The Golden Grasshopper: A story of the days of Sir Thomas Gresham

by William Henry Giles Kingston

  CHAPTER TWENTY EIGHT.

  THE BEGGARS OF THE SEA.

  At the moment I have described, when we felt that all hope of escape hadgone--for we could scarcely expect ourselves to resist the numbers whowere rushing down with cries of vengeance to force their way in--a voiceof authority was heard, ordering them to desist. At first they seemedin no way inclined to obey. One who appeared by his rich costume to bean officer of authority made his appearance. He spoke with a Spanishaccent:

  "Hold! men, hold! what are you about to do? We come not to war againsthelpless women. On deck, all of you; or expect the punishment ofmutineers!"

  He spoke with a tone of authority not to be disobeyed. Our enragedassailants quickly retired, without attempting any further violence.The officer started back with surprise when he found the dead bodies atthe entrance of the cabin.

  "You have defended yourselves well, gentlemen," he said, addressingA'Dale and me, as we still stood with our swords in our hands, and atour posts. "These men met their deserts. I do not therefore blame you;on the contrary, I may compliment you on your gallantry. Here!" heexclaimed, "some of you come down and convey these dead bodies away, andthrow them overboard. If a few more of you had been treated in the sameway, the loss would not have been great."

  The bodies having been dragged away by some of our late assailants, whoobeyed the order, the officer entered the cabin. He bowed with all thegrace of a Spaniard to the ladies, and expressed his regret that theyhad been caused so much anxiety and terror. We found that he was DonAlfonzo de la Fuente, the commander of the squadron, and though obeyinghis master, Philip, in carrying out his laws, yet he did so with afeeling of commiseration for the unfortunate victims of his cruelty.

  "I will send for an officer I can trust," he said, "who will remain onboard your ship, and protect you from the lawless violence of the prizecrew. All I can I will do to make amends for your disappointment. Ifyou will permit me, I will write an order, and send to my ship, and willnot leave you till the officer arrives; for I regret to say there arenot many in whom I can confide, who will treat you as I should desire."

  We supplied Don Alfonzo with writing materials, and he summoning some ofthe men, a boat was despatched to his ship, which it appeared was thelast of the squadron. On going on deck with him, I found that the windhad again greatly fallen, and Captain Radford told me that he believedit would soon be a perfect calm. In a short time the officer who hadbeen sent for arrived, and Don Alfonzo took his departure, giving himdirections how he was to behave.

  The officer, who, though young, had an expression of firmness andcourage in his countenance, which was at the same time very pleasing,introduced himself as Don Rodrigo Ruiz. He spoke Flemish but slightly,but I was able to understand his Spanish sufficiently to carry on aconversation with him, and to interpret to the rest. I soon judged fromhis expressions, although he spoke with caution, that he was notunfavourable to the Protestants. I could not help suggesting to himthat he should endeavour to come over to England, where he might notonly declare his principles, but worship in public according to hisconscience. At length, urged by Don Rodrigo, I retired to the cabin,where, rolling myself in my cloak, I lay down to sleep. He observedthat he must remain on deck to keep watch over his men.

  I was awoke by the sound of voices on deck, apparently shouting to oneof the other ships. Hurrying up, I saw the crews busily engaged insetting sail, though as yet there was but little wind to fill them.Bowing to Don Rodrigo, who was on deck issuing his orders, he pointedtowards the east, where I saw, scarcely three miles off, the sails ofnumerous vessels, the sun rising behind them, throwing them into theshade, and making them stand out in bold relief against the sky.

  "What are they?" I asked, turning to the young officer.

  "That remains to be discovered," he answered; "but our Admiral evidentlybelieves that they are not friends, and has ordered us to set all sail,and to do our utmost to escape."

  "But who do you think they are?" I again asked.

  "The much-dreaded Gueux--the Beggars of the Sea," he answered. "Theyare known to have a large squadron afloat, under the command of thatfierce captain, De la Marck--the descendant of the Wild Boar ofArdennes. If they come up with us, the tables will indeed be turned;and it will go hard, I suspect, with our men. The hatred between thetwo races is so great, that I fear little mercy will be shown to any ofus."

  "I am glad, then, that you are on board this ship," I replied; "for,after the courtesy you have shown us, I trust that you will escapeinjury."

  "I have no great confidence on that score," he answered. "Though you, Iam sure, will do your best to save my life, the Beggars of the Sea arenot likely in the heat of battle to listen to your wishes."

  "But surely your Admiral will not attempt to fight with such a superiorforce as there appears to be approaching us?"

  "It will matter little whether we fight or not," answered the officer."To the Spaniards, at all events, among our crews, no mercy will beshown, though the lives of the native Flemings may be spared, if theyagree to join the Gueux; and probably very few will refuse to do so."

  The Beggars of the Sea--for such there was no doubt were the strangers--came on with a fresh breeze, rapidly approaching the Spanish squadron.In vain every sail which the Spanish ships could carry was set to woothe breeze. Their enemies came up rapidly with them. Seeing this, theAdmiral ordered Don Rodrigo to alter his course, and to do his utmost toescape, directing him to return to the first Flemish port he couldreach.

  "There may be some who will dispute that matter with him," whisperedCaptain Radford to me. "Does the Don fancy we should submit to becarried off prisoners when we more than equal in number our captors?"

  "Certainly," I said; "but I trust, whatever is done, the young Spanishofficer may not be injured. Pray let us do our best to save his life."

  We now once more stood out from among the Spanish squadron. The_Falcon_ being a fast vessel, and having all the sail she could set nowput on her, gradually distanced them. In the meantime, however, theBeggars of the Sea came up at a rapid rate, and soon got the Spaniardswithin reach of their guns. We watched them with great interest. Ourfate might possibly depend upon the result of the action. The Beggarsfar outnumbered the Spaniards both in ships and men, although the latterhad larger vessels and carried more guns. As the Gueux came up, theyopened their fire hotly on the Spaniards, who, to do them justice,showed every inclination to defend their ships. Three of the largest ofthe Beggars' ships attacked the Admiral, the others tackled hisconsorts, the two squadrons running on together. The Admiral's was theleading ship. One of the Gueux was stationed on her broadside, anotherrather more on her bows, and a third hung on her quarter. The breezeblew away the smoke every now and then, so as to allow us a clear viewof the fight. Never had I seen shots exchanged with so much rapidity.Both our crew and our captors were looking on with intense anxiety atwhat was going forward. At length our men uttered a loud shout as theforemast of the Spanish Admiral went by the board. Still the othermasts stood, but the Gueux seemed to be redoubling their efforts, andkept pouring broadside upon broadside into the ship. Hearing what wasgoing forward, all our passengers assembled on deck, the Spaniards in noway attempting to prevent them. We had by this time got out of the lineof shot, keeping somewhat ahead of the combatants. At length anothershout burst from the throats of our men as the mainmast of the SpanishAdmiral was seen to sway first on one side and then on the other, and atlength, with its streamers and flags flying, to fall forward over thewreck of the other mast. The other ships seemed to be suffering in thesame way; first one mast and then another went. And now the Gueux wereseen to be crowding round the ships, the masts and spars of which wereone by one shot away.

  I observed, meantime, Captain Radford going about the decks, andspeaking to the crew. Don Rodrigo did not see him. I guessed CaptainRadford's intentions; but he, having observed the terms I was on withthe young officer, evidently did not wish to ask me to act a t
reacherouspart towards him. The Beggars' ships which had come up after the otherswere engaged, their services not being required, were now seen standingafter us. But it was a question, being evidently slower ships, whetherthey would overtake us; indeed, I judged that they would not, when weboth had an equal amount of wind. I could fancy, more than actuallysee, the scenes which were taking place on board the captured ships.They and the Gueux appeared locked together in a deadly embrace. Thecrews of the latter were evidently swarming on board, and, after so hota fight, there was no hope that blood would be spared. Still, from theflashes of pistols and arquebuses, it was evident that the fightcontinued, and that a desperate resistance was being made. Suddenlyflames burst forth in the midst of the combatants. The Gueux vainlyendeavoured to extricate themselves from their almost conqueredantagonist. In another instant there was a loud explosion. Theremaining mast of the Admiral's ship was seen to shoot up into the air,while her deck and broken spars and everything on it rose up many feet.There was a roar like thunder, and flames and smoke ascended withterrific fury, high above which were seen burning fragments of the wreckspreading far and wide, which again came down upon the decks of theconquerors, and fell hissing all around into the ocean. The next momentthe Spanish ship had disappeared; but flames were bursting out fromthose of the Beggars which had been in contact with her. They, however,were at length extinguished. I heard a sigh escape the bosom of theyoung officer, near whom I was standing.

  "He was my friend and guardian," he said. "Alas! he deserved a betterfate!"

  At that instant there was a cry from the Spaniards, and though I turnedround instantly, I saw that every one of them had been tackled by one ofthe English seamen, aided by the Flemish passengers. Several had beencut down, but others had been captured without bloodshed.

  "I must ask you for your sword, sir," said Captain Radford, holding apistol to the young officer, who turned round, but had not time to drawhis weapon. "You are our prisoner, and resistance will be useless!"

  The capture of the Spaniards had not been accomplished a minute toosoon, for the Beggars' ships were almost within gunshot, and would haveopened their fire upon us. Instantly the Spanish ensign was hauleddown, and that of England hoisted. The officer, seeing that he could donothing, at once, with a bow, handed his sword to Captain Radford.

  "Pray keep it, and promise that you will not use it against us," saidthe captain, handing it him back.

  Our sails were on this furled, and a boat, by Captain Radford's orders,was lowered.

  "To prevent mistakes, I must go on board the Beggars' ships, or they mayperchance open their fire without inquiring who we are. They are notvery scrupulous in that matter."

  This precaution of Captain Radford I believe saved us. He quicklyreached the headmost of the two vessels, and explained how matters stoodto the officer in command--the gallant Treslong.

  I need not describe the joy of the poor Flemings at this happy turn ofaffairs. Instead of prisoners, they were now at liberty, and warmlycongratulated by their countrymen who came on board. It would havefared but ill with Don Rodrigo and his men had they not already beenmade prisoners, and had we not interfered in their favour. When theofficer from the Beggars' squadron came on board, we at once explainedhow he had behaved towards us, and begged that he might be treated withcourtesy and consideration, of which he was certainly well worthy.Finding that the heart of the Beggar officer was still unmoved, Iwhispered to him that I felt sure he was himself a Protestant, andserved the King Philip very much against his will. This seemed to havevery great weight with the officer, and he only advised that he shouldremain with our party, promising that he should receive neither insultnor injury.

  A'Dale and I were anxious to visit our late captors, as well as some ofthe Beggars' squadron. The two captured vessels lay together, almostwrecks, and it was evident, from the way the pumps were going, that theycould with difficulty be kept afloat. We went up the side of one ofthem. I had witnessed several sad scenes, but my heart sickened when Ibeheld the perfect shambles the deck had in a short time become. Itseemed as if the whole of her crew must have been shot down by the gunsof the Beggars!

  "These scenes," I exclaimed, "will sicken me for war for the rest of mydays!"

  "I cannot say that it has that effect on me," said A'Dale. "It is veryhorrible, but people fight to kill, and know that they run the risk ofbeing killed. Now I am rather weary of the merchant's desk, and if someof these gallant captains will receive me as an officer on board theirships, I propose joining them."

  "You an officer, A'Dale?" I said; "you know but little of nauticalaffairs."

  "But I can soon learn," he answered. "Very few of them knew much aboutthe sea a few months ago. Besides, I have a fancy for a rover's life onthe ocean."

  "But what is to become of Mistress Margery?" I asked, in a low voice.

  "Ah! there's the rub," he answered. "I will tell you about itby-and-by. It is not that I do not love her, or that she does notreturn my affection. Do not suppose that; but this is not the place totalk about it."

  We had returned to our boat when he said this, and were pulling towardsone of the Beggars' ships which lay between us and the _Falcon_. Onstepping on board, the commander received us very courteously. I foundthat he was a well-known noble, William de Blois, of Treslong. Fearing,notwithstanding the promise of the first officer who had visited us,that Don Rodrigo's life would be endangered, we begged Captain Treslongto interfere in his favour, explaining who he was, and the generous wayhe had behaved towards us. He promised faithfully to do so; and ourminds were thus greatly relieved with regard to Don Rodrigo. I proposedreturning to the _Falcon_; but, to my surprise and regret, A'Dale thereand then tendered his services to Captain Treslong, who accepted hisoffer.

  "You must not expect any high rank given to you at first," he said; "butyou will fight your way up to that in time, I doubt not, from theaccount you give of yourself; and I fully believe you will be a creditto the cause. You had better go back to your ship and see your friends,and come on board before we part company. We shall probably see yousafe in sight of the English coast. By the bye, your captain must notexpect to escape without paying salvage. Our men are disappointed athaving lost the Spaniard's large ship; and they will be in no goodhumour unless they collect a little prize money."

  With this not very satisfactory message, we pulled back towards the_Falcon_. I asked A'Dale again on our way how he could bring himself togive up little Margery.

  "I do not give her up," he answered; "but I hope to collect a good sumwith which to set up house, far more rapidly than I have any chance ofdoing with Sir Thomas Gresham. He has treated me very kindly, and madegood use of me; but I have no great hopes that he will place me in aposition where I can obtain a sufficient income to support a wife, for along time to come, at all events."

  I felt really sorry for Mistress Margery that A'Dale had come to thisresolution. I did my best, however, to persuade him to alter his mind;but the more I urged, the stronger appeared his determination of joiningthe Gueux. At length, by the great exertions of the rovers' crews, thetwo Spanish ships were got into a condition for again making sail, andthen, with the whole of the fleet, we steered a course for England.

  Once more the shores of Old England appeared in sight, and, rounding theGoodwin Sands, we came to an anchor in the Downs. Glad as we Englishwere to see our native land, the joy of the unhappy refugees seemed farto surpass ours. As they gazed on the land of freedom, they fell downon their knees on deck, and together joined in a hymn of praise andthanksgiving. Eagerly they packed up the few articles which they hadbeen able to bring away. Master Clough having paid a handsome sum outof the property he had brought off to the Beggars, the rest was landed,and under an escort of soldiers, whom he engaged for that purpose, heprepared to send it off to London.

  I will not describe the parting of Mistress Margery and A'Dale. Hecommended her to Aveline's care--who promised to look after her ratheras a sister
than a dependant, and, shaking me warmly by the hand,returned on board Captain Treslong's ship. We assisted, with the_Falcons_ boats, in landing the emigrants. They were received, onsetting foot on the English shore, with the greatest kindness by theinhabitants of Dover and other places. Their destitute conditionbecoming known, subscriptions were raised for their support, housesfound, and a place of worship allowed them.

  Master Clough kindly invited Don Rodrigo to accompany him to London--anoffer which our Spanish friend was glad to accept; while his men, manyof whom were Flemings, volunteered on board the Beggars' fleet.

  Two or three Spaniards were put on shore to find their way back to theircountry by the first vessel under the Spanish flag which might visitDover. We then all set forward for London, with the escort in charge ofMaster Clough's chests of gold.