By England's Aid; or, the Freeing of the Netherlands (1585-1604)

by G. A. Henty

  CHAPTER XX

  CADIZ

  In March, 1596, Sir Francis Vere returned to Holland. He had duringhis absence in England been largely taken into the counsels of QueenElizabeth, and it had been decided that the war should be carriedinto the enemy's country, and a heavy blow struck at the powerof Spain. Vere had been appointed to an important command in theproposed expedition, and had now come out charged with the missionof persuading the States General to cooperate heartily with England,and to contribute both money and men. There was much discussionin the States; but they finally agreed to comply with the queen'swishes, considering that there was no surer way of bringing thewar to a termination than to transport it nearer to the heart ofthe enemy.

  As soon as the matter was arranged, Sir Francis Vere left theHague and went to Middleburg, where the preparations for the Dutchportion of the expedition were carried out. It consisted of twenty-twoDutch ships, under Count William of Nassau, and a thousand ofthe English troops in the pay of the States. The company commandedby Lionel Vickars was one of those chosen to accompany the expedition;and on the 22d of April it started from Flushing and joined theBritish fleet assembled at Dover. This was under the command of LordHoward as lord admiral, the Earl of Essex as general, Lord ThomasHoward as vice admiral, and Sir Walter Raleigh as rear admiral.

  Sir Francis Vere was lieutenant general and lord marshal. Hewas to be the chief adviser of the Earl of Essex, and to have thecommand of operations on shore. The ships of war consisted of theArk Royal, the Repulse, Mere Honour, War Sprite, Rainbow, Mary Rose,Dreadnought, Vanguard, Nonpareil, Lion, Swiftsure, Quittance, andTremontaine. There were also twelve ships belonging to London, andthe twenty-two Dutch vessels. The fleet, which was largely fittedout at the private expense of Lord Howard and the Earl of Essex,sailed from Dover to Plymouth. Sir Francis Vere went by land, andset to work at the organization of the army.

  A month was thus spent, and on the 1st of June the fleet set sail.It carried 6860 soldiers and 1000 volunteers, and was manned bynearly 7000 sailors. There had been some dispute as to the relativeranks of Sir Francis Vere and Sir Walter Raleigh, and it was settledthat Sir Francis should have precedence on shore, and Sir WalterRaleigh at sea.

  All on board the fleet were full of enthusiasm at the enterpriseupon which they were embarked. It was eight years since theSpanish Armada had sailed to invade England; now an English fleetwas sailing to attack Spain on her own ground. Things had changedindeed in that time. Spain, which had been deemed invincible, hadsuffered many reverses; while England had made great strides inpower, and was now mistress of the seas, on which Spain had formerlyconsidered herself to be supreme.

  A favourable wind from the northeast carried the fleet rapidlyacross the Bay of Biscay, and it proceeded on its way, keeping wellout of sight of the coast of Portugal. The three fastest sailersof the fleet were sent on ahead as soon as they rounded Cape St.Vincent, with orders to capture all small vessels which might carryto Cadiz the tidings of the approach of the fleet.

  Early on the morning of the 20th June the fleet anchored off thespit of San Sebastian on the southern side of the city.

  Cadiz was defended by the fort of San Sebastian on one side andthat of San Felipe on the other; while the fort of Puntales, on thelong spit of sand connecting the city with the mainland, defendedthe channel leading up to Puerto Real, and covered by its gunsthe Spanish galleys and ships of war anchored there. Lying off thetown when the English fleet came in sight were forty richly ladenmerchant ships about to sail for Mexico, under the convoy of fourgreat men of war, two Lisbon galleons, two argosies, and threefrigates.

  As soon as the English were seen, the merchant ships were orderedup the channel to Puerto Real, and the men of war and the fleet ofseventeen war galleys were ranged under the guns of Fort Puntalesto prevent the English passing up. It had first been decided toattempt a landing in the harbour of Galeta, on the south side ofthe city; but a heavy sea was setting in, and although the troopshad been got into the boats they were re-embarked, and the fleetsailed round and anchored at the mouth of the channel leading upthe bay. A council of war was held that night, and it was decidedthat the fleet should move up the bay with the tide next morning,and attack the Spanish fleet.

  The next morning at daybreak the ships got up their anchors andsailed up the channel, each commander vying with the rest in hiseagerness to be first in the fray. They were soon hotly engagedwith the enemy; the fort, men of war, and galleys opening a heavyfire upon them, to which, anchoring as close as they could get tothe foe, the English ships hotly responded. The galleys were drivencloser in under the shelter of the fire of the fort, and the firewas kept up without intermission from six o'clock in the morninguntil four in the afternoon.

  By that time the Spaniards had had enough of it. The galleys slippedtheir cables and made sail for a narrow channel across the spit,covered by the guns of the fort. Three of them were captured bySir John Wingfield in the vanguard, but the rest got through thechannel and escaped. The men of war endeavoured to run ashore, butboarding parties in boats from the Ark Royal and Repulse capturedtwo of them. The Spaniards set fire to the other two. The argosiesand galleons were also captured. Sir Francis Vere at once took thecommand of the land operations. The boats were all lowered, and theregiments of Essex, Vere, Blount, Gerard, and Clifford told off asa landing party. They were formed in line. The Earl of Essex andSir Francis Vere took their place in a boat in advance of the line,and were followed by smaller boats crowded with gentlemen volunteers.

  They landed between the fort of Puntales and the town. The regimentsof Blount, Gerard, and Clifford were sent to the narrowest partof the spit to prevent reinforcements being thrown into the place;while those of Essex and Vere and the gentlemen volunteers turnedtowards Cadiz. Each of these parties consisted of about a thousandmen.

  The walls of Cadiz were so strong that it had been intended toland guns from the fleet, raise batteries, and make a breach in thewalls. Vere, however, perceiving some Spanish cavalry and infantrydrawn up outside the walls, suggested to Essex that an attempt shouldbe made to take the place by surprise. The earl at once agreed tothe plan.

  Vere marched the force across to the west side of the spit, hismovements being concealed by the sand hills from the Spanish. SirJohn Wingfield with two hundred men was ordered to march rapidly onagainst the enemy, driving in their skirmishers, and then to retreathastily when the main body advanced against him. Three hundred menunder Sir Matthew Morgan were posted as supports to Wingfield, andas soon as the latter's flying force joined them the whole were tofall upon the Spaniards and in turn chase them back to the walls,against which the main body under Essex and Vere were to advance.

  The orders were ably carried out. The Spaniards in hot chase ofWingfield found themselves suddenly confronted by Morgan's force,who fell upon them so furiously that they fled back to the townclosely followed by the English. Some of the fugitives made theirway in at the gates, which were hurriedly closed, while othersclimbed up at the bastions, which sloped sufficiently to affordfoothold. Vere's troops from the Netherlands, led by Essex, alsoscaled the bastions and then an inner wall behind it. As soon asthey had captured this they rushed through the streets, shootingand cutting down any who opposed them.

  Sir Francis Vere, who had also scaled the ramparts, knew that citiescaptured by assaults had often been lost again by the soldiersscattering. He therefore directed the rest of the troops to burstopen the gate. This was with some difficulty effected, and he thenmarched them in good order to the marketplace, where the Spaniardshad rallied and were hotly engaged with Essex. The opposition wassoon beaten down, and those defending the town hall were forced tosurrender. The troops were then marched through the town, and thegarrison driven either into the convent of San Francisco or intothe castle of Felipe. The convent surrendered on the same eveningand the castle on the following day. The loss upon the part ofthe assailants was very small, but Sir John Wingfield was mortallywounded.

  The English behaved with
the greatest courtesy to their captives,their conduct presenting an extraordinary contrast to that ofthe Spaniards under similar circumstance in the Netherlands. Thewomen were treated with the greatest courtesy, and five thousandinhabitants, including women and priests, were allowed to leavethe town with their clothes. The terms were that the city shouldpay a ransom of 520,000 ducats, and that some of the chief citizensshould remain as hostages for payment. As soon as the fightingceased, Lionel Vickars accompanied Sir Francis Vere through thestreets to set guards, and see that no insult was offered to anyof the inhabitants. As they passed along, the door of one of themansions was thrown open. A gentleman hurried out; he paused for amoment, exclaiming, "Sir Francis Vere!" and then looking at Lionelrushed forward towards him with a cry of delight. Sir Francis Vereand Lionel stared in astonishment as the former's name was called;but at the sound of his own name Lionel fell back a step as ifstupefied, and then with a cry of "Geoffrey!" fell into his brother'sarms.

  "It is indeed Geoffrey Vickars!" Sir Francis Vere exclaimed. "Why,Geoffrey, what miracle is this? We have thought you dead these sixyears, and now we find you transmuted into a Spanish don."

  "I may look like one, Sir Francis," Geoffrey said as he shook hisold commander's hand, "but I am English to the backbone still. Butmy story is too long to tell now. You will be doubtless too busytonight to spare time to listen to it, but I pray you to breakfastwith me in the morning, when I will briefly relate to you the outlineof my adventures. Can you spare my brother for tonight, Sir Francis?"

  "I would do so were there ten times the work to be got through," SirFrancis replied. "Assuredly I would not keep asunder for a minutetwo brothers who have so long been separated. I will breakfastwith you in the morning and hear this strange story of yours; forstrange it must assuredly be, since it has changed my young pageof the Netherlands into a Spanish hidalgo."

  "I am no hidalgo, Sir Francis, but a trader of Cadiz, and I ownthat although I have been in some way a prisoner, seeing that Icould not effect my escape, I have not fared badly. Now, Lionel,come in. I have another surprise for you." Lionel, still confusedand wonder stricken at this apparent resurrection of his brotherfrom the dead, followed him upstairs. Geoffrey led the way into ahandsomely furnished apartment, where a young lady was sitting witha boy two years old in her lap.

  "Dolores, this is my brother Lionel, of whom you have so oftenheard me speak. Lionel, this is my wife and my eldest boy, who isnamed after you."

  It was some time before Lionel could completely realize the position,and it was not until Dolores in somewhat broken English bade himwelcome that he found his tongue.

  "But I cannot understand it all!" he exclaimed, after respondingto the words of Dolores. "I saw my brother in the middle of thebattle with the Armada. We came into collision with a great galleon,we lost one of our masts, and I never saw Geoffrey afterwards; andwe all thought that he had either been shot by the musketeers onthe galleon, or had been knocked overboard and killed by the fallingmast."

  "I had hoped that long before this you would have heard of mysafety, Lionel, for a sailor friend of mine promised if he reachedEngland to go down at once to Hedingham to tell them there. He leftthe ship he was in out in the West Indies, and I hoped had reachedhome safely."

  "We have heard nothing, Geoffrey. The man has never come with yourmessage. But now tell me how you were saved."

  "I was knocked over by the mast, Lionel, but as you see I was notkilled. I climbed up into a passing Spanish ship, and concealedmyself in the chains until she was sunk, when I was, with many ofthe crew, picked up by the boats of other ships. I pretended tohave lost my senses and my speech, and none suspected that I wasEnglish. The ship I was on board was one of those which succeededafter terrible hardships in returning to Spain. An Irish gentlemanon board her, to whom I confided my secret, took me as a servant.After many adventures I sailed with him for Italy, where we hopedto get a ship for England. On the way we were attacked by Barbarypirates. We beat them off, but I was taken prisoner. I remaineda captive among them for nearly two years, and then with a fellowprisoner escaped, together with Dolores and her father, who hadalso been captured by the pirates. We reached Spain in safety,and I have since passed as one of the many exiles from England andIreland who have taken refuge here; and Senor Mendez, my wife'sfather, was good enough to bestow her hand upon me, partly ingratitude for the services I had rendered him in his escape, partlybecause he saw she would break her heart if he refused."

  "You know that is not true, Geoffrey," Dolores interrupted.

  "Never mind, Dolores, it is near enough. And with his daughter,"he continued, "he gave me a share in his business. I have been afortunate man indeed, Lionel; but I have always longed for a chanceto return home; until now none has ever offered itself, and I havegrieved continually at the thought that my father and mother andyou were mourning for me as dead. Now you have the outline of mystory; tell me about all at home."

  "Our father and mother are both well, Geoffrey, though yoursupposed loss was a great blow for them. But is it still home foryou, Geoffrey? Do you really mean to return with us?"

  "Of course I do, Lionel. At the time I married I arranged withSenor Mendez that whenever an opportunity occurred I was to returnhome, taking, of course, Dolores with me. She has been learningEnglish ever since, and although naturally she would rather thatwe remained here she is quite prepared to make her home in England.We have two boys, this youngster, and a baby three months old, so,you see, you have all at once acquired nephews as well as a brotherand sister. Here is Senor Mendez. This is my brother, senor, theLionel after whom I named my boy, though I never dreamed that ournext meeting would take place within the walls of Cadiz."

  "You have astounded us, senor," the merchant said courteously."We thought that Cadiz was safe from an attack; and though we wereaware you had defeated our fleet we were astonished indeed whentwo hours since we heard by the din and firing in the streets thatyou had captured the city. Truly you English do not suffer the grassto grow under your feet. When we woke this morning no one dreamedof danger, and now in the course of one day you have destroyed ourfleet, captured our town, and have our lives and properties at yourdisposal."

  "Your lives are in no danger, senor, and all who choose are freeto depart without harm or hindrance. But as to your property--Idon't mean yours, of course, because as Geoffrey's father in lawI am sure that Sir Francis Vere will inflict no fine upon you--butthe city generally will have to pay, I hear, some half millionducats as ransom.

  "That is as nothing," the Spaniard said, "to the loss the citywill suffer in the loss of the forty merchant ships which you willdoubtless capture or burn. Right glad am I that no cargo of mineis on board any of them, for I do not trade with Mexico; but I amsure the value of the ships with their cargoes cannot be less thantwenty millions of ducats. This will fall upon the traders ofthis town and of Seville. Still, I own that the ransom of half amillion for a city like Cadiz seems to me to be very moderate, andthe tranquillity that already prevails in the town is beyond allpraise. Would that such had been the behaviour of my countrymen inthe Netherlands!"

  Don Mendez spoke in a tone of deep depression. Geoffrey made a signto his brother to come out on to the balcony, while the merchanttook a seat beside his daughter.

  "'Tis best to leave them alone," he said as they looked down intothe street, where the English and their Dutch allies, many of whomhad now landed, were wandering about examining the public buildingsand churches, while the inhabitants looked with timid curiosityfrom their windows and balconies at the men who had, as if by magic,suddenly become their masters. "I can see that the old gentleman isterribly cut up. Of course, nothing has been said between us yet,for it was not until we heard the sound of firing in the streetsthat anyone thought there was the smallest risk of your capturingthe city. Nevertheless, he must be sure that I shall take thisopportunity of returning home.

  "It has always been understood between us that I should do so assoon as any safe method of making a passa
ge could be discovered;but after being here with him more than three years he had doubtlesscome to believe that such a chance would never come during hislifetime, and the thought of an early separation from his daughter,and the break up of our household here, must be painful to him inthe extreme. It has been settled that I should still remain partnerin the firm, and should manage our affairs in England and Holland;but this will, of course, be a comparatively small business untilpeace is restored, and ships are free to come and go on both sidesas they please. But I think it is likely he will himself come tolive with us in England, and that we shall make that the headquartersof the firm, employing our ships in traffic with Holland, France,and the Mediterranean until peace is restored with Spain, and havingonly an agent here to conduct such business as we may be able tocarry on under the present stringent regulations.

  "In point of fact, even if we wound up our affairs and disposed ofour ships, it would matter little to us, for Mendez is a very richman, and as Dolores is his only child he has no great motive beyondthe occupation it gives him for continuing in business.

  "So you are a captain now, Lionel! Have you had a great deal offighting?"

  "Not a great deal. The Spaniards have been too much occupied withtheir affairs in France to give us much work to do. In Holland Itook part in the adventure that led to the capture of Breda, didsome fighting in France with the army of Henry of Navarre, and havebeen concerned in a good many sieges and skirmishes. I do not knowwhether you heard of the death of Robert Vere. He came out justafter the business of the Armada, and fell in the fight the otherday near Wesel--a mad business of Count Philip of Nassau. Horaceis serving with his troop. We have recovered all the cities in thethree provinces, and Holland is now virtually rid of the Spaniards.

  "Things have greatly changed since the days of Sluys and Bergen opZoom. Holland has increased marvellously in strength and wealth. Wehave now a splendidly organized army, and should not fear meetingthe Spaniards in the open field if they would but give the chanceto do so in anything like equal numbers. Sir Francis is marshalof our army here, and is now considered the ablest of our generals;and he and Prince Maurice have never yet met with a serious disaster.But how have you escaped the Inquisition here, Geoffrey? I thoughtthey laid hands on every heretic?"

  "So they do," Geoffrey replied; "but you see they have never dreamedthat I was a heretic. The English, Irish, and Scotchmen here, eitherserving in the army or living quietly as exiles, are, of course,all Catholics, and as they suppose me to be one of them, it does notseem to have entered their minds that I was a Protestant. Since Ihave been here I have gone with my wife and father in law to church,and have said my prayers in my own way while they have said theirs.I cannot say I have liked it, but as there was no church of my ownit did not go against my conscience to kneel in theirs. I can tellyou that, after being for nearly a couple of years a slave among theMoors, one thinks less of these distinctions than one used to do.Had the Inquisition laid hands on me and questioned me, I shouldat once have declared myself a Protestant; but as long as I was notquestioned I thought it no harm to go quietly and pay my devotionsin a church, even though there were many things in that church withwhich I wholly disagreed.

  "Dolores and I have talked the matter over often, and have arrivedat the conclusion long since that there is no such great differencebetween us as would lead us to hate each other."

  Lionel laughed.

  "I suppose we generally see matters as we want to, Geoffrey; butit will be rather a shock to our good father and mother when youbring them home a Catholic daughter."

  "I daresay when she has once settled in England among us, Lionel,she will turn round to our views on the subject; not that I shouldever try to convert her, but it will likely enough come of itself.Of course, she has been brought up with the belief that heretics arevery terrible people. She has naturally grown out of that beliefnow, and is ready to admit that there may be good heretics as wellas good Catholics, which is a long step for a Spanish woman to take.I have no fear but that the rest will come in time. At present Ihave most carefully abstained from talking with her on the subject.When she is once in England I shall be able to talk to her freelywithout endangering her life by doing so."

  Upon the following morning Sir Francis Vere breakfasted with Geoffrey,and then he and Lionel heard the full account of his adventures,and the manner in which it came about that he was found establishedas a merchant in Cadiz.

  They then talked over the situation. Sir Francis was much vexedthat the lord admiral had not complied with the earnest request theEarl of Essex had sent him, as soon as he landed, to take promptmeasures for the pursuit and capture of the merchant ships. Insteadof doing this, the admiral, considering the force that had landedto be dangerously weak, had sent large reinforcements on shore assoon as the boats came off, and the consequence was that at dawnthat morning masses of smoke rising from the Puerto Real showedthat the Duke of Medina Sidonia had set the merchant ships on firerather than that they should fall into the hands of the English.

  For a fortnight the captors of Cadiz remained in possession. SenorMendez had, upon the day after their entry, discussed the futurewith Geoffrey. To the latter's great satisfaction he took it forgranted that his son in law would sail with Dolores and the childrenin the English fleet, and he at once entered into arrangements withhim for his undertaking the management of the business of the firmin England and Holland.

  "Had I wound up my affairs I should accompany you at once, forDolores is everything to me, and you, Geoffrey, have also a largeshare of my affection; but this is impossible. We have at presentall our fifteen ships at sea, and these on their return to portwould be confiscated at once were I to leave. Besides, there arelarge transactions open with the merchants at Seville and elsewhere.Therefore I must, for the present at any rate, remain here. I shallincur no odium by your departure. It will be supposed that you havereconciled yourself with your government, and your going home willtherefore seem only natural; and it will be seen that I could not,however much I were inclined, interfere to prevent the departureof Dolores and the children with you.

  "I propose to send on board your ships the greater portion of mygoods here suitable for your market. This, again, will not excitebad feelings, as I shall say that you as my partner insisted uponyour right to take your share of our merchandise back to Englandwith you, leaving me as my portion our fleet of vessels. Thereforeall will go on here as before. I shall gradually reduce my businessand dispose of the ships, transmitting my fortune to a banker inBrussels, who will be able to send it to England through merchantsin Antwerp, and you can purchase vessels to replace those I sell.

  "I calculate that it will take me a year to complete all myarrangements. After that I shall again sail for Italy, and shallcome to England either by sea or by travelling through Germany,as circumstances may dictate. On arriving in London I shall knowwhere to find you, for by that time you will be well known there;and at any rate the bankers to whom my money is sent will be ableto inform me of your address."

  These arrangements were carried out, and at the departure ofthe fleet, Geoffrey, with Dolores and the children, sailed in SirFrancis Vere's ship the Rainbow, Sir Francis having insisted ongiving up his own cabin for the use of Dolores. On leaving Cadizthe town was fired, and the cathedral, the church of the Jesuits,the nunneries of Santa Maria and Candelaria, two hundred and ninetyhouses, and, greatest loss of all, the library of the Jesuits,containing invaluable manuscripts respecting the Incas of Peru,were destroyed.

  The destruction of the Spanish fleet, and the enormous loss causedby the burning of Cadiz and the loss of the rich merchant fleet,struck a terrible blow at the power and resources of Spain. Hertrade never recovered from its effects, and her prestige sufferedvery greatly in the eyes of Europe. Philip never rallied from theblow to his pride inflicted by this humiliation.

  Lionel had at first been almost shocked to find that Geoffrey hadmarried a Spanish woman and a Catholic; but the charming manner ofDolores, her evident d
esire to please, and the deep affection withwhich she regarded her husband, soon won his heart. He, Sir FrancisVere, and the other officers and volunteers on board, vied witheach other in attention to her during the voyage; and Dolores, whohad hitherto been convinced that Geoffrey was a strange exceptionto the rule that all Englishmen were rough and savage animals, andwho looked forward with much secret dread to taking up her residenceamong them, was quite delighted, and assured Geoffrey she was atlast convinced that all she had heard to the disadvantage of hiscountrymen was wholly untrue.

  The fleet touched at Plymouth, where the news of the immensesuccess they had gained was received with great rejoicing; andafter taking in fresh water and stores, they proceeded along thecoast and anchored in the mouth of the Thames. Here the greater partof the fleet was disbanded, the Rainbow and a few other vesselssailing up to Greenwich, where the captains and officers werereceived with great honour by the queen, and were feasted and mademuch of by the city.

  The brothers, the day after the ship cast anchor, proceeded to town,and there hired horses for their journey down into Essex. This wasaccomplished in two days, Geoffrey riding with Dolores on a pillionbehind him with her baby in her lap, while young Lionel was on thesaddle before his uncle.

  When they approached Hedingham Lionel said, "I had best ride forwardGeoffrey to break the news to them of your coming. Although ourmother has always declared that she would not give up hope thatyou would some day be restored to us, they have now really mournedyou as dead."

  "Very well, Lionel. It is but a mile or so; I will dismount andput the boy up in the saddle and walk beside him, and we shall bein a quarter of an hour after you."

  The delight of Mr. and Mrs. Vickars on hearing Geoffrey was aliveand close at hand was so great that the fact he brought homea Spanish wife, which would under other circumstances have been agreat shock to them, was now scarcely felt, and when the rapturousgreeting with which he was received on his arrival was over, theywelcomed his pretty young wife with a degree of warmth which fullysatisfied him. Her welcome was, of course, in the first place asGeoffrey's wife, but in a very short time his father and motherboth came to love her for herself, and Dolores very quickly foundherself far happier at Hedingham Rectory than she had thought shecould be away from her native Spain.

  The announcement Geoffrey made shortly after his arrival, that hehad altogether abandoned the trade of soldiering, and should infuture make his home in London, trading in conjunction with hisfather in law, assisted to reconcile them to his marriage. Aftera fortnight's stay at Hedingham Geoffrey went up to London, andthere took a house in the city, purchased several vessels, andentered upon business, being enabled to take at once a good positionamong the merchants of London, thanks to the ample funds with whichhe was provided.

  Two months later he went down to Essex and brought up Dolores andthe children, and established them in his new abode.

  The apprenticeship he had served in trade at Cadiz enabled Geoffreyto start with confidence in his business. He at once notified allthe correspondents of the firm in the different ports of Europe, thatin future the business carried on by Signor Juan Mendez at Cadizwould have its headquarters in London, and that the firm would tradewith all ports with the exception of those of Spain. The resultwas that before many months had elapsed there were few houses inLondon doing a larger trade with the Continent than that of Mendezand Vickars, under which title they had traded from the time ofGeoffrey's marriage with Dolores.