By Pike and Dyke: a Tale of the Rise of the Dutch Republic

by G. A. Henty

  CHAPTER XVI

  FRIENDS IN TROUBLE

  Within the little town of Alkmaar all went on quietly. While theSpaniards constructed their lines of investment and mounted theirbatteries, the men laboured continually at strengthening theirwalls, the women and children carried materials, all the food wascollected in magazines, and rations served out regularly. A carpenternamed Peter Van der Mey managed to make his way out of the citya fortnight after the investment began with letters to the Princeand Sonoy, giving the formal consent of all within the walls forthe cutting of the dykes when it should be necessary; for, accordingto the laws of Holland, a step that would lead to so enormous adestruction of property could not be undertaken, even in the mosturgent circumstances, without the consent of the population.

  At daybreak on the 18th of September a heavy cannonade was openedagainst the walls, and after twelve hours' fire two breaches weremade. Upon the following morning two of the best Spanish regimentswhich had just arrived from Italy led the way to the assault, shoutingand cheering as they went, and confident of an easy victory. Theywere followed by heavy masses of troops.

  Now Ned was again to see what the slow and somewhat apathetic Dutchburghers could do when fairly roused to action. Every man capableof bearing a weapon was upon the walls, and not even in Haarlem wasan attack received with more coolness and confidence. As the stormingparties approached they were swept by artillery and musketry, andas they attempted to climb the breaches, boiling water, pitch andoil, molten lead and unslaked lime were poured upon them. Hundreds oftarred and blazing hoops were skilfully thrown on to their necks,and those who in spite of these terrible missiles mounted thebreach, found themselves confronted by the soldiers and burghers,armed with axe and pike, and were slain or cast back again.

  Three times was the assault renewed, fresh troops being everbrought up and pressing forward, wild with rage at their repulsesby so small a number of defenders. But each was in turn hurledback. For four hours the desperate fight continued. The women andchildren showed a calmness equal to that of the men, moving backwardsand forwards between the magazines and the ramparts with suppliesof missiles and ammunition to the combatants. At nightfall theSpaniards desisted from the attack and fell back to their camp,leaving a thousand dead behind them; while only twenty-four of thegarrison and thirteen of the burghers lost their lives.

  A Spanish officer who had mounted the breach for an instant, and,after being hurled back, almost miraculously escaped with his life,reported that he had seen neither helmet nor harness as he lookeddown into the city--only some plain looking people, generallydressed like fishermen. The cannonade was renewed on the followingmorning, and after 700 shots had been fired and the breaches enlarged,a fresh assault was ordered. But the troops absolutely refused toadvance. It seemed to them that the devil, whom they believed theProtestants worshipped, had protected the city, otherwise how coulda handful of townsmen and fishermen have defeated the invinciblesoldiers of Spain, outnumbering them eight fold.

  In vain Don Frederick and his generals entreated and stormed.Several of the soldiers were run through the body, but even thisdid not intimidate the rest into submission, and the assault wasin consequence postponed. Already, indeed, there was considerableuneasiness in the Spanish camp. Governor Sonoy had opened manyof the dykes, and the ground in the neighbourhood of the camp wasalready feeling soft and boggy. It needed but that two great dykesshould be pierced to spread inundation over the whole country. Thecarpenter who had soon after the commencement of the siege carriedout the despatches had again made his way back. He was the bearerof the copy of a letter sent from the prince to Sonoy, orderinghim to protect the dykes and sluices with strong guards, lest thepeasants, in order to save their crops, should repair the breaches.He was directed to flood the whole country at all risks ratherthan to allow Alkmaar to fall. The prince directed the citizens tokindle four great beacon fires as soon as it should prove necessaryto resort to extreme measures, and solemnly promised that as soonas the signal was given an inundation should be created which wouldsweep the whole Spanish army into the sea.

  The carpenter was informed of the exact contents of his despatches,so that in case of losing them in his passage through the Spanishcamp he could repeat them by word of mouth to the citizens. Thiswas exactly what happened. The despatches were concealed in a hollowstick, and this stick the carpenter, in carrying out his perilousundertaking, lost. As it turned out it was fortunate that he didso. The stick was picked up in the camp and discovered to be hollow.It was carried to Don Frederick, who read the despatches, and atonce called his officers together.

  Alarmed at the prospect before them, and already heartily sick ofthe siege in which the honour all fell to their opponents, theyagreed that the safety of any army of the picked troops of Spainmust not be sacrificed merely with the hope of obtaining possessionof an insignificant town. Orders were therefore given for animmediate retreat, and on the 8th of October the siege was raisedand the troops marched back to Amsterdam.

  Thus for the first time the Spaniards had to recoil before theirpuny adversaries. The terrible loss of life entailed by the captureof Haarlem had struck a profound blow at the haughty confidenceof the Spaniards, and had vastly encouraged the people of Holland.The successful defence of Alkmaar did even more. It showed thepeople that resistance did not necessarily lead to calamity, thatthe risk was greater in surrender than in defiance, and, aboveall, that in their dykes they possessed means of defence that, ifproperly used, would fight for them even more effectually than theycould do for themselves.

  Ned had taken his full share in the labours and dangers of thesiege. He had been indefatigable in seeing that all the arrangementsworked well and smoothly, had slept on the walls with the men,encouraged the women, talked and laughed with the children, anddone all in his power to keep up the spirits of the inhabitants.At the assault on the breaches he had donned his armour and foughtin the front line as a volunteer under the officer in command ofthe garrison.

  On the day when the Spaniards were seen to be breaking up theircamps and retiring, a meeting held in the town hall, after a solemnthanksgiving had been offered in the church, and by acclamationNed was made a citizen of the town, and was presented with a goldchain as a token of the gratitude of the people of Alkmaar. Therewas nothing more for him to do here, and as soon as the Spaniardshad broken up their camp he mounted a horse and rode to Enkhuizen,bidding his escort follow him at once on foot.

  He had learned from the carpenter who had made his way in, that thefleet was collected, and that a portion of them from the northernports under Admiral Dirkzoon had already set sail, and the wholewere expected to arrive in a few days in the Zuider Zee. As he rodethrough the street on his way to the burgomaster's his eye fellupon a familiar face, and he at once reined in his horse.

  "Ah! Peters," he exclaimed, "is it you? Is the Good Venture inport?"

  Peters looked up in astonishment. The voice was that of Ned Martin,but he scarce recognized in the handsomely dressed young officerthe lad he had last seen a year before.

  "Why, it is Master Ned, sure enough!" he exclaimed, shaking thelad's hand warmly. "Though if you had not spoken I should haveassuredly passed you. Why, lad, you are transformed. I took youfor a young noble with your brave attire and your gold chain; andyou look years older than when I last saw you. You have grown intoa man; but though you have added to your height and your breadthyour cheeks have fallen in greatly, and your colour has well nighfaded away."

  "I have had two long bouts of fasting, Peters, and have but justfinished the second. I am Captain Martin now, by the favour of thePrince of Orange. How are they at home? and how goes it with myfather?"

  "He is on board, Master Ned. This is his first voyage, and rightglad we are, as you may guess, to have him back again; and joyfulwill he be to see you. He had your letter safely that you wroteafter the fall of Haarlem, and it would have done you good if youhad heard the cheers in the summer house when he read it out tothe captains there. We had scarce
thought we should ever hear ofyou again."

  "I will put up my horse at the burgomaster's, Peters, and come onboard with you at once. I must speak to him first for a few minutes.A messenger was sent off on horseback last night the moment theroad was opened to say that the Spaniards had raised the siege ofAlkmaar; but I must give him a few details."

  "So you have been there too? The guns have been firing and thebells ringing all the day, and the people have been well nigh outof their minds with joy. They had looked to the Spaniards cominghere after they had finished with Alkmaar, and you may guess howjoyful they were when the news came that the villains were goingoff beaten."

  A quarter of an hour later Ned leapt from the quay on to the deckof the Good Venture. His father's delight was great as he enteredthe cabin, and he was no less astonished than Peters had been atthe change that a year had made in his appearance.

  "Why, Ned," he said, after they had talked for half an hour, "I fearyou are getting much too great a man ever to settle down again towork here."

  "Not at all, father," Ned laughed. "I have not the least ideaof remaining permanently here. I love the sea, and I love Englandand my home, and nothing would tempt me to give them up. I cannotleave my present work now. The prince has been so kind to me thateven if I wished it I could not withdraw from his service now. ButI do not wish. In another year, if all the Dutch cities prove asstaunch as Haarlem and Alkmaar have done, the Spaniards will surelybegin to see that their task of subduing such a people is a hopelessone. At any rate I think that I can then very well withdraw myselffrom the work and follow my profession again. I shall be old enoughthen to be your second mate, and to relieve you of much of yourwork."

  "I shall be glad to have you with me," Captain Martin said. "Ofcourse I still have the supercargo, but that is not like goingashore and seeing people one's self. However, we can go on as weare for a bit. You have been striking a blow for freedom, lad, Imean to do my best to strike one tomorrow or next day."

  "How is that, father?"

  "Bossu's fleet of thirty vessels are cruising off the town, andthey have already had some skirmishes with Dirkzoon's vessels;but nothing much has come of it yet. The Spaniards, although theirships are much larger and heavily armed, and more numerous too thanours, do not seem to have any fancy for coming to close quarters;but there is sure to be a fight in a few days. There is a vesselin port which will go out crowded with the fishermen here to takepart in the fight; and I am going to fly the Dutch flag for onceinstead of the English, and am going to strike a blow to pay themoff for the murder of your mother's relations, to say nothing ofthis," and he touched his wooden leg. "There are plenty of men hereready and willing to go, and I have taken down the names of eightywho will sail with us; so we shall have a strong crew, and shallbe able to give good account of ourselves."

  "Can I go with you, father?" Ned asked eagerly.

  "If you like, lad. It will be tough work, you know; for the Spaniardsfight well, that cannot be denied. But as you stood against themwhen they have been five to one in the breaches of Haarlem andAlkmaar, to say nothing of our skirmish with them, you will findit a novelty to meet them when the odds are not altogether againstus."

  The next day, the 11th of October, the patriot fleet were seenbearing down with a strong easterly breeze upon the Spaniards, whowere cruising between Enkuizen and Horn. All was ready on boardthe Good Venture and her consort. The bells rang, and a swarm ofhardy fishermen came pouring on board. In five minutes the sailswere hoisted, and the two vessels, flying the Dutch flag, startedamidst the cheers of the burghers on the walls to take their sharein the engagement. They came up with the enemy just as Dirkzoon'svessels engaged them, and at once joined in the fray.

  The patriot fleet now numbered twenty-five vessels against the thirtySpaniards, most of which were greatly superior in size to theiropponents. The Dutch at once maneuvered to come to close quarters,and the Spaniards, who had far less confidence in themselves bysea than on land, very speedily began to draw out of the fight.The Good Venture and a Dutch craft had laid themselves alongsidea large Spanish ship, and boarded her from both sides. Ned andPeters, followed by the English sailors, clambered on board nearthe stern, while the Dutch fishermen, most of whom were armed withheavy axes, boarded at the waist.

  The Spaniards fought but feebly, and no sooner did the men fromthe craft on the other side pour in and board her than they threwdown their arms. Four other ships were taken, and the rest of theSpanish vessels spread their sails and made for Amsterdam, hotlypursued by the Dutch fleet. One huge Spanish vessel alone, theInquisition, a name that was in itself an insult to the Dutch,and which was by far the largest and best manned vessel in the twofleets, disdained to fly. She was the admiral's vessel, and Bossu,who was himself a native of the Netherlands, although deserted byhis fleet, refused to fly before his puny opponents.

  The Spaniards in the ships captured had all been killed or fastenedbelow, and under charge of small parties of the Dutch sailors theprizes sailed for Enkhuizen. The ship captured by the Good Venturehad been the last to strike her flag, and when she started underher prize crew there were three smaller Dutch ships besides the GoodVenture on the scene of the late conflict. With a cheer, answeredfrom boat to boat, the four vessels sailed towards the Inquisition.A well directed broadside from the Spaniards cut away the mastsout of one of them, and left her in a sinking condition. The otherthree got alongside and grappled with her.

  So high did she tower above them that her cannon were of no availto her now, and locked closely together the sailors and soldiersfought as if on land.

  It was a life and death contest. Bossu and his men, clad in coatsof mail, stood with sword and shield on the deck of the Inquisitionto repel all attempts to board. The Dutch attacked with theirfavourite missiles--pitched hoops, boiling oil, and molten lead.Again and again they clambered up the lofty sides of the Inquisitionand gained a momentary footing on her deck, only to be hurled downagain into their ships below. The fight began at three o'clockin the afternoon and lasted till darkness. But even this did notterminate it; and all night Spaniards and Dutchmen grappled indeadly conflict. All this time the vessels were drifting as thewinds and tide took them, and at last grounded on a shoal calledThe Neck, near Wydeness. Just as morning was breaking John Haringof Horn--the man who had kept a thousand at bay on the DiemarDyke, and who now commanded one of the vessels--gained a footingon the deck of the Inquisition unnoticed by the Spaniards, andhauled down her colours; but a moment later he fell dead, shotthrough the body. As soon as it was light the country people cameoff in boats and joined in the fight, relieving their compatriotsby carrying their killed and wounded on shore. They brought freshammunition as well as men, and at eleven o'clock Admiral Bossu,seeing that further resistance was useless, and that his ship wasaground on a hostile shore, his fleet dispersed and three-quartersof his soldiers and crew dead or disabled, struck his flag andsurrendered with 300 prisoners.

  He was landed at Horn, and his captors had great difficulty inpreventing him from being torn to pieces by the populace in returnfor the treacherous massacre at Rotterdam, of which he had beenthe author.

  During the long fight Ned Martin behaved with great bravery. Againand again he and Peters had led the boarders, and it was only hismorion and breast piece that had saved him many times from death.He had been wounded several times, and was so breathless and hurtby his falls from the deck that at the end he could no longer evenattempt to climb the sides of the Spanish vessel. Captain Martinwas able to take no part in the melee. He had at the beginning ofthe fight taken up his post on the taffrail, and, seated there, hadkept up a steady fire with a musket against the Spaniards as theyshowed themselves above.

  As soon as the fight was over the Good Venture sailed back toEnkhuizen. Five of her own crew and thirty-eight of the volunteerson board her had been killed, and there was scarcely a man who wasnot more or less severely wounded. The English were received withtremendous acclamation by the citizens on their arrival in port,and a vot
e of thanks was passed to them at a meeting of the burghersin the town hall.

  Ned sailed round in the Good Venture to Delft and again joined thePrince of Orange there, and was greatly commended for his conductat Alkmaar, which had been reported upon in the most favourableterms by Sonoy. On learning the share that the Good Venture hadtaken in the sea fight, the prince went on board and warmly thankedCaptain Martin and the crew, and distributed a handsome presentamong the latter. Half an hour after the prince returned to thepalace he sent for Ned.

  "Did you not say," he asked, "that the lady who concealed you atBrussels was the Countess Von Harp?"

  "Yes, your highness. You have no bad news of her, I hope?"

  "I am sorry to say that I have," the prince replied. "I havejust received a letter brought me by a messenger from a friend atMaastricht. He tells me among other matters that the countess andher daughter were arrested there two days since. They were passingthrough in disguise, and were, it was supposed, making for Germany,when it chanced that the countess was recognized by a man in theservice of one of the magistrates. It seems he had been born onVon Harp's estate, and knew the countess well by sight. He at oncedenounced her, and she and her daughter and a woman they had withthem were thrown into prison. I am truly sorry, for the count wasa great friend of mine, and I met his young wife many times in thehappy days before these troubles began."

  Ned was greatly grieved when he heard of the danger to which thelady who had behaved so kindly to him was exposed, and an hourlater he again went into the prince's study.

  "I have come in to ask, sir, if you will allow me to be absent fora time?"

  "Certainly, Captain Martin," the prince replied. "Are you thinkingof paying a visit to England?"

  "No, sir. I am going to try if I can do anything to get the CountessVon Harp out of the hands of those who have captured her."

  "But how are you going to do that?" the prince asked in surprise."It is one thing to slip out of the hands of Alva's minions as youdid at Brussels, but another thing altogether to get two women outof prison."

  "That is so," Ned said; "but I rely much, sir, upon the documentwhich I took a year since from the body of Von Aert's clerk, andwhich I have carefully preserved ever since. It bears the seal ofthe Blood Council, and is an order to all magistrates to assistthe bearer in all ways that he may require. With the aid of thatdocument I may succeed in unlocking the door of the prison."

  "It is a bold enterprise," the prince said, "and may cost you yourlife. Still I do not say it is impossible."

  "I have also," Ned said, "some orders for the arrest of prisoners.These are not sealed, but bear the signature of the president ofthe council. I shall go to a scrivener and shall get him to copyone of them exactly, making only the alteration that the persons ofthe Countess Von Harp, her daughter, and servant are to be handedover to my charge for conveyance to Brussels. Alone, this documentmight be suspected; but, fortified as I am by the other with theseal of the council, it may pass without much notice."

  "Yes, but you would be liable to detection by any one who has knownthis man Genet."

  "There is a certain risk of that," Ned replied; "and if anyone whoknew him well met me I should of course be detected. But that isunlikely. The man was about my height, although somewhat thinner.His principal mark was a most evil squint that he had, and thatanyone who had once met him would be sure to remember. I must practicecrossing my eyes in the same manner when I present my papers."

  The prince smiled. "Sometimes you seem to me a man, Martin, and thenagain you enter upon an undertaking with the light heartedness ofa boy. However, far be it from me to hinder your making the attempt.It is pleasant, though rare, to see people mindful of benefitsbestowed upon them, and one is glad to see that gratitude is notaltogether a lost virtue. Go, my lad; and may God aid you in yourscheme. I will myself send for a scrivener at once and give himinstructions; it may well be that he would refuse to draw up sucha document as that you require merely on your order.

  "Leave the order for arrest with me, and I will bid him geta facsimile made in all respects. You will require two or threetrusty men with you to act as officials under your charge. I willgive you a letter to my correspondent in Maastricht begging himto provide some men on whom he can rely for this work. It would bedifficult for you, a stranger in the town, to put your hand uponthem."

  The next morning Ned, provided with the forged order of release,started on his journey. He was disguised as a peasant, and carried asuit of clothes similar in cut and fashion to those worn by Genet.He went first to Rotterdam, and bearing west crossed the riverLek, and then struck the Waal at Gorichen, and there hired a boatand proceeded up the river to Nymegen. He then walked across toGrave, and again taking boat proceeded up the Maas, past Venlo andRoermond to Maastricht. He landed a few miles above the town, andchanged his peasant clothes for the suit he carried with him.

  At a farmhouse he succeeded in buying a horse, saddle, and bridle.The animal was but a poor one, but it was sufficiently good for hispurpose, as he wanted it not for speed, but only to enable him toenter the city on horseback. Maastricht was a strongly fortifiedcity, and on entering its gates Ned was requested to show his papers.He at once produced the document bearing the seal of the Council.This was amply sufficient, and he soon took up his quarters at aninn. His first step was to find the person for whom he bore theletter from the prince. The gentleman, who was a wealthy merchant,after reading the missive and learning from Ned the manner in whichhe could assist him, at once promised to do so.

  "You require three men, you say, dressed as officials in theemployment of the Council. The dress is easy enough, for they bearno special badge or cognizance, although generally they are attiredin dark green doublets and trunks and red hose. There will be nodifficulty as to the men themselves. The majority of the townsmenare warmly affected to the patriotic cause, and there are many whoare at heart Protestants; though, like myself, obliged to abstainfrom making open confession of their faith. At any rate, I havethree men at least upon whom I can absolutely rely. Their duty,you say, will be simply to accompany you to the prison and to ridewith you with these ladies until beyond the gates. They must, ofcourse, be mounted, and must each have pillions for the carriage ofthe prisoners behind them. Once well away from the town they willscatter, leave their horses at places I shall appoint, change theirclothes, and return into the city. What do you mean to do with theladies when you have got them free?"

  "I do not know what their plans will be, or where they will wishto go," Ned said. "I should propose to have a vehicle with a pairof horses awaiting them two miles outside the town. I should saythat a country cart would be least likely to excite suspicion.I would have three peasant's dresses there with it. I do not knowthat I can make further provision for their flight, as I cannotsay whether they will make for the coast, or try to continue theirjourney across the frontier."

  "You can leave these matters to me," the merchant said; "the cartand disguises shall be at the appointed spot whenever you let meknow the hour at which you will be there. You must give me untilnoon tomorrow to make all the arrangements."

  "Very well, sir," Ned said. "I am greatly obliged to you, and theprince, who is a personal friend of the countess, will, I am sure,be greatly pleased when he hears how warmly you have entered intothe plans for aiding her escape. I will present myself to themagistrates tomorrow at noon, and obtain from them the order uponthe governor of the prison to hand the ladies over to me. If Ishould succeed I will go straight back to my inn. If you will placesomeone near the door there to see if I enter, which if I succeedwill be about one o'clock, he can bring you the news. I will havemy horse brought round at two, and at that hour your men can rideup and join me, and I will proceed with them straight to the prison."