the honour of being in the Prince of Orange's confidence, and the still greater honour of being received by the Queen and allowed to kiss her hand. It was little more than two years back that Ned had been a boy among them, never venturing to give his opinion unless first addressed, and now he was a young man, with a quiet and assured manner, and bearing himself rather as a young noble of the court than the son of a sea-captain like themselves. It was all very wonderful, and scarce seemed to them natural, especially as Ned was as quiet and unaffected as he had been as a boy, and gave himself no heirs whatever on the strength of the good fortune that had befallen him. Much of his time was spent in assisting his aunt to get her new house in order, and in aiding her to move into it. This had just been accomplished when he received an order to go down to Greenwich and call upon Lord Walsingham. He received from him dispatches to be delivered to the Prince of Orange, together with many verbal directions for the Prince's private ear. He was charged to ascertain as far as possible the Prince's inclinations towards a French alliance, and what ground he had for encouragement from the French king. Upon your return, Captain Martin, you will render me an account of all expenses you have borne, and they will, of course, be defrayed. My expenses will be but small, my lord, Ned replied, for it chances that my father's ship sails tomorrow for Rotterdam, and I shall take passage in her, while there I am sure that the Prince, whose hospitality is boundless, will insist upon my staying with him as his guest, and indeed it seems to me that this would be best so, for having so long been a member of his household, it will seem to all that I have but return to resume my former position. The public service in the days of Queen Elizabeth was not sought for by men for the sake of gain. It was considered the highest honor to serve the Queen, and those employed on embassies, missions, and even in military commands, spent large sums, and sometimes almost beggared themselves, in order to keep up a dignity worthy of their position. Considering themselves amply repaid for any sacrifices by receiving an expression of the royal approval, Ned Martin, therefore, returned home greatly elated at the honorable mission that had been entrusted to him. His father, however, although also gratified at Ned's reception at court, and employment in the Queen's service, looked at it from the matter of fact point of view. It is all very well, Ned, he said, as they were talking the matter over in family conclave in the evening, and I do not deny that I share in the satisfaction that all these women are expressing. It is a high honor that you should be employed on a mission for Her Majesty, and there are scores of young nobles who would be delighted to be employed in such service. But you see, Ned, you are not a young noble, and although honor is a fine thing, it will buy neither bread nor cheese. If you were the heir to great estates, you would naturally rejoice in rendering services which might bring you into favor at court, and win for you honor and public standing. But you see, you are the son of a master mariner, happily the owner of his own ship, and of other properties which are sufficient to keep him in comfort, but which will naturally, at the death of your mother and myself, go to the girls, while you will have the good venture and my share in other vessels. But these are businesses that want looking after, and the income would go but a little way to support you in a position at court. You have now been two years away from the sea. That matters little. But if you were to continue in the royal service for a time, you would surely become unfitted to return to the rough life of a master mariner. Fair words butter no parsnip, Ned. Honor and royal service empty the purse instead of filling it. It behooves you to think these matters over. I am surprised that you will, Dame Martin said. I should have thought that you would have been proud of the credit and honor that Ned is winning, why all our neighbors are talking of nothing else. All our neighbors will not be called upon wife to pay for Master Ned's support, to provide him with courtly garments, and enable him to maintain a position which will do credit to his royal mistress. I am proud of Ned as proud as anyone can be, but that is no reason why I should be willing to see him spend his life as a needy hangar on of the court, rather than as a British sailor, bearing a good name in the city, and earning a fair living by honest trade. Ned knows that I am speaking only for his own good. Court favor is but an empty thing, and our good queen is fickle in her likings, and has never any hesitation in disavowing the proceedings of her envoys. When a man has broad lands to fall back upon, he can risk the loss of court favor, and can go into retirement assured that sooner or later he will again have his turn. But such is not Ned's position. I say not that I wish him at once to draw back from this course, but I would have him soberly think it over and judge whether it is one that in the long run is likely to prove successful. Mrs. Martin, her sister-in-law, and the four girls looked anxiously at Ned. They had all, since the day that he was first sent for to Greenwich, been in a high state of delight at the honor that had befallen him, and his father's words had fallen like a douche of cold water upon their aspirations. I fully recognize the truth of what you say, father, he said, after a pause, and I will think it deeply over which I shall have time to do before my return from Holland. Assuredly it is not a matter to be lightly decided. It may mean that this royal service may lead to some position of profit as well as honor. Although now as you have put it to me, I own that the prospect seems to me to be a slight one, and that where so many are ready to serve for honor alone, the chance of employment for one requiring money as well as honor is but small. However, there can be no need for instant decision. I am so fond of the sea that I am sure that, even if away from it for two or three years, I should be ready and willing to return to it. I am as yet but little over eighteen, and even if I remained in the royal service until twenty-one, I should still have lost but little of my life, and should not be too old to take to the sea again. In time I shall see more plainly what the views of Lord Walsingham are concerning me, and whether there is a prospect of advancement in the service. He will know that I cannot afford to give my life to the Queen's service without pay, not being, as you say, a noble or a great landowner. That is very well spoken, Ned, his father said. There is no need in any way for you to come to any resolution on the subject at present. I shall be well content to wait until you come of age. As you say, by that time you will see whether this is but a brief wind of royal favor, or whether my Lord Walsingham designs to continue you in the royal service and to advance your fortunes. I find that I am able to get on board a ship better than I had expected, and have no wish to retire from the sea at present. Therefore there will be plenty of time for you to decide when you get to the age of one and twenty. Nevertheless this talk will not have been without advantage, for it will be far better for you not to have set your mind altogether upon court service, and you will then, if you finally decide to return to the sea, not have to suffer such disappointment as you would do had you regarded it as a fixed thing that some great fortune was coming to you, so let it be an understood thing that this matter remains entirely open until you come to the age of twenty-one. Ned accordingly went backwards and forwards to Holland for the next two years, bearing letters and messages between the Queen and the Prince of Orange. There was some pause in military operations after the relief of Leiden. Negotiations had for a long time gone on between the King of Spain, acting by royal commissioners, on the one side, and the Prince and the Estates on the other. The royal commissioners were willing in his name to make considerable concessions to withdraw the Spanish troops from the country and to permit the Estates General to assemble, but as they persisted that all heretics should either recant or leave the provinces, no possible agreement could be arrived at, as the question of religion was at the bottom of the whole movement. During the year fifteen seventy-five, the only military operation of importance was the recovery by the Spaniards of the Island of Scouven, which, with its chief town Xerixy, was recovered by a most daring feat of arms, the Spaniards waiting for miles through water up to the neck on a wild and stormy night, and making their way across in spite of the efforts of the Zealander's in their ships. Xerixy indeed resisted for many months, and finally surrendered only to hunger, the garrison obtaining good terms from the Spaniards, who were so anxious for its possession that to obtain it they were even willing for once to forgo their vengeance for the long resistance it had offered. In March fifteen seventy-six, while the siege was still going on, Requis'en died suddenly of a violent fever brought on partly by anxiety caused by another mutiny of the troops. This mutiny more than counterbalanced the advantage gained by the capture of the Island of Scouven, for after taking possession of it, the soldiers engaged in the service at once joined the mutiny and marched away into Brabant. The position of Holland had gone from bad to worse. The utmost efforts of the population were needed to repair the broken dykes and again recover the submerged lands. So bear was the country of animals of all kinds that it had become necessary to pass a law forbidding for a considerable period the slaughter of oxen, cows, calves, sheep, or poultry. Holland and Zealand had now united in a confederacy, of which the Prince was at the head, and by an act of union in June fifteen seventy-five the two little republics became virtually one. Among the powers and duties granted to the Prince he was to maintain the practice of the reformed evangelical religion and to cause to cease the exercise of all other religions contrary to the Gospel. He was, however, not to permit that inquisition should be made into any man's belief or conscience, or that any man by cause thereof should suffer trouble, injury, or hindrance. Upon one point only the Prince had been peremptory he would have no persecution. In the original terms he had been requested to suppress the Catholic religion but had altered the words into religion at variance with the Gospel. Almost alone at a time when everyone was intolerant the Prince of Orange was firmly resolved that all men should have liberty of conscience. Holland suffered a great loss when Admiral Boiseau fell in endeavoring to relieve Xeric-Z. The harbor had been surrounded by Spaniards by a submerged dyke of piles of rubbish. Against this Boiseau drove his ship which was the largest of his fleet. He did not succeed in breaking through. The tide ebbed and left his ship aground while the other vessels were beaten back. Rather than fall into the hands of the enemy he and three hundred of his companions sprang overboard and endeavored to effect their escape by swimming, but darkness came on before he could be picked up and he perished by drowning. The mutiny among the Spanish regiments spread rapidly and the greater part of the German troops of Spain took part in it. The mutineers held the various citadels throughout the country and ravaged the towns, villages, and open country. The condition of the people of Brabant was worse than ever. Despair led them to turn again to the provinces which had so long resisted the authority of Spain, and the fifteen other states at the invitation of the Prince sent deputies to Ghent to a general Congress to arrange for a close union between the whole of the provinces of the Netherlands. Risings took place in all parts of the country, but they were always repressed by the Spaniards, who, though in open mutiny against their king and officers, had no idea of permitting the people of the Netherlands to recover the liberty that had at the cost of so much blood been wrung from them. Maastricht drove out its garrison, but the Spaniards advanced against the town, seized a vast number of women, and placing these before them advanced to the assault. The citizens dared not fire, as many of their own wives or sisters were among the women. The town was therefore taken, and a hideous massacre followed. Ned Martin had now been two years engaged upon various missions to Holland, and Lord Walsingham himself acknowledged to his mistress that her choice of the young officer had been a singularly good one. He had conducted himself with great discretion, his reports were full and minute, and he had several times had audiences with the Queen, and had personally related to her matters of importance concerning the state of Holland, and the views of the Prince and the Estates General. The Congress at Ghent, and the agitation throughout the whole of the Netherlands, had created a lively interest in England, and Ned received orders to visit Ghent and Antwerp, and to ascertain more surely the probability of an organization of the provinces into a general confederation. When he reached Ghent he found that the attention of the citizens was for the time chiefly occupied with the siege of the Citadel, which was held by a Spanish garrison, and he therefore proceeded to Antwerp. This was at the time probably the wealthiest city in Europe. It carried on the largest commerce in the world, its warehouses were full of the treasures of all countries, its merchants vied with princes in splendor. The proud city was dominated, however, by its Citadel, which had been erected not for the purpose of external defence, but to overaw the town. The governor of the garrison, Diavola, had been all along recognized as one of the leaders of the mutiny. The town itself was garrisoned by Germans who still held aloof from the mutiny, but who had been tampered with by him. The governor of the city, Champagne, although a sincere Catholic, hated the Spaniards, and had entered into negotiations with the Prince. The citizens thought at present but little of the common cause, their thoughts being absorbed by fears of their own safety, threatened by the mutinous Spanish troops who had already captured and sacked a lost, and were now assembling with the evident intention of gathering for themselves the rich booty contained within the walls of Antwerp. As they approached the town, a force of 5,000 Walloon infantry and 1,200 cavalry were dispatched from Brussels to the aid of its sister city. No sooner, however, did this force enter the town than it broke into a mutiny which was only repressed with the greatest difficulty by Champagne. It was at this moment that Ned entered the city. He at once communicated with the governor and delivered to him some messages with which he had been charged by the Prince of Orange, whom he had visited on his way. Had you arrived three days since, I could have discussed these matters with you, the governor said. But as it is, we are hourly expecting attack, and can think of nothing but preparations for defense. I shall be glad if you can assist me in that direction. Half the German garrison are traitors, the Walloons who have just entered are in no way to be relied upon, and it is the burgers themselves upon whom the defense of the town must really fall. They are now engaged in raising a rampart facing the citadel. I am at once proceeding thither to superintend the work. Ned accompanied the governor to the spot and found twelve thousand men and women, laboring earnestly to erect a rampart, constructed of bales of goods, casks of earth, upturned wagons, and other bulky objects. The guns of the fortress opened upon the workers, and so impeded them that night fell before the fortifications were nearly completed. Unfortunately it was bright moonlight, and the artillerymen continued their fire with such accuracy that the work was at last abandoned, and the citizens retired to their homes. Champagne did all that was possible. Aided by some burgers and his own servants, he planted what few canon there were at the weakest points, but his general directions were all neglected, and not even scouts were posted. In the morning a heavy mist hung over the city and concealed the arrival of the Spanish troops from all the towns and fortresses in the neighborhood. As soon as it was fairly daylight the defenders mustered. The Marquis of Havre claimed for the Walloons the post of honor in defense of the lines facing the citadel, and six thousand men were disposed here while the bulk of the German garrison were stationed in the principal squares. At ten o'clock the mutineers from Alost marched into the citadel, raising the force there to five thousand veteran infantry and six hundred cavalry. Ned had been all night at work assisting the governor. He had now laid aside his ordinary attire, and was clad in complete armor. He was not there to fight, but there was clearly nothing else to do, unless indeed he made his escape at once to the fleet of the Prince of Orange, which was lying in the river. This he did not like doing until it was clear that all was lost. He had seen the Dutch burgers beat back the most desperate assaults of the Spanish troops, and assuredly the Walloons and Germans, who, without counting the burgers, considerably exceeded the force of the enemy, ought to be able to do the same. Just before daybreak he made his way down to the Quays, ascertained the exact position of the fleet, and determined how he had best get on board. He chose a small boat from among those lying at the Quay, and removed it to the foot of some stairs by a bridge. He fastened the head rope to a ring and pushed the boat off, so that it lay under the bridge, concealed from the sight of any who might pass along the wharves. Having thus prepared for his own safety, he was making his way to rejoin the Governor when a woman came out from a house in the quiet street, as she met him he started. Why, Magdalen, he exclaimed, is it you? What are you doing in Antwerp? Is the Countess here? The woman looked at him in surprise. Don't you remember me, Magdalen? The boy you dressed up as a girl in Brussels, and whom you last saw at Maastricht? Bless me, the old servant exclaimed. Is it you, sir? I should never have known you again. Three years make a great deal of difference, Ned laughed, and it is more than that now since we last met. Please to come in, sir. The Countess will be right glad to see you, and so will Miss Gertrude. They have talked a few hundreds of times, and wondered what had become of you. She opened the door again with the great key, and led the way into the house. Mistress, she said, showing the way into the parlor, here is a visitor for you. The Countess and her daughter had, like everyone else in Antwerp, been up all night, and rose from her seat by the fire as the young officer entered. He took off his helmet and bowed deeply. What is your business with me? The Countess asked, seeing that he did not speak. I have not come exactly upon business, Countess, he replied, but to thank you for past kindnesses. Mother, it is the English boy! exclaimed the young lady sitting upon the side of the fire, rising from her seat. Surely, sir, you are Master Edward Martin! Your eyes are not in fault for a line. I am Edward Martin. I am glad indeed to see you, sir, the Countess said. How often my daughter and I have longed for the time when we might again meet you to tell how grateful we are for the service you did us. I wonder now that I did not recognize you, but you have changed from a lad into a man. You must remember it is more than four years since we were together at Brussels. As for the meeting near Maastricht, it was such a short one, and I was so full of joy at the thought that Gertrude and I had escaped the fearful danger hanging over us that I scarce noticed your appearance, nor had we any time to talk then. We received the letter you wrote after leaving us at Brussels, from the Hague, telling us that you had arrived there safely. But since you did us that service at Maastricht we have never heard of you. I had not your address, Ned replied, and even had I known where you were I should not have dared to write, for there was no saying into whose hands the letter might not fall. But Countess excuse me if I turn to other matters, for the time presses sorely. You know that the city will be attacked today. So everyone says, the Countess replied, but surely you do not think that there is any danger. The Walloons and Germans should be able alone to hold the barricades, and behind them are all the citizens. I put little faith in the Walloons, Ned said shortly, and some of the Germans we know have been bribed. I would rather that all were out of the way, and that it were left to the burgers alone to defend the barricades. I have seen how the citizens of the Netherlands can fight at Harlem and Alkmar. As for these Walloons I have no faith in them. I fear Countess that the danger is great, and if the Spaniards succeed in winning their way into the town there is no mercy to be expected for man, woman, or child. I consider that it would be madness for you to stay here. But what are we to do, sir? the Countess asked. The only way, madam, is to make your way on board the Prince's fleet. I am known to many of the officers, and can place you on board at once. If you wait until the Spaniards enter it will be too late. There will be a wild rush to the river, and the boats will be swamped. If the attack fails, and the Spaniards retire from before the city, you can if you choose return to shore, though I should say that even then it will be better by far to go to Rotterdam or Delft, unless you decide to do as you once talked about, to find a refuge for a time in England. I will accept your offer gladly, sir, the Countess said. I have long been looking for some way to leave the city, but none can go on board the ships without a pass, and I have not dared to ask for one. Not for worlds would I expose my daughter to the horrors of a sack. Can we go at once? Yes, madam, I have everything in readiness, and would advise no delay. I have nothing that I need mind leaving behind. I am, as you see, more comfortable here than I was at Brussels, but I am still forced to keep my concealment. In five minutes we shall be ready. The Spanish Fury In a very short time the Countess and her daughter returned to the room where Ned was awaiting them. Each carried a handbag. We are ready now, the Countess said. I have my jewels and purse, as for the things we leave behind they are scarce worth the taking by the Spaniards. Locking the door of the house behind them the three women accompanied Ned down to the riverside. He took the first boat that came to hand and rode them down to the fleet, which was moored a quarter of a mile below the town. He passed the first ship or two and then rode to one with whose captain he was acquainted. Captain Enkin, he said, I have brought on board two ladies who have long been in hiding, waiting an opportunity of being taken to Holland, the Countess Von Harp and her daughter. I fear greatly that Antwerp will fall today, and wish therefore to place them in safety before the fight begins. Before sunset, unless I am mistaken, you will have a crowd of fugitives on board. I am very pleased, madam, the captain said, bowing to the Countess to receive you and beg to hand over my cabin for your use. The name you bear is known to all Dutchmen, and even were it not so, any one introduced to me by my good friend Captain Martin would be heartily welcome. Are you going to return on shore? he asked Ned. Yes, I must do so, Ned replied. I promised the Governor to stand by him to the last, and as he has scarce a soul on whom he can rely, it is clearly my duty to do so. It is not for me to shirk doing my duty as long as I can, because I fear that the day will go against us. You will have difficulty in getting off again if the Spaniards once enter the city, the captain said. There will be such a rush to the boats that they will be swamped before they leave shore. I have a boat hidden away in which I hope to bring off the Governor with me, Ned replied. As to myself, I can swim like a fish. Mind and get rid of your armor before you try it. All the swimming in the world could not save you if you jumped in with all that steel mail on you. I will bear it in mind, Ned said. Goodbye, Countess. Goodbye, Frawline Gertrude. I trust to see you at nightfall, if not before. That is a very gallant young officer, Captain Enkin said, as the two ladies sat watching Ned as he rode to the shore. You addressed him as Captain Martin, the Countess said. Yes, he has been a captain in the Prince's service fully three years, the sailor said, and fought nobly at Elkmar, at the naval battle on Desaido-Z, and in the sea fight when we drove Romero's fleet back in Bergen. He stands very high in the confidence of the Prince, but I do not think he is in our service now. He is often with the Prince, but I believe he comes and goes between England and Holland, and is, men say, the messenger by whom private communication between the Queen of England and the Prince are chiefly carried. He is young to have such confidence reposed in him, the Countess said. Yes, he is young, Captain Enkin replied. Not, I suppose, beyond seven or eight and twenty. He was a captain and high in the Prince's confidence when I first knew him three years ago, so he must surely have been four or five and twenty then, and yet indeed, now you speak of it, me thinks he is greatly bigger now than he was then. I do not think he was much taller than I am, and now he tops me by Naya head, but I must surely be mistaken as to that, for the Prince would scarcely place his confidence in a mere lad. The Countess made no reply, though she exchanged a quiet smile with her daughter. They knew that Ned could not be much more than twenty. He was, he had said, about three years older than Gertrude, and she had passed seventeen but by a few months. Ned, on returning to shore, tied up the boat, and then proceeded to the palace of the Governor. A servant was holding a horse at the door. The Governor ordered this horse to be ready unsaddled for you, Sir, when you arrived, and begged you to join him at once in the marketplace, where he is telling off the troops to their various stations. Leaping on the horse, Ned rode to the marketplace, and at once placed himself under orders of the Governor. There is nothing much for you to do at present, Champagnies said. The troops are all in their places, and we are ready when they deliver the assault. It was not until eleven o'clock that the Spaniards advanced to the attack, three thousand of them under their Aleto by the street of St. Michael, the remainder with the Germans commanded by Romero by that of St. George. No sooner did the compact masses approach the barricades than the Walloons, who had been so loud in their boasts of valor, and had insisted upon having the post of danger, broke and fled their commander, Hav, at their head, and the Spaniards, springing over the ramparts, poured into the streets. Fetch up the Germans from the exchange, Champagnies shouted to Ned, and leaping his horse over a garden wall, he himself rode to another station and brought up the troops there, and led them in person to bar the road to the enemy, trying in vain to rally the flying Walloons he met on the way. For a few minutes the two parties of Germans made a brave stand, but they were unable to resist the weight and number of the Spaniards, who bore them down by sheer force. Champagnies had fought gallantly in the melee, and Ned, keeping closely beside him, had well seconded his efforts, but when the Germans were born down, they rode off, dashing through the streets and shouting to the burgers everywhere to rise in defense of their homes. They answered to the appeal, the bodies already collected at the exchange and cattle market moved forward, and from every house the men poured out. The Spanish columns had already divided, and were pouring down the streets with savage cries. The German cavalry of Haav under Van Urd had once deserted, and joining the Spanish cavalry fell upon the townsmen. In vain the burgers and such of the German infantry as remained faithful strove to resist their assailants. Although they had been beaten off in their assaults upon breaches, the Spaniards had ever proved themselves invincible on level ground, and now, inspired alike by the fury for slaughter and the lust for gold, there was nowithstanding them. Round the exchange some of the bravest defenders made a rally, and burgers and Germans mingled together fought stoutly until they were all slain. There was another long struggle round the town hall, one of the most magnificent buildings in Europe, and for a time the resistance was effective, until the Spanish cavalry and the Germans under the traitor Van Urd charged down upon the defenders. Then they took refuge in the buildings, and every house became a fortress, and from window and balcony a hot fire was poured into the square. But now a large number of camp followers who had accompanied the Spaniards came up with torches which had been specially prepared for firing the town, and in a short time the city hall and other edifices in the square were in flames. The fire spread rapidly from house to house and from street to street, until nearly a thousand buildings in the most splendid and wealthy portion of the city were in a blaze. In the street behind the town hall a last stand was made. Here the margrave of the city, the burgomasters, senators, soldiers, and citizens fought to the last, until not one remained to wield a sword. When resistance had ceased the massacre began. Women, children, and old men were killed in vast numbers, or driven into the river to drown there. Then the soldiers scattered on the work of plunder. The flames had already snatched treasures estimated at six millions from their grasp, but there was still abundance for all. The most horrible tortures were inflicted upon men, women, and children to force them to reveal the hiding places where they were supposed to have concealed their wealth, and for three days a pandemonium reigned in the city. Two thousand five hundred had been slain, double that number burned and drowned. These are the lowest estimates, many placing the killed at much higher figures. Champagne had fought very valiantly, joining any party of soldiers or citizens he saw making a defense. At last, when the town hall was in flames and all hope over, he said to Ned, who had kept throughout the day at his side, It is no use throwing away our lives, let us cut our way out of the city. I have a boat lying in readiness at the bridge, Ned said, If we can once reach the stairs we can make our way off to the fleet. As they approached the river they saw a Spanish column crossing the street ahead of them, putting spurs to their horses they galloped on at full speed, and bursting into it hewed their way through and continued their course, followed however by a number of Spanish infantry. These are the steps, Ned exclaimed, leaping from his horse. Champagne followed his example. The Spaniards were but twenty yards behind. If you pull on that rope attached to the ring a boat lying under the bridge will come to you, Ned said, I will keep them back till you are ready. Ned turned and faced the Spaniards, and for two or three minutes kept him at bay. His armor was good, and though many blows struck him he was uninjured, while several of the Spaniards fell under his sweeping blows. They fell back for a moment, surprised at his strength, and at this instant the Governor called out that all was ready. Ned turned and rushed down the steps. The Governor was already in the boat. Ned leaped on board, and with a stroke of his sword severed the head rope. Before the leading Spaniards reached the bottom of the steps the boat was a length away. Ned seated himself and seizing the oars rode down the river. Several shots were fired at them from the bridge and wharves as they went, but they passed on uninjured. Ned rode to the Admiral's ship and left the Governor there, and then rode to that of Captain Enkin. Welcome back, the Captain said heartily. I had begun to fear that ill had befallen you. A few fugitives came off at noon with the news that the Spaniards had entered the city and all was lost. Since then the roar of musketry, mingled with shouts and yells, has been unceasing, and that tremendous fire in the heart of the city told its own tale. For the last three hours the river has been full of floating corpses, and the Countess and her daughter, who until then remained on deck, retired to pray in their cabin. The number of fugitives who have reached the ships is very small. Doubtless they crowded into such boats as there were and sank them. At any rate but few have made their way out and those chiefly at the beginning of the fight. Now we had best let the ladies know you are here, for they have been in the greatest anxiety about you. Ned went to the cabin door and knocked. I have returned, Countess. In a moment the door opened. Welcome back indeed, Captain Martin, she said. We had begun to fear that we should never see you again. Thankful indeed, am I, that you have escaped through this terrible day. Are you unhurt? She asked, looking at his bruised and dented armor and at his clothes, which were splashed with blood. I have a few trifling cuts, he replied, but nothing worth speaking of. I am truly thankful, Countess, that you and your daughter put off with me this morning. Yes indeed, the Countess said. I shudder when I think what would have happened had we been there in the city. What a terrible sight it is! It is indeed, Ned replied. The shades of night had now fallen, and over a vast space the flames were mounting high, and a pall of red smoke interspersed with myriads of sparks and flakes of fire hung over the captured city. Occasional discharges of guns were still heard, and the shrieks of women and the shouts of men rose in confused din. It was an immense relief to all on board when, an hour later, the Admiral, fearing that the Spaniards might bring artillery to bear upon the fleet, ordered the anchors to be weighed, and the fleet to drop a few miles below the town. After taking off his armour, washing the blood from his wounds and having them bound up, and attiring himself in a suit lent him by the captain until he should get to Delft, where he had left his valise, Ned partook of a good meal, for he had taken nothing but a mansion of bread and a cup of wine since the previous night. He then went into the cabin and spent the evening in conversation with the Countess and her daughter, the latter of whom had changed since they had last met to the full as much as he had himself done. She had been a girl of fourteen, slim and somewhat tall for her age, and looking pale and delicate from the life of confinement and anxiety they had led at Brussels, and their still greater anxiety at Maastricht. She was now budding into womanhood. Her figure was lissom and graceful, her face was thoughtful and intelligent, and gave promise of rare beauty in another year or two. He learned that they had remained for a time in the village to which they had first gone, and had then moved to another a few miles away, and had there lived quietly in a small house placed at their disposal by one of their friends. Here they had remained unmolested until two months before, when the excesses committed throughout the country by the mutinous soldiery rendered it unsafe for anyone to live outside the walls of the town. They then removed to Antwerp, where there was far more religious toleration than at Brussels, and the Countess had resumed her own name, though still living in complete retirement in the house in which Ned had so fortunately found her. The times have altered me for the better, the Countess said. The Spaniards have retired from that part of Friesland where some of my estates are situated, and those to whom Alva granted them have had to fly. I have a faithful steward there, and since they have left he has collected the rents and has remitted to me such portions as I required, sending over the rest to England to the charge of a banker there, as it may be that the Spaniards will again sweep over Friesland, where they still hold some of the principal towns, I thought it best instead of having my money placed in Holland, where no one can foresee the future, to send it to England, where at least one can find a refuge and a right to exercise our religion. I would that you would go there at once, Countess, for surely at present Holland is no place for two unprotected ladies. Nothing would give my mother greater pleasure than to receive you until you can find a suitable home for yourselves. My sisters are but little older than your daughter, and would do all in their power to make her at home. They too speak your language, and there are thousands of your compatriots in London. What do you say, Gertrude? the Countess asked, but I know that your mind has been so long made up that it is needless to question you. Yes indeed, mother, I would gladly go away anywhere from here, where for the last six years there has been nothing but war and bloodshed. If we could go back and live in Friesland among our own people in safety and peace, I should be delighted to do so, but this country is as strange to us as England would be. Our friends stand aloof from us, and we are ever in fear either of persecution or murder by the Spanish soldiers. I should be so glad to be away from it all, and as Captain Martin says, there are so many of our own people in London that it would scarce feel a strange land to us. You have said over and over again that you would gladly go if you could get away, and now that we can do so, surely it will be better and happier for us than to go on as we have done. Of course it would be better in Holland than it has been here for the last four years, because we should be amongst Protestants, but we shall be still exposed to the dangers of invasion and the horrors of sieges. It is, as my daughter says, Captain Martin, our thoughts have long been turning to England as a refuge. In the early days of the troubles I had thought of France, where so many of our people went, but since St. Bartholomew it has been but too evident that there is neither peace nor safety. For those of the religion there, and that in England alone can we hope to be permitted to worship unmolested. Therefore now that the chance is open to us, we will not refuse it. I do not say that we will cross at once. We have many friends at Rotterdam and Delft, and the Prince held my husband in high esteem in the happy days before the troubles. Therefore I shall tarry there for a while, but it will be for a time only. It will not be long before the Spanish again resume their war of conquest. Besides, we are sick of the tales of horror that come to us daily, and long for calm and tranquility, which we cannot hope to obtain in Holland. Had I a husband or brothers I would share their fate whatever it was, but being alone and unable to aid the cause in any way, it would be folly to continue here and endure trials and risks. You say that you come backwards and forwards often. Well then in two months we shall be ready to put ourselves under your protection and to sail with you for England. The next morning the Admiral dispatched a ship to Rotterdam with the news of the fate of Antwerp, and Ned obtained a passage in her for himself, the ladies and servant, and on arriving at Rotterdam saw them bestowed in comfortable lodgings. He then, after an interview with the Prince, went on board a ship just leaving for England, and upon his arrival reported to the Minister, and afterwards to the Queen herself the terrible massacre of which he had been a witness in Antwerp. The Spanish fury, as the sack of Antwerp was termed, vastly enriched the soldiers, but did small benefit to the cause of Spain. The attack was wanton and unprovoked. Antwerp had not risen in rebellion against Philip, but had been attacked solely for the sake of plunder, and all Europe was shocked at the atrocities that had taken place, and at the slaughter, which was even greater than the massacre in Paris on the eve of St. Bartholomew. The Queen remonstrated in indignant terms the feeling among the Protestants in Germany was equally strong, and even in France public feeling condemned the act. In the Netherlands the feeling of horror and indignation was universal. The fate that had befallen Antwerp might be that of any other sister city. Everywhere petitions were signed in favor of the unity of all the Netherlands under the Prince of Orange. Philip's new governor, Don John, had reached the Netherlands on the very day of the sack of Antwerp, and endeavored to allay the storm of indignation it had excited by various concessions, but the feeling of unity and with it of strength had grown so rapidly that the demands of the commissioners advanced in due proportion, and they insisted upon nothing less than the restoration of their ancient constitution, the right to manage their internal affairs, and the departure of all the Spanish troops from the country. Don John parleyed and parried the demands, and months were spent in unprofitable discussions, while all the time he was working secretly among the nobles of Brabant and Flanders, who were little disposed to see with complacency the triumph of the democracy of the towns and the establishment of religious toleration. Upon all other points Don John and his master were ready to yield. The Spanish troops were sent away to Italy, the Germans only being retained. The constitutional rights would have all been conceded, but on the question of religious tolerance Philip stood firm. At last, seeing that no agreement would ever be arrived at, both parties again prepared for war. The Queen of England had lent one hundred thousand pounds on the security of the cities, and the pause in hostilities during the negotiations had not been altogether wasted in Holland. There had been a municipal insurrection in Amsterdam, the magistrates devoted to Philip had been driven out, and to the great delight of Holland, Amsterdam, its capital, that had long been a stronghold of the enemy, a gate through which he could at will pour his forces, was restored to it. In Antwerp and several others of the cities of Brabant and Flanders, the citizens raised the citadels by which they had been overawed, men, women, and children uniting in the work, tearing down and carrying away the stones of the fortress that had worked them such evil. Antwerp had at the departure of the Spanish troops been again garrisoned by Germans, who had remained inactive during this exhibition of the popular will. The Prince of Orange himself had paid a visit to the city, and had at the invitation of Brussels proceeded there, and had received an enthusiastic reception, and for a time it seemed that the plans for which so many years he had struggled were at last to be crowned with success. But his hopes were frustrated by the treachery of the nobles and the cowardice of the army the patriots had engaged in their service. Many of the Spanish troops had been secretly brought back again, and Don John was preparing for a renewal of war. Unknown to the Prince of Orange, numbers of the nobles had invited the Archduke Matthias, brother of the Emperor Rudolph of Germany, to assume the government. Matthias, without consultation with his brother, accepted the invitation and journeyed privately to the Netherlands. Had the Prince of Orange declared against him he must at once have returned to Vienna, but this would have aroused the anger of the Emperor and the whole of Germany. Had the Prince upon the other hand abandoned the field and retired into Holland, he would have played into the hands of his adversaries. Accordingly he received Matthias at Antwerp with great state, and the Archduke was well satisfied to place himself in the hands of the most powerful man in the country. The Prince's position was greatly strengthened by the Queen instructing her ministers to inform the envoy of the Netherlands that she would feel compelled to withdraw all succor of the States if the Prince of Orange was deprived of his leadership, as it was upon him alone that she relied for success. The Prince was there upon appointed Ruvard of Brabant, a position almost analogous to that of dictator. Gent, which was second only in importance to Antwerp, rose almost immediately, turned out the Catholic authorities and declared in favour of the Prince. A new Act of Union was signed at Brussels, and the Estates General passed a resolution declaring Don John to be no longer Governor or Stad holder of the Netherlands. The Prince of Orange was appointed Lieutenant General for Matthias, and the actual power of the latter was reduced to a nullity, but he was installed at Brussels with the greatest pomp and ceremony. Don John, who had by this time collected an army of twenty thousand veterans at Namor, and had been joined by the Prince of Parma, a general of great vigor and ability, now marched against the army of the Estates, of which the command had been given to the nobles of the country in the hope of binding them firmly to the national cause. The Patriot army fell back before that of the Spaniards, but were soon engaged by a small body of cavalry. Alexander of Parma came up with some twelve hundred horse, dashed boldly across a dangerous swamp, and fell upon their flank. The Estates cavalry at once turned and fled, and Parma then fell upon the infantry, and in the course of an hour not only defeated but almost exterminated them, from seven thousand to eight thousand being killed and six hundred taken prisoners, the latter being executed without mercy by Don John. The loss of the Spaniards was only about ten men. This extraordinary disproportion of numbers, and the fact that twelve hundred men so easily defeated a force ten times more numerous, completely dashed to the ground, the hopes of the Netherlands, and showed how utterly incapable were its soldiers of contending in the field with the veterans of Spain. The battle was followed by the rapid reduction of a large number of towns, most of which surrendered without resistance as soon as the Spanish troops approached. In the meantime the Estates had assembled another army, which was joined by one composed of twelve thousand Germans under Duke Casimir. Both armies were rendered inactive by want of funds, and the situation was complicated by the entry of the Duke of Alençon, the brother of the King of France into the Netherlands. Don John, the hero of the Battle of La Panto, who had shown himself on many battlefields to be at once a great commander and a valiant soldier, was prostrate by disease, brought on by vexation, partly at the difficulties he had met with since his arrival in the Netherlands, partly at the neglect of Spain to furnish him with money with which he could set his army, now numbering thirty thousand in motion, and sweep aside all resistance. At this critical moment his malady increased, and after a week's illness he expired, just two years after his arrival in the Netherlands. He was succeeded at first temporarily and afterwards permanently by Alexander of Parma, also a great commander, and possessing far greater resolution than his unfortunate predecessor. The two years had been spent by Edward Martin in almost incessant journeyings between London and the Netherlands. He now held, however, a position much superior to that which he had formerly occupied. The Queen, after hearing from him his account of the sack of Antwerp and his share in the struggle, had said to the Secretary, I think that it is only just that we should bestow upon Captain Martin some signal mark of our appropriation at the manner in which he has for two years devoted himself to our service, and that without pay or reward but solely from his loyalty to our person, and from his goodwill towards the State. Neil, Captain Martin, the Queen took the sword that Walsingham handed to her, and said, Rise, Sir Edward Martin, you will draw out, Mr. Secretary, our new knight's appointment as our special envoy to the Prince of Orange, and see that he has proper appointments for such a post. His duties will, as before, be particular to myself and the Prince, and will not clash in any way with those of our envoy at the Hague. The delight of Ned's mother and sisters when he returned home and informed them of the honour that the Queen had been pleased to bestow upon him was great indeed. His father said, Well, Ned, I must congratulate you with the others, though I had hoped to make a sailor of you. However, circumstances have been too much for me. I own that you have been thrust into this work rather by fortune and design, and as it is so I am heartily glad that you have succeeded. It seems strange to me that my boy should have become, Sir Edward Martin, an officer in the service of Her Majesty, and I say frankly that just at present I would rather that it had been otherwise, but I suppose I shall get accustomed to it in time, and assuredly none but myself will doubt for a moment that you have gained greatly by all this honour and dignity. Queen Elizabeth, although in some respects parsimonious in the extreme, was liberal to her favourites, and the new-made night stood high in her liking. She loved to have good-looking men about her, and without being actually handsome, Ned Martin, with his height and breadth of shoulder, his easy and upright carriage, his frank open face and sunny smile, was pleasant to look upon. He had served her excellently for two years, had asked for no rewards or favours, but had borne himself modestly, and been content to wait. Therefore the Queen was pleased to order her treasurer to issue a commission to Sir Edward Martin, as Her Majesty's special envoy to the Prince of Orange, with such appointments as would enable him handsomely to support his new dignity and his position as her representative. Even Captain Martin was now bound to confess that Ned had gained profit as well as honour. He did indeed warn his son not to place too much confidence in princes, but Ned replied, I do not think the Queen is fickle in her likes and dislikes, Father, but I rely not upon this, but on doing my duty to the State for further employment. I have had extraordinary good fortune, too, and have, without any merit, saved that of always doing my best, mounted step by step from the deck of the good venture to knighthood and employment by the State. The war appears to me to be as far from coming to an end as it did six years ago, and if I continue to acquit myself to the satisfaction of the Lord Treasurer and Council, I hope that at its conclusion I may be employed upon such further work as I am fitted for. You speak rightly, Ned, and I am wrong to feel anxiety about your future when you have already done so well. And now, Ned, you had best go into the city and order from some tailor who supplies the court such suits as are fitting to your new rank. The Queen loves brave dresses and bright colours, and you must cut as good a figure as the rest. You have been somewhat of an expense to me these last two years, but that is over now, and I can well afford the additional outlay to start you worthily. What was good enough for Captain Martin is not good enough for Sir Edward Martin. Therefore, stent not expense in any way. I should not like that you should not hold your own with the young fobs of the court. It was well that Ned had provided himself with a new outfit, for he was not sent abroad again for more than a month, and during that time he was almost daily at court, receiving from the royal chamberlain a notification that the Queen expected to see him at all entertainments. At the first of these, Lord Walsingham introduced him to many of the young nobles of the court, speaking very highly of the services he had rendered, and as the Queen was pleased to speak often to him and to show him marked favour, he was exceedingly well received, and soon found himself at ease. He was nevertheless glad when the order came for him to proceed again to Holland with messages to the Prince of Orange. Upon his arrival there he was warmly congratulated by the Prince. You have well earned your rank, the Prince said. I take some pride to myself in having so soon discovered that you had good stuff in you. There are some friends of yours here who will be glad to hear of the honour that has befallen you. The Countess Vaughn Hopp and her daughter have been here for the last six weeks. I have seen them several times, and upon each occasion they spoke to me of their gratitude for the services you have rendered them. One of my pages will show you where they are lodging, they are about to proceed to England, and I think their decision is a wise one, for this country is at present no place for unprotected women. The Countess and her daughter were alike surprised and pleased when Ned was announced as Sir Edward Martin, and when a fortnight later Ned sailed for England they took passage in the same ship. Ned had sent word to his mother by a vessel that sailed a week previously that they would arrive with him, and the best room in the house had been gotten readiness for them, and they received a hearty welcome from Ned's parents and sisters. They stayed a fortnight there and then established themselves in a pretty little house in the village of Dolich. One of Ned's sisters accompanied them to stay for a time as Gertrude's friend and companion. Whenever Ned returned home he was a frequent visitor at Dolich, and at the end of two years his sisters were delighted but not surprised when he returned one day and told them that Gertrude Von Harp had accepted him. The marriage was not to take place for a time, for Ned was still young, and the Countess thought it had best be delayed. She was now receiving a regular income from her estates, for it had been a time of comparative peace in Holland, and that country was increasing fast in wealth and prosperity. Alexander of Parma had by means of his agents corrupted the greater part of the nobility of Flanders and Brabant, had laid siege to Maastricht, and after a defense even more gallant and desperate than that of Harlem, and several terrible repulses of his soldiers, had captured the city and put the greater part of its inhabitants, men and women, to the sword. After vain entreaties to Elizabeth to assume the sovereignty of the Netherlands, this had been offered to the Duke of Anjou, brother of the King of France. The choice appeared to be a politic one, for Anjou was at the time the all but accepted suitor of Queen Elizabeth, and it was thought that the choice would unite both powers in the defense of Holland. The Duke, however, speedily proved his incapacity, irritated at the smallness of the authority granted him, and the independent attitude of the great towns he attempted to capture them by force. He was successful in several places, but at Antwerp, where the French thought to repeat the Spanish success and to sack the city, the burgers gathered so strongly and fiercely that the French troops employed were for the most part killed, those who survived being ignominiously taken prisoners. Anjou retired with his army, losing a large number of men on his retreat by the bursting of a dyke and the flooding of the country. By this time the Prince of Orange had accepted the sovereignty of Holland and Zeeland, which was now completely separated from the rest of the Netherlands. After the flight of Anjou, he received many invitations from the other provinces to accept their sovereignty, but he steadily refused, having no personal ambition, and knowing well that no reliance whatever could be placed upon the nobles of Brabant and Flanders.