by G. A. Henty
Produced by Martin Robb
By England's Aid
or The Freeing of the Netherlands (1585-1604)
by G. A. Henty
PREFACE.
MY DEAR LADS,
In my preface to By Pike and Dyke I promised in a future story to dealwith the closing events of the War of Independence in Holland. Theperiod over which that war extended was so long, and the incidentswere so numerous and varied, that it was impossible to include thewhole within the limit of a single book. The former volume broughtthe story of the struggle down to the death of the Prince of Orangeand the capture of Antwerp; the present gives the second phase ofthe war, when England, who had long unofficially assisted Holland,threw herself openly into the struggle, and by her aid mainlycontributed to the successful issue of the war. In the first partof the struggle the scene lay wholly among the low lands and citiesof Holland and Zeeland, and the war was strictly a defensive one,waged against overpowering odds. After England threw herself intothe strife it assumed far wider proportions, and the independenceof the Netherlands was mainly secured by the defeat and destructionof the great Armada, by the capture of Cadiz and the fatal blowthereby struck at the mercantile prosperity of Spain, and by thedefeat of the Holy League by Henry of Navarre, aided by Englishsoldiers and English gold. For the facts connected with thedoings of Sir Francis Vere and the British contingent in Holland,I have depended much upon the excellent work by Mr. Clement Markhamentitled the Fighting Veres. In this full justice is done to thegreat English general and his followers, and it is conclusivelyshown that some statements to the disparagement of Sir FrancisVere by Mr. Motley are founded upon a misconception of the facts.Sir Francis Vere was, in the general opinion of the time, one ofthe greatest commanders of the age, and more, perhaps, than anyother man with the exception of the Prince of Orange contributedto the successful issue of the struggle of Holland to throw offthe yoke of Spain.
Yours sincerely,
G.A. HENTY
CHAPTER I
AN EXCURSION
"And we beseech Thee, O Lord, to give help and succour to Thy servantsthe people of Holland, and to deliver them from the cruelties andpersecutions of their wicked oppressors; and grant Thy blessing,we pray Thee, upon the arms of our soldiers now embarking to aidthem in their extremity."
These were the words with which the Rev. John Vickars, rector ofHedingham, concluded the family prayers on the morning of December6th, 1585.
For twenty years the first portion of this prayer had been repeateddaily by him, as it had been in tens of thousands of Englishhouseholds; for since the people of the Netherlands first roseagainst the Spanish yoke the hearts of the Protestants of Englandhad beat warmly in their cause, and they had by turns been movedto admiration at the indomitable courage with which the Dutchstruggled for independence against the might of the greatest powerin Europe, and to horror and indignation at the pitiless crueltyand wholesale massacres by which the Spaniards had striven to stampout resistance.
From the first the people of England would gladly have joinedin the fray, and made common cause with their co-religionists;but the queen and her counsellors had been restrained by weightyconsiderations from embarking in such a struggle. At the commencementof the war the power of Spain overshadowed all Europe. Her infantrywere regarded as irresistible. Italy and Germany were virtually herdependencies, and England was but a petty power beside her. SinceAgincourt was fought we had taken but little part in wars on theContinent. The feudal system was extinct; we had neither army normilitary system; and the only Englishmen with the slightest experienceof war were those who had gone abroad to seek their fortunes, andhad fought in the armies of one or other of the continental powers.Nor were we yet aware of our naval strength. Drake and Hawkins andthe other buccaneers had not yet commenced their private war withSpain, on what was known as the Spanish Main--the waters ofthe West Indian Islands--and no one dreamed that the time wasapproaching when England would be able to hold her own against thestrength of Spain on the seas.
Thus, then, whatever the private sentiments of Elizabeth and hercounsellors, they shrank from engaging England in a life and deathstruggle with the greatest power of the time; though as the strugglewent on the queen's sympathy with the people of the Netherlandswas more and more openly shown. In 1572 she was present at a paradeof three hundred volunteers who mustered at Greenwich under ThomasMorgan and Roger Williams for service in the Netherlands. Sir HumphreyGilbert, half brother of Sir Walter Raleigh, went out a few monthslater with 1500 men, and from that time numbers of English volunteerscontinued to cross the seas and join in the struggle against theSpaniards. Nor were the sympathies of the queen confined to allowingher subjects to take part in the fighting; for she sent out largesums of money to the Dutch, and as far as she could, without openlyjoining them, gave them her aid.
Spain remonstrated continually against these breaches of neutrality,while the Dutch on their part constantly implored her to join themopenly; but she continued to give evasive answers to both partiesuntil the assassination of William of Orange on 10th July, 1584,sent a thrill of horror through England, and determined the queenand her advisers to take a more decisive part in the struggle. In thefollowing June envoys from the States arrived in London, and werereceived with great honour, and a treaty between the two countrieswas agreed upon. Three months later the queen published a declarationto her people and to Europe at large, setting forth the terriblepersecutions and cruelties to which "our next neighbours, the peopleof the Low Countries," the special allies and friends of England,had been exposed, and stating her determination to aid them torecover their liberty. The proclamation concluded: "We mean nothereby to make particular profit to ourself and our people, onlydesiring to obtain, by God's favour, for the Countries, a deliveranceof them from war by the Spaniards and foreigners, with a restitutionof their ancient liberties and government.
Sir Thomas Cecil was sent out at once as governor of Brill, andSir Philip Sidney as governor of Flushing, these towns being handedover to England as guarantees by the Dutch. These two officers,with bodies of troops to serve as garrisons, took charge of theirrespective fortresses in November. Orders were issued for theraising of an army for service in the Low Countries, and Dudley,Earl of Leicester, was appointed by the queen to its command.The decision of the queen was received with enthusiasm in Englandas well as in Holland, and although the Earl of Leicester was notpersonally popular, volunteers flocked to his standard.
Breakfast at Hedingham Rectory had been set at an earlier hour thanusual on the 6th of December, 1585. There was an unusual stir andexcitement in the village, for young Mr. Francis Vere, cousin ofthe Earl of Oxford, lord of Hedingham and of all the surroundingcountry, was to start that morning to ride to Colchester, thereto join the Earl of Leicester and his following as a volunteer. Assoon as breakfast was over young Geoffrey and Lionel Vickars, boysof fourteen and thirteen years old, proceeded to the castle closeby, and there mounted the horses provided for them, and rode withFrancis Vere to Colchester.
Francis, who was at this time twenty-five years old, was accompaniedby his elder brother, John, and his two younger brothers, Robertand Horace, and by many other friends; and it was a gay train thatcantered down the valley of the Colne to Colchester. That ancienttown was all astir. Gentlemen had ridden in from all the countryseats and manors for many miles round, and the quiet streets werealive with people. At two o'clock in the afternoon news arrivedthat the earl was approaching, and, headed by the bailiffs of thetown in scarlet gowns, the multitude moved out to meet the earl onthe Lexden road. Presently a long train was seen app
roaching; forwith Leicester were the Earl of Essex, Lords North and Audley, SirWilliam Russell, Sir Thomas Shirley, and other volunteers, to thenumber of five hundred horse. All were gaily attired and caparisoned,and the cortege presented a most brilliant appearance. The multitudecheered lustily, the bailiffs presented an address, and followed byhis own train and by the gentlemen who had assembled to meet him,the earl rode into the town. He himself took up his abode at thehouse of Sir Thomas Lucas, while his followers were distributedamong the houses of the townsfolk. Two hours after the arrival ofthe earl, the party from Hedingham took leave of Mr. Francis Vere.
"Goodbye, lads," he said to the young Vickars, "I will keep mypromise, never fear; and if the struggle goes on till you are oldenough to carry arms, I will, if I am still alive, take you undermy leading and teach you the art of war."
Upon the following day the Earl of Leicester and his following rodeto Manningtree, and took boat down the Stour to Harwich, where thefleet, under Admiral William Borough, was lying. Here they embarked,and on the 9th of December sailed for Flushing, where they werejoined by another fleet of sixty ships from the Thames.
More than a year passed. The English had fought sturdily in Holland.Mr. Francis Vere had been with his cousin, Lord Willoughby, whowas in command of Bergen op Zoom, and had taken part in the firstbrush with the enemy, when a party of the garrison marched out andattacked a great convoy of four hundred and fifty wagons going toAntwerp, killed three hundred of the enemy, took eighty prisoners,and destroyed all their wagons except twenty-seven, which theycarried into the town. Leicester provisioned the town of Grave,which was besieged by the Duke of Parma, the Spanish commanderin chief. Axel was captured by surprise, the volunteers swimmingacross the moat at night, and throwing open the gates. Doesburgwas captured, and Zutphen besieged.
Parma marched to its relief, and, under cover of a thick fog,succeeded in getting close at hand before it was known that hewas near. Then the English knights and volunteers, 200 in number,mounted in hot haste and charged a great Spanish column of 5000horse and foot. They were led by Sir William Russell, under whomwere Lord Essex, North, Audley, and Willoughby, behind the lastof whom rode Francis Vere. For two hours this little band of horsefought desperately in the midst of the Spanish cavalry, and forcedthem at last to fall back, but were themselves obliged to retreatwhen the Spanish infantry came up and opened fire upon them. TheEnglish loss was 34 killed and wounded, while 250 of the Spaniardswere slain, and three of their colours captured. Among the woundedon the English side was the very noble knight Sir Philip Sidney,who was shot by a musket ball, and died three weeks afterwards.
The successes of the English during these two years were counterbalancedby the cowardly surrender of Grave by its governor, and by thetreachery of Sir William Stanley, governor of Deventer, and of RolandYorke, who commanded the garrisons of the two forts known as theZutphen Sconces. Both these officers turned traitors and deliveredup the posts they commanded to the Spaniards. Their conduct notonly caused great material loss to the allies, but it gave riseto much bad feeling between the English and Dutch, the lattercomplaining that they received but half hearted assistance fromthe English.
It was not surprising, however, that Leicester was unable to effectmore with the little force under his command, for it was necessarynot only to raise soldiers, but to invent regulations and discipline.The Spanish system was adopted, and this, the first English regulararmy, was trained and appointed precisely upon the system of thefoe with whom they were fighting. It was no easy task to convert abody of brave knights and gentlemen and sturdy countrymen into regulartroops, and to give them the advantages conferred by disciplineand order. But the work was rendered the less difficult by theadmixture of the volunteers who had been bravely fighting for tenyears under Morgan, Rowland Williams, John Norris, and others. Thesehad had a similar experience on their first arrival in Holland.Several times in their early encounters with the Spaniards theundisciplined young troops had behaved badly; but they had gainedexperience from their reverses, and had proved themselves fullycapable of standing in line even against the splendid pikemen ofSpain.
While the English had been drilling and fighting in Holland thingshad gone on quietly at Hedingham. The village stands near theheadwaters of the Colne and Stour, in a rich and beautiful country.On a rising ground behind it stood the castle of the Veres, whichwas approached from the village by a drawbridge across the moat.There were few more stately piles in England than the seat ofthe Earl of Oxford. On one side of the great quadrangle was thegatehouse and a lofty tower, on another the great hall and chapeland the kitchens, on a third the suites of apartments of theofficials and retinue. In rear were the stables and granaries, thebutts and tennis court, beyond which was the court of the tournaments.
In the centre of the quadrangle rose the great keep, which stillstands, the finest relic of Norman civil architecture in England.It possessed great strength, and at the same time was richlyornamented with carving. The windows, arches, and fireplaces weredecorated with chevron carvings. A beautiful spiral pattern enrichedthe doorway and pillars of the staircase leading to galleries cutin the thickness of the wall, with arched openings looking into thehall below. The outlook from the keep extended over the parishes ofCastle Hedingham, Sybil Hedingham, Kirby, and Tilbury, all belongingto the Veres--whose property extended far down the pretty valleyof the Stour--with the stately Hall of Long Melford, the Priory ofClare, and the little town of Lavenham; indeed, the whole countrywas dotted with the farm houses and manors of the Veres. Sevenmiles down the valley of the Colne lies the village of Earl's Colne,with the priory, where ten of the earls of Oxford lie buried withtheir wives.
The parish church of Castle Hedingham stood at the end of the littlevillage street, and the rectory of Mr. Vickars was close by. Theparty gathered at morning prayers consisted of Mr. Vickars and hiswife, their two sons, Geoffrey and Lionel, and the maidservants,Ruth and Alice. The boys, now fourteen and fifteen years oldrespectively, were strong grown and sturdy lads, and their fatherhad long since owned with a sigh that neither of them was likelyto follow his profession and fill the pulpit at Hedingham Churchwhen he was gone. Nor was this to be wondered at, for lying as itdid at the entrance to the great castle of the Veres, the street ofthe little village was constantly full of armed men, and resoundedwith the tramp of the horses of richly dressed knights and gayladies.
Here came great politicians, who sought the friendship and supportof the powerful earls of Oxford, nobles and knights, their kinsmenand allies, gentlemen from the wide spreading manors of the family,stout fighting men who wished to enlist under their banner. At nightthe sound of music from the castle told of gay entertainments andfestive dances, while by day parties of knights and ladies withdogs and falcons sallied out to seek sport over the wide domains.It could hardly be expected, then, that lads of spirit, broughtup in the midst of sights and sounds like these, should entertaina thought of settling down to the tranquil life of the church. Aslong as they could remember, their minds had been fixed upon beingsoldiers, and fighting some day under the banner of the Veres. Theyhad been a good deal in the castle; for Mr. Vickars had assistedArthur Golding, the learned instructor to young Edward Vere, the17th earl, who was born in 1550, and had succeeded to the title atthe age of twelve, and he had afterwards been tutor to the earl'scousins, John, Francis, Robert, and Horace, the sons of Geoffrey,fourth son of the 15th earl. These boys were born in 1558, 1560,1562, and 1565, and lived with their mother at Kirby Hall, a milefrom the Castle of Hedingham.
The earl was much attached to his old instructor, and when he wasat the castle there was scarce a day but an invitation came downfor Mr. Vickars and his wife to be present either at banquet orentertainment. The boys were free to come and go as they chose,and the earl's men-at-arms had orders to afford them all necessaryteaching in the use of weapons.
Mr. Vickars considered it his duty to accept the invitations ofhis friend and patron, but he sorely grudged the time so abstractedfrom his favourite bo
oks. It was, indeed, a relief to him when theearl, whose love of profusion and luxury made serious inroads eveninto the splendid possessions of the Veres, went up to court, andpeace and quietness reigned in the castle. The rector was fonderof going to Kirby, where John, Geoffrey's eldest son, lived quietlyand soberly, his three younger brothers having, when mere boys,embraced the profession of arms, placing themselves under the careof the good soldier Sir William Brownie, who had served for manyyears in the Low Countries. They occasionally returned home fora time, and were pleased to take notice of the sons of their oldtutor, although Geoffrey was six years junior to Horace, the youngestof the brothers.
The young Vickars had much time to themselves, much more, indeed,than their mother considered to be good for them. After theirbreakfast, which was finished by eight o'clock, their father tookthem for an hour and heard the lessons they had prepared the daybefore, and gave them instruction in the Latin tongue. Then theywere supposed to study till the bell rang for dinner at twelve; butthere was no one to see that they did so, for their father seldomcame outside his library door, and their mother was busy with herdomestic duties and in dispensing simples to the poor people, who,now that the monasteries were closed, had no medical aid save thatwhich they got from the wives of the gentry or ministers, or fromthe wise women, of whom there was generally one in every village.
Therefore, after half an hour, or at most an hour, spent in gettingup their tasks, the books would be thrown aside, and the boysbe off, either to the river or up to the castle to practice swordplay with the men-at-arms, or to the butts with their bows, or tothe rabbit warren, where they had leave from the earl to go withtheir dogs whenever they pleased. Their long excursions were,however, generally deferred until after dinner, as they were thenfree until suppertime--and even if they did not return after thathour Mrs. Vickars did not chide them unduly, being an easygoingwoman, and always ready to make excuses for them.
There were plenty of fish in the river; and the boys knew thepools they loved best, and often returned with their baskets wellfilled. There were otters on its banks, too; but, though theysometimes chased these pretty creatures, Tan and Turk, their twodogs, knew as well as their masters that they had but small chanceof catching them. Sometimes they would take a boat at the bridgeand drop down the stream for miles, and once or twice had evengone down to Bricklesey at the mouth of the river. This, however,was an expedition that they never performed alone, making it eachtime in charge of Master Lirriper, who owned a flat barge, and tookproduce down to Bricklesey, there to be transhipped into coastersbound for London. He had a married daughter there, and it was ather house the boys had slept when they went there; for the journeydown and up again was too long to be performed in a single day.
But this was not the only distant expedition they had made, for theyhad once gone down the Stour as far as Harwich with their fatherwhen he was called thither on business. To them Harwich with itsold walls and the houses crowned up within them, and its busy portwith vessels coming in and going out, was most delightful, and theyalways talked about that expedition as one of the most pleasantrecollections of their lives.
After breakfast was over on the 1st of May, 1587, and they haddone their lessons with their father, and had worked for an hourby themselves, the boys put by their books and strolled down thevillage to the bridge. There as usual stood their friend MasterLirriper with his hands deep in his pockets, a place and positionin which he was sure to be found when not away in his barge.
"Good morning, Master Lirriper."
"Good morning, Master Geoffrey and Master Lionel."
"So you are not down the river today?"
"No, sir. I am going tomorrow, and this time I shall be away fouror five days--maybe even a week."
"Shall you?" the boys exclaimed in surprise. "Why, what are yougoing to do?"
"I am going round to London in my nephew Joe Chambers' craft."
"Are you really?" Geoffrey exclaimed. "I wish we were going withyou. Don't you think you could take us, Master Lirriper?"
The bargeman looked down into the water and frowned. He was slowof speech, but as the minutes went on and he did not absolutelyrefuse the boys exchanged glances of excitement and hope.
"I dunno how that might be, young sirs," John Lirriper said slowly,after long cogitation. "I dussay my nephew would have no objection,but what would parson say about it?"
"Oh, I don't think he would object," Geoffrey said. "If you go upand ask him, Master Lirriper, and say that you will take care ofus, you know, I don't see why he should say no."
"Like enough you would be ill," John Lirriper said after anotherlong pause. "It's pretty rough sometimes.
"Oh, we shouldn't mind that," Lionel protested. "We should like tosee the waves and to be in a real ship."
"It's nothing much of a ship," the boatman said. "She is a ketchof about ten tons and carries three hands."
"Oh, we don't care how small she is if we can only go in her; andyou would be able to show us London, and we might even see thequeen. Oh, do come up with us and ask father, Master Lirriper."
"Perhaps parson wouldn't be pleased, young sirs, and, might say Iwas putting wandering thoughts into your heads; and Mistress Vickarsmight think it a great liberty on my part."
"Oh, no, she wouldn't, Master Lirriper. Besides, we will say weasked you."
"But suppose any harm comes to you, what would they say to me then?"
"Oh, there's no fear of any harm coming to us. Besides, in anotheryear or two we mean to go over to the Low Countries and fight theSpaniards, and what's a voyage to London to that?"
"Well, I will think about it," John Lirriper said cautiously.
"No, no, Master Lirriper; if you get thinking about it it willnever be done. Do come up with us at once," and each of them gothold of one of the boatman's arms.
"Well, the parson can but say no," he said, as he suffered himselfto be dragged away. "And I don't say as it isn't reasonable thatyou should like to see something of the world, young sirs; but Idon't know how the parson will take it."
Mr. Vickars looked up irritably from his books when the servantcame in and said that Master Lirriper wished to see him.
"What does he want at this hour?" he said. "You know, Ruth, I neversee people before dinner. Any time between that and supper I am attheir service, but it's too bad being disturbed now."
"I told him so, sir; but Master Geoffrey and Master Lionel werewith him, and they said he wanted particular to see you, and theywanted particular too."
The clergyman sighed as he put his book down.
"If Geoffrey and Lionel have concerned themselves in the matter,Ruth, I suppose I must see the man; but it's very hard beingdisturbed like this. Well, Master Lirriper, what is it?" he asked,as the boatman accompanied by Geoffrey and Lionel entered the room.Master Lirriper twirled his hat in his hand. Words did not comeeasily to him at the best of times, and this was a business thatdemanded thought and care. Long before he had time to fix upon anappropriate form of words Geoffrey broke in:
"This is what it is, father. Master Lirriper is going down the riverto Bricklesey tomorrow, and then he is going on board his nephew'sship. She is a ketch, and she carries ten tons, though I don'tknow what it is she carries; and she's going to London, and he isgoing in her, and he says if you will let him he will take us withhim, and will show us London, and take great care of us. It willbe glorious, father, if you will only let us go."
Mr. Vickars looked blankly as Geoffrey poured out his torrent ofwords. His mind was still full of the book he had been reading,and he hardly took in the meaning of Geoffrey's words.
"Going in a ketch!" he repeated. "Going to catch something, Isuppose you mean? Do you mean he is going fishing?"
"No, father,--going in a ketch. A ketch is a sort of ship, father,though I don't quite know what sort of ship. What sort of ship isa ketch, Master Lirriper?"
"A ketch is a two masted craft, Master Geoffrey," John Lirripersaid. "She carries a big mizzen sail."
"There, you see, father," Geoffrey said triumphantly; "she carriesa big mizzen sail. That's what she is, you see; and he is going toshow us London, and will take great care of us if you will let usgo with him."
"Do you mean, Master Lirriper," Mr. Vickars asked slowly, "thatyou are going to London in some sort of ship, and want to take mysons with you?"
"Well, sir, I am going to London, and the young masters seemed tothink that they would like to go with me, if so be you would haveno objection."
"I don't know," Mr. Vickars said, "It is a long passage, MasterLirriper; and, as I have heard, often a stormy one. I don't thinkmy wife--"
"Oh, yes, father," Lionel broke in. "If you say yes, mother is sureto say yes; she always does, you know. And, you see, it will be agreat thing for us to see London. Every one else seems to have seenLondon, and I am sure that it would do us good. And we might evensee the queen."
"I think that they would be comfortable, sir," John Lirriper putin. "You see, my nephew's wife is daughter of a citizen, one MasterSwindon, a ship's chandler, and he said there would be a room therefor me, and they would make me heartily welcome. Now, you see,sir, the young masters could have that room, and I could very wellsleep on board the ketch; and they would be out of all sort ofmischief there."
"That would be a very good plan certainly, Master Lirriper. Well,well, I don't know what to say."
"Say yes, father," Geoffrey said as he saw Mr. Vickars glanceanxiously at the book he had left open. "If you say yes, you seeit will be a grand thing for you, our being away for a week withnothing to disturb you."
"Well, well," Mr. Vickars said, "you must ask your mother. If shemakes no objection, then I suppose you can go," and Mr. Vickarshastily took up his book again.
The boys ran off to the kitchen, where their mother was superintendingthe brewing of some broth for a sick woman down the village.
"Mother!" Geoffrey exclaimed, "Master Lirriper's going to Londonin a ketch--a ship with a big mizzen sail, you know--and hehas offered to take us with him and show us London. And father hassaid yes, and it's all settled if you have no objection; and ofcourse you haven't."
"Going to London, Geoffrey!" Mrs. Vickars exclaimed aghast. "Inever heard of such a thing. Why, like enough you will be drownedon the way and never come back again. Your father must be mad tothink of such a thing."
"Oh, no, mother; I am sure it will do us a lot of good. And we maysee the queen, mother. And as for drowning, why, we can both swimever so far. Besides, people don't get drowned going to London. Dothey, Master Lirriper?"
John was standing bashfully at the door of the kitchen. "Well,not as a rule, Master Geoffrey," he replied. "They comes and theygoes, them that are used to it, maybe a hundred times withoutanything happening to them."
"There! You hear that, mother? They come and go hundreds of times.Oh, I am sure you are not going to say no. That would be too badwhen father has agreed to it. Now, mother, please tell Ruth to runaway at once and get a wallet packed with our things. Of course weshall want our best clothes; because people dress finely in London,and it would never do if we saw the queen and we hadn't our bestdoublets on, for she would think that we didn't know what was seemlydown at Hedingham."
"Well, my dears, of course if it is all settled--"
"Oh, yes, mother, it is quite all settled."
"Then it's no use my saying anything more about it, but I thinkyour father might have consulted me before he gave his consent toyour going on such a hazardous journey as this."
"He did want to consult you, mother. But then, you see, he wantedto consult his books even more, and he knew very well that youwould agree with him; and you know you would too. So please don'tsay anything more about it, but let Ruth run upstairs and see toour things at once.
"There, you see, Master Lirriper, it is all settled. And what timedo you start tomorrow? We will be there half an hour before, anyhow."
"I shall go at seven from the bridge. Then I shall just catch theturn of the tide and get to Bricklesey in good time."
"I never did see such boys," Mrs. Vickars said when John Lirriperhad gone on his way. "As for your father, I am surprised at himin countenancing you. You will be running all sorts of risks. Youmay be drowned on the way, or killed in a street brawl, or get mixedup in a plot. There is no saying what may not happen. And here itis all settled before I have even time to think about it, which ismost inconsiderate of your father."
"Oh, we shall get back again without any harm, mother. And as togetting killed in a street brawl, Lionel and I can use our hangersas well as most of them. Besides, nothing of that sort is goingto happen to us. Now, mother, please let Ruth go at once, and tellher to put up our puce doublets that we had for the jousting at thecastle, and our red hose and our dark green cloth slashed trunks."
"There is plenty of time for that, Geoffrey, as you are not goinguntil tomorrow. Besides, I can't spare Ruth now, but she shall seeabout it after dinner."
There was little sleep for the boys that night. A visit to London hadlong been one of their wildest ambitions, and they could scarcelybelieve that thus suddenly and without preparation it was aboutto take place. Their father had some time before promised that hewould someday make request to one or other of the young Veres toallow them to ride to London in his suite, but the present seemedto them an even more delightful plan. There would be the pleasureof the voyage, and moreover it would be much more lively for themto be able to see London under the charge of John Lirriper than tobe subject to the ceremonial and restraint that would be enforcedin the household of the Veres. They were, then, at the appointedplace a full hour before the time named, with wallets containingtheir clothes, and a basket of provisions that their mother hadprepared for them. Having stowed these away in the little cabin,they walked up and down impatiently until Master Lirriper himselfappeared.
"You are up betimes, my young masters," the boatman said. "Thechurch has not yet struck seven o'clock."
"We have been here ever so long, Master Lirriper. We could not sleepmuch last night, and got up when it chimed five, being afraid thatwe might drop off to sleep and be late."
"Well, we shall not be long before we are off. Here comes my manDick, and the tide is just on the turn. The sky looks bright, andthe weather promises well. I will just go round to the cottage andfetch up my things, and then we shall be ready."
In ten minutes they pushed off from the shore. John and his man gotout long poles shod with iron, and with these set to work to puntthe barge along. Now that they were fairly on their way the boysquieted down, and took their seats on the sacks of flour with whichthe boat was laden, and watched the objects on the bank as the boatmade her way quietly along.
Halstead was the first place passed. This was the largest town nearHedingham, and was a place of much importance in their eyes. Thenthey passed Stanstead Hall and Earl's Colne on their right, ColneWake on their left, and Chapel Parish on their right. Then therewas a long stretch without any large villages, until they came insight of the bridge above Colchester. A few miles below the townthe river began to widen. The banks were low and flat, and theywere now entering an arm of the sea. Half an hour later the housesand church of Bricklesey came in sight. Tide was almost low whenthey ran on to the mud abreast of the village, but John put on apair of high boots and carried the boys ashore one after the otheron his back, and then went up with them to the house where theywere to stop for the night.
Here, although not expected, they were heartily welcomed by John'sdaughter.
"If father had told me that you had been coming, Masters Vickars,I would have had a proper dinner for you; but though he sent wordyesterday morning that he should be over today, he did not say aword about your coming with them."
"He did not know himself," Geoffrey said; "it was only settled atten o'clock yesterday. But do not trouble yourself about the dinner.In the first place, we are so pleased at going that we don't carea bit what we eat, and in the second place we had breakfast onboard the boat, and we were both so hung
ry that I am sure we couldgo till supper time without eating if necessary."
"Where are you going, father?" the young woman asked.
"I am going to set about unloading the flour."
"Why, it's only a quarter to twelve, and dinner just ready. Thefish went into the frying pan as you came up from the boat. Youknow we generally dine at half past eleven, but we saw you comingat a distance and put it off. It's no use your starting now."
"Well, I suppose it isn't. And I don't know what the young masters'appetite may be, but mine is pretty good, I can tell you."
"I never knew it otherwise, father," the woman laughed. "Ah, hereis my Sam. Sam, here's father brought these two young gentlemen.They are the sons of Mr. Vickars, the parson at Hedingham. Theyare going to stop here tonight, and are going with him in the Susantomorrow to London."
"Glad to see you, young masters," Sam said. "I have often heardAnn talk of your good father. I have just been on board the Susan,for I am sending up a couple of score sides of bacon in her, andhave been giving Joe Chambers, her master, a list of things he isto get there and bring down for me.
"Now then, girl, bustle about and get dinner on as soon as you can.We are half an hour late. I am sure the young gentlemen here mustbe hungry. There's nothing like being on the water for getting anappetite."
A few minutes later a great dish of fish, a loaf of bread and somewooden platters, were placed on the table, and all set to at once.Forks had not yet come into use, and tablecloths were unknown,except among the upper classes. The boys found that in spite oftheir hearty breakfast their appetites were excellent. The fish weredelicious, the bread was home baked, and the beer from Colchester,which was already famous for its brewing. When they had finished,John Lirriper asked them if they would rather see what there wasto be seen in the village, or go off to the ketch. They at oncechose the latter alternative. On going down to the water's edgethey found that the tide had risen sufficiently to enable Dick tobring the barge alongside the jetty. They were soon on board.
"Which is the Susan, Master Lirriper?"
"That's her lying out there with two others. She is the one lowestdown the stream. We shall just fetch her comfortably."