by G. A. Henty
CHAPTER XIV.
THE SURPRISE OF BREDA.
Lionel Vickars had, by the beginning of 1590, come to speak the Dutchlanguage well and fluently. Including his first stay in Holland he hadnow been there eighteen months, and as he was in constant communicationwith the Dutch officers and with the population, he had constantoccasion for speaking Dutch, a language much more akin to English thanany other continental tongue, and indeed so closely allied to thedialect of the eastern counties of England, that the fishermen of oureastern ports had in those days little difficulty in conversing withthe Hollanders.
He was one day supping with Sir Francis Vere when Prince Maurice andseveral of his officers were also there. The conversation turned uponthe prospects of the campaign of the ensuing spring. Lionel, of course,took no part in it, but listened attentively to what was being said,and was very pleased to find that the period of inactivity was drawingto an end, and that their commanders considered that they had nowgathered a force of sufficient strength to assume the offensive.
BREDA 1590.]
"I would," Prince Maurice said, "that we could gain Breda. The citystands like a great sentinel against every movement towards Flanders,and enables the Spaniards to penetrate at all times towards the heartof our country; but I fear that it is altogether beyond our means. Itis one of the strongest cities in the Netherlands, and my ancestors,who were its lords, little thought that they were fortifying andstrengthening it in order that it might be a thorn in the side of theircountry. I would give much, indeed, to be able to wrest it from theenemy; but I fear it will be long before we can even hope for that. Itcould withstand a regular siege by a well-provided army for months; andas to surprise, it is out of the question, for I hear that the utmostvigilance is unceasingly maintained."
A few days after this Lionel was talking with Captain de Heraugiere,who had also been at the supper. He had taken part in the defence ofSluys, and was one of the officers with whom Lionel was most intimate.
"It would be a rare enterprise to surprise Breda," Captain deHeraugiere said; "but I fear it is hopeless to think of such a thing."
"I do not see why it should be," Lionel said. "I was reading when I waslast at home about our wars with the Scotch, and there were severalcases in which very strong places that could not have been carried byassault were captured suddenly by small parties of men who disguisedthemselves as waggoners, and hiding a score or two of their comrades ina waggon covered with firewood, or sacks of grain, boldly went up tothe gates. When there they cut the traces of their horses so that thegates could not be closed, or the portcullis lowered, and then fallingupon the guards, kept them at bay until a force, hidden near the gates,ran up and entered the town. I see not why a similar enterprise shouldnot be attempted at Breda."
"Nor do I," Captain Heraugiere said; "the question is how to set aboutsuch a scheme."
"That one could not say without seeing the place," Lionel remarked. "Ishould say that a plan of this sort could only be successful afterthose who attempted it had made themselves masters of all particularsof the place and its ways. Everything would depend upon all goingsmoothly and without hitches of any kind. If you really think ofundertaking such an adventure, Captain Heraugiere, I should be veryglad to act under you if Sir Francis Vere will give me leave to do so;but I would suggest that the first step should be for us to go intoBreda in disguise. We might take in a waggon-load of grain for sale, ormerely carry on our backs baskets with country produce, or we could rowup in a boat with fish."
"The plan is certainly worth thinking of," Captain Heraugiere said. "Iwill turn it over in my mind for a day, and will then talk to youagain. It would be a grand stroke, and there would be great honour tobe obtained; but it will not do for me to go to Prince Maurice and layit before him until we have a plan completely worked out, otherwise weare more likely to meet with ridicule than praise."
The following day Captain Heraugiere called at Lionel's lodgings. "Ihave lain awake all night thinking of our scheme," he said, "and haveresolved to carry out at least the first part of it--to enter Breda andsee what are the prospects of success, and the manner in which thematter had best be set about. I propose that we two disguise ourselvesas fishermen, and going down to the river between Breda and Willemstadbargain with some fishermen going up to Breda with their catch for theuse of their boat. While they are selling the fish we can survey thetown and see what is the best method of introducing a force into it.When our plan is completed we will go to Voorne, whither Prince Mauricestarts to-morrow, and lay the matter before him."
"I will gladly go with you to Breda," Lionel said, "and, as far as Ican, aid you there; but I think that it would be best that you onlyshould appear in the matter afterwards. I am but a young volunteer, andit would be well that I did not appear at all in the matter, which youhad best make entirely your own. But I hope, Captain Heraugiere, thatshould the prince decide to adopt any plan you may form, and intrustthe matter to you, that you will take me with you in your following."
"That I will assuredly," Captain Heraugiere said, "and will take carethat if it should turn out successful your share in the enterpriseshall be known."
"When do you think of setting about it?" Lionel asked.
"Instantly. My company is at Voorne, and I should return thither withthe prince to-day. I will at once go to him and ask for leave to beabsent on urgent affairs for a week. Do you go to Sir Francis Vere andask for a similar time. Do not tell him, if you can help it, the exactnature of your enterprise. But if you cannot obtain leave otherwise, ofcourse you must do so. I will be back here in two hours' time. We canthen at once get our disguises, and hire a craft to take us toWillemstad."
Lionel at once went across to the quarters of Sir Francis Vere.
"I have come, Sir Francis, to ask for a week's leave of absence."
"That you can have, Lionel. What, are you going shooting ducks on thefrozen meres?"
"No, Sir Francis. I am going on a little expedition with CaptainHeraugiere, who has invited me to accompany him. We have an idea in ourheads that may perhaps be altogether useless, but may possibly bearfruit. In the first case we would say nothing about it, in the secondwe will lay it before you on our return."
"Very well," Sir Francis said with a smile. "You showed that you couldthink at Sluys, and I hope something may come of this idea of yours,whatever it may be."
At the appointed time Captain Heraugiere returned, having obtainedleave of absence from the prince. They at once went out into the townand bought the clothes necessary for their disguise. They returned withthese to their lodgings, and having put them on went down to the wharf,where they had no difficulty in bargaining with the master of a smallcraft to take them to Willemstad, as the Spaniards had no shipswhatever on the water between Rotterdam and Bergen-op-Zoom. The boatwas to wait three days for them at that town, and to bring them back toRotterdam. As there was no reason for delay they at once went on boardand cast off. The distance was but thirty miles, and just at nightfallthey stepped ashore at the town of Willemstad.
The next morning they had no difficulty in arranging with a fishermanwho was going up to Breda with a cargo of fish to take the place of twoof his boatmen at the oars.
"We want to spend a few hours there," Captain Heraugiere said, "andwill give you five crowns if you will leave two of your men here andlet us take their places."
"That is a bargain," the man said at once; "that is, if you can row,for we shall scarce take the tide up to the town, and must keep onrowing to get there before the ebb begins."
"We can row, though perhaps not so well as your own men. You are, Isuppose, in the habit of going there, and are known to the guards atthe port? They are not likely, I should think, to notice that youhaven't got the same crew as usual?"
"There is no fear of that, and if they did I could easily say that twoof my men were unable to accompany me to-day, and that I have hiredfresh hands in their places."
Two of the men got out. Captain Heraugiere and Lionel Vickars too
ktheir places, and the boat proceeded up the river. The oars were heavyand clumsy, and the new-comers were by no means sorry when, after a rowof twelve miles, they neared Breda.
"What are the regulations for entering Breda?" Captain Heraugiere askedas they approached the town.
"There are no particular regulations," the master of the boat said,"save that on entering the port the boat is searched to see that itcontains nothing but fish. None are allowed to enter the gates of thetown without giving their names, and satisfying the officer on guardthat they have business in the place."
An officer came on board as the boat ran up alongside the quay andasked a few questions. After assisting in getting the basket of fish onshore Captain Heraugiere and Lionel sauntered away along the quay,leaving the fishermen to dispose of their catch to the townspeople, whohad already begun to bargain for them.
The river Mark flowed through the town, supplying its moats with water.Where it left the town on the western side was the old castle, with amoat of its own and strong fortified lines. Within was the quay, withan open place called the fish-market leading to the gates of the newcastle. There were 600 Spanish infantry in the town and 100 in thecastle, and 100 cavalry. The governor of Breda, Edward Lanzavecchia,was absent superintending the erection of new fortifications atGertruydenberg, and in his absence the town was under the command ofhis son Paolo.
Great vigilance was exercised. All vessels entering port were strictlyexamined, and there was a guard-house on the quay. Lying by one of thewharves was a large boat laden with peat, which was being rapidlyunloaded, the peat being sold as soon as landed, as fuel was very shortin the city.
"It seems to me," Lionel said as they stood for a minute looking on,"that this would be just the thing for us. If we could make anarrangement with the captain of one of these peat-boats we might hide anumber of men in the hold and cover them with peat. A place might bebuilt large enough, I should think, to hold seventy or eighty men, andyet be room for a quantity of peat to be stowed over them."
"A capital idea," Captain Heraugiere said. "The peat comes from abovethe town. We must find out where the barges are loaded, and try to getat one of the captains."
After a short walk through the town they returned to the boat. Thefisherman had already sold out his stock, and was glad at seeing hispassengers return earlier than he expected; but as the guard wasstanding by he rated them severely for keeping him waiting so long, andwith a muttered excuse they took their places in the boat and roweddown the river.
"I want you to put us ashore on the left bank as soon as we are out ofsight of the town," Captain Heraugiere said. "As it will be heavy workgetting your boat back with only two of you, I will give you a coupleof crowns beyond the amount I bargained with you for."
"That will do well enough," the man said. "We have got the tide withus, and can drop down at our leisure."
As soon as they were landed they made a wide detour to avoid the town,and coming down again upon the river above it, followed its banks forthree miles, when they put up at a little inn in the small village ofLeur on its bank. They had scarcely sat down to a meal when a man camein and called for supper. The landlord placed another plate at thetable near them, and the man at once got into conversation with them,and they learnt that he was master of a peat-boat that had that morningleft Breda empty.
"We were in Breda ourselves this morning," Captain Heraugiere said,"and saw a peat-boat unloading there. There seemed to be a brisk demandfor the fuel."
"Yes; it is a good trade at present," the man said. "There are only sixof us who have permits to enter the port, and it is as much as we cando to keep the town supplied with fuel; for, you see, at any moment theriver may be frozen up, so the citizens need to keep a good stock inhand. I ought not to grumble, since I reap the benefit of the Spanishregulations; but all these restrictions on trade come mighty hard uponthe people of Breda. It was not so in the old time."
After supper was over Captain Heraugiere ordered a couple of flasks ofspirits, and presently learned from the boatman that his name wasAdrian Van de Berg, and that he had been at one time a servant in thehousehold of William of Orange. Little by little Captain Heraugierefelt his way, and soon found that the boatman was an enthusiasticpatriot. He then confided to him that he himself was an officer in theState's service, and had come to Breda to ascertain whether there wasany possibility of capturing the town by surprise.
"We hit on a plan to-day," he said, "which promises a chance ofsuccess; but it needs the assistance of one ready to risk his life."
"I am ready to risk my life in any enterprise that has a fair chance ofsuccess," the boatman said, "but I do not see how I can be of muchassistance."
"You can be of the greatest assistance if you will, and will render thegreatest service to your country if you will join in our plan. What wepropose is, that we should construct a shelter of boards four feet highin the bottom of your boat, leading from your little cabin aft right upto the bow. In this I calculate we could stow seventy men; then thepeat could be piled over it, and if you entered the port somewhat latein the afternoon you could manage that it was not unladen so as touncover the roof of our shelter before work ceased for the night. Thenwe could sally out, overpower the guard on the quay, make for one ofthe gates, master the guard there, and open it to our friends without."
"It is a bold plan and a good one," Van de Berg said, "and I am readyto run my share of the risk with you. I am so well known in Breda thatthey do not search the cargo very closely when I arrive, and I see noreason why the party hidden below should not escape observation. I willundertake my share of the business if you decide to carry it out. Iserved the prince for fifteen years, and am ready to serve his son.There are plenty of planks to be obtained at a place three miles abovehere, and it would not take many hours to construct the false deck. Ifyou send a messenger here giving me two days' notice, it shall be builtand the peat stowed on it by the time you arrive."
It was late at night before the conversation was concluded, and thenext morning Captain Heraugiere and Lionel started on their return,struck the river some miles below Breda, obtained a passage over theriver in a passing boat late in the afternoon, and, sleeping atWillemstad, went on board their boat next morning and returned toRotterdam. It was arranged that Lionel should say nothing about theirjourney until Captain Heraugiere had opened the subject to PrinceMaurice.
"You are back before your time," Sir Francis Vere said when Lionelreported himself for duty. "Has anything come of this project of yours,whatever it may be?"
"We hope so, sir. Captain Heraugiere will make his report to PrinceMaurice. He is the leader of the party, and therefore we thought itbest that he should report to Prince Maurice, who, if he thinks well ofit, will of course communicate with you."
The next day a message arrived from Voorne requesting Sir Francis Vereto proceed thither to discuss with the prince a matter of importance.He returned after two days' absence, and presently sent for Lionel.
"This is a rare enterprise that Captain Heraugiere has proposed to theprince," he said, "and promises well for success. It is to be kept aprofound secret, and a few only will know aught of it until it isexecuted. Heraugiere is of course to have command of the party which isto be hidden in the barge, and is to pick out eighty men from thegarrisons of Gorcum and Lowesteyn. He has begged that you shall be ofthe party, as he says that the whole matter was in the first casesuggested to him by you. The rest of the men and officers will beDutch."
A fortnight later, on the 22nd of February, Sir Francis Vere on hisreturn from the Hague, where Prince Maurice now was, told Lionel thatall was arranged. The message had come down from Van de Berg that thehiding place was constructed. They were to join Heraugiere the next day.
On the 24th of February the little party started. Heraugiere had chosenyoung, active, and daring men. With him were Captains Logier andFervet, and Lieutenant Held. They embarked on board a vessel, and werelanded near the mouth of the Mark, as De Berg was this time going tocarry
the peat up the river instead of down, fearing that the passageof seventy men through the country would attract attention. The samenight Prince Maurice, Sir Francis Vere, Count Hohenlohe, and otherofficers sailed to Willemstad, their destination having been kept astrict secret from all but those engaged in the enterprise. Six hundredEnglish troops, eight hundred Dutch, and three hundred cavalry had beendrawn from different garrisons, and were also to land at Willemstad.
When Heraugiere's party arrived at the point agreed on at eleveno'clock at night, Van de Berg was not there, nor was the barge; andangry and alarmed at his absence they searched about for him for hours,and at last found him in the village of Terheyde. He made the excusethat he had overslept himself, and that he was afraid the plot had beendiscovered. As everything depended upon his co-operation, Heraugiereabstained from the angry reproaches which the strange conduct of theman had excited; and as it was now too late to do anything that night,a meeting was arranged for the following evening, and a message wasdespatched to the prince telling him that the expedition was postponedfor a day. On their return, the men all gave free vent to theirindignation.
"I have no doubt," Heraugiere said, "that the fellow has turned cowardnow that the time has come to face the danger. It is one thing to talkabout a matter as long as it is far distant, but another to look it inthe face when it is close at hand. I do not believe that he will cometo-morrow."
"If he does not he will deserve hanging," Captain Logier said; "afterall the trouble he has given in getting the troops together, and afterbringing the prince himself over."
"It will go very near hanging if not quite," Heraugiere muttered. "Ifhe thinks that he is going to fool us with impunity, he is mightilymistaken. If he is a wise man he will start at daybreak, and get as faraway as he can before night-fall if he does not mean to come."
The next day the party remained in hiding in a barn, and in the eveningagain went down to the river. There was a barge lying there laden highwith turf. A general exclamation of satisfaction broke from all whenthey saw it. There were two men on it. One landed and came to meet them.
"Where is Van de Berg?" Captain Heraugiere asked as he came up.
"He is ill and unable to come, but has sent you this letter. My brotherand myself have undertaken the business."
The letter merely said that the writer was too ill to come, but hadsent in his place his two nephews, one or other of whom alwaysaccompanied him, and who could be trusted thoroughly to carry out theplan. The party at once went on board the vessel, descended into thelittle cabin aft, and then passed through a hole made by the removal oftwo planks into the hold that had been prepared for them. Heraugiereremained on deck, and from time to time descended to inform those belowof the progress being made. It was slow indeed, for a strong wind ladenwith sleet blew directly down the river. Huge blocks of ice floateddown, and the two boatmen with their poles had the greatest difficultyin keeping the boat's head up the stream.
At last the wind so increased that navigation became impossible, andthe barge was made fast against the bank. From Monday night untilThursday morning the gale continued. Progress was impossible, and theparty cramped up in the hold suffered greatly from hunger and thirst.On Thursday evening they could sustain it no longer and landed. Theywere for a time scarce able to walk, so cramped were their limbs bytheir long confinement, and made their way up painfully to a fortifiedbuilding called Nordand, standing far from any other habitations. Herethey obtained food and drink, and remained until at eleven at night oneof the boatmen came to them with news that the wind had changed, andwas now blowing in from the sea. They again took their places on board,but the water was low in the river, and it was difficult work passingthe shallows, and it was not until Saturday afternoon that they passedthe boom below the town and entered the inner harbour.
An officer of the guard came off in a boat and boarded the barge. Theweather was so bitterly cold that he at once went into the little cabinand there chatted with the two boatmen. Those in the hold could hearevery word that was said, and they almost held their breath, for theslightest noise would betray them. After a while the officer got intohis boat again, saying he would send some men off to warp the vesselinto the castle dock, as the fuel was required by the garrison there.As the barge was making its way towards the water-gate, it struck upona hidden obstruction in the river and began to leak rapidly. Thesituation of those in the hold was now terrible, for in a few minutesthe water rose to their knees, and the choice seemed to be presented tothem of being drowned like rats there, or leaping overboard, in whichcase they would be captured and hung without mercy. The boatmen pliedthe pumps vigorously, and in a short time a party of Italian soldiersarrived from the shore and towed the vessel into the inner harbour, andmade her fast close to the guard-house of the castle. A party oflabourers at once came on board and began to unload the turf; the needof fuel both in the town and castle being great, for the weather hadbeen for some time bitterly cold.
A fresh danger now arose. The sudden immersion in the icy water in theclose cabin brought on a sudden inclination to sneeze and cough.Lieutenant Held, finding himself unable to repress his cough, handedhis dagger to Lionel Vickars, who happened to be sitting next to him,and implored him to stab him to the heart lest his cough might betraythe whole party; but one of the boatmen who was standing close to thecabin heard the sounds, and bade his companion go on pumping with asmuch noise and clatter as possible, while he himself did the same,telling those standing on the wharf alongside that the boat was almostfull of water. The boatmen behaved with admirable calmness andcoolness, exchanging jokes with acquaintances on the quay, keeping up alively talk, asking high prices for their peat, and engaging in longand animated bargains so as to prevent the turf from being taken toorapidly ashore.
At last, when but a few layers of turf remained over the roof of thehold, the elder brother told the men unloading that it was getting toodark, and he himself was too tired and worn-out to attend to things anylonger. He therefore gave the men some money and told them to go to thenearest public-house to drink his health, and to return the first thingin the morning to finish unloading. The younger of the two brothers hadalready left the boat. He made his way through the town, and started atfull speed to carry the news to Prince Maurice that the barge hadarrived safely in the town, and the attempt would be made at midnight;also of the fact they had learned from those on the wharf, that thegovernor had heard a rumour that a force had landed somewhere on thecoast, and had gone off again to Gertruydenberg in all haste, believingthat some design was on foot against that town. His son Paolo was againin command of the garrison.
A little before midnight Captain Heraugiere told his comrades that thehour had arrived, and that only by the most desperate bravery couldthey hope to succeed, while death was the certain consequence offailure. The band were divided into two companies. He himself with onewas to attack the main guardhouse; the other, under Fervet, was toseize the arsenal of the fortress. Noiselessly they stole out fromtheir hiding-place, and formed upon the wharf within the inclosure ofthe castle. Heraugiere moved straight upon the guard-house. The sentrywas secured instantly; but the slight noise was heard, and the captainof the watch ran out but was instantly cut down.
Others came out with torches, but after a brief fight were driven intothe guard-house; when all were shot down through the doors and windows.Captain Fervet and his band had done equally well. The magazine of thecastle was seized, and its defenders slain. Paolo Lanzavecchia made asally from the palace with a few of his adherents, but was wounded anddriven back; and the rest of the garrison of the castle, ignorant ofthe strength of the force that had thus risen as it were from the earthupon them, fled panic-stricken, not even pausing to destroy the bridgebetween the castle and the town.
Young Paolo Lanzavecchia now began a parley with the assailants; butwhile the negotiations were going on Hohenlohe with his cavalry cameup--having been apprised by the boatman that the attempt was about tobe made--battered down the palisade near the water
-gate, and enteredthe castle. A short time afterwards Prince Maurice, Sir Francis Vere,and other officers arrived with the main body of the troops. But thefight was over before even Hohenlohe arrived; forty of the garrisonbeing killed, and not a single man of the seventy assailants. Theburgomaster, finding that the castle had fallen, and that a strongforce had arrived, then sent a trumpeter to the castle to arrange forthe capitulation of the town, which was settled on the followingterms:--All plundering was commuted for the payment of two months' payto every soldier engaged in the affair. All who chose might leave thecity, with full protection to life and property. Those who were willingto remain were not to be molested in their consciences or householdswith regard to religion.
The news of the capture of Breda was received with immense enthusiasmthroughout Holland. It was the first offensive operation that had beensuccessfully undertaken, and gave new hope to the patriots.
Parma was furious at the cowardice with which five companies of footand one of horse--all picked troops--had fled before the attack ofseventy Hollanders. Three captains were publicly beheaded in Brusselsand a fourth degraded to the ranks, while Lanzavecchia was deprived ofthe command of Gertruydenberg.
For some months before the assault upon Breda the army of Holland hadbeen gaining vastly in strength and organization. Prince Maurice, aidedby his cousin Lewis William, stadholder of Friesland, had been hard atwork getting it into a state of efficiency. Lewis William, a man ofgreat energy and military talent, saw that the use of solid masses ofmen in the field was no longer fitted to a state of things when theimprovements in firearms of all sorts had entirely changed thecondition of war. He therefore reverted to the old Roman methods, anddrilled his soldiers in small bodies; teaching them to turn and wheel,advance or retreat, and perform all sorts of manoeuvres with regularityand order. Prince Maurice adopted the same plan in Holland, and thetactics so introduced proved so efficient that they were sooner orlater adopted by all civilized nations.
At the time when William of Orange tried to relieve the hard-pressedcity of Haarlem, he could with the greatest difficulty muster three orfour thousand men for the purpose. The army of the Netherlands was now22,000 strong, of whom 2000 were cavalry. It was well disciplined, wellequipped, and regularly paid, and was soon to prove that the painsbestowed upon it had not been thrown away. In the course of theeighteen years that had followed the capture of Brill and thecommencement of the struggle with Spain, the wealth and prosperity ofHolland had enormously increased. The Dutch were masters of thesea-coast, the ships of the Zeelanders closed every avenue to theinterior, and while the commerce of Antwerp, Ghent, Bruges, and theother cities of the provinces that remained in the hands of theSpaniards was for the time destroyed, and their population fell off bya half, Holland benefited in proportion.
From all the Spanish provinces men of energy and wealth passed over inimmense numbers to Holland, where they could pursue their commerce andindustries--free from the exactions and cruelty under which they hadfor so many years groaned. The result was that the cities of Hollandincreased vastly in wealth and population, and the resources at thedisposal of Prince Maurice enormously exceeded those with which hisfather had for so many years sustained the struggle.
For a while after the capture of Breda there was breathing time inHolland, and Maurice was busy in increasing and improving his army.Parma was fettered by the imperious commands of Philip, who hadcompletely crippled him by withdrawing a considerable number of histroops for service in the war which he was waging with France. Butabove all, the destruction of the Armada, and with it of the navalsupremacy of Spain, had changed the situation.
Holland was free to carry on her enterprises by sea, and had freecommunication and commerce with her English ally, while communicationbetween Spain and the Netherlands was difficult. Reinforcements couldno longer be sent by sea, and had to be sent across Europe from Italy.Parma was worn out by exertions, disappointment, and annoyance, and hishealth was seriously failing; while opposed to him were three youngcommanders--Maurice, Lewis William, and Francis Vere--all men ofmilitary genius and full of confidence and energy.