1572 年的罗瑟海斯与今天的罗瑟海斯有很大不同。当时它是一个分散的村庄，主要居住着航海人口。许多从伦敦港起航的船只的船长都住在这里。河岸上密布着带有修剪整齐的花园的舒适小屋，它们的主人可以坐在那里观看船只来来往往或停泊在溪流中，并隔着树篱互相讨论如何处理它们，他们装备的智能程度，他们从哪里来，或者他们要去哪里。因为当时伦敦的贸易规模相对较小，船长们在一起聊天时，可以从每艘船的大小和外观中精明地猜测出她与哪个国家进行贸易，或者她是否是一艘在东部航行的过山车。或南部港口。

事实上，大多数船只都会被认出，船长也会被认出，当船只经过时，人们会挥舞帽子，表示欢迎或告别。罗瑟海斯的外表带有某种荷兰的味道。因为英格兰的主要贸易是与低地国家进行的。还有终其一生往返于伦敦和泽兰、弗里斯兰和佛兰德斯港口之间的水手们，他们大部分都学会了这个国家的语言，有时甚至自然而然地将妻子从大洋彼岸带回家从邻居那里学到了一些东西。也许，在伦敦及其周边地区，没有哪个地方的房子比罗瑟海斯村更干净明亮，花园维护得如此整洁，而且在整个罗瑟海斯，没有一个比威廉·马丁船长的住所更明亮、更舒适的了。 。

它的外观低矮而坚固。木构架异常庞大，横梁上有许多古朴的雕刻。家具又重又坚固，用蜂蜡擦得锃亮。壁炉里铺着荷兰瓷砖。地板是橡木的，和家具一样光亮。从屋顶到地板的任命都是荷兰人；难怪它的框架、横梁、地板和家具中的每一寸木材都是如此，都是威廉·马丁乘坐他的好冒险号船从弗里斯兰运来的。这是他与年轻漂亮的妻子索菲·普洛马特收到的嫁妆。

索菲是阿姆斯特丹附近一位富裕木材工人的女儿。她是他唯一的女儿，虽然他对赢得她芳心的英国水手并无话可说，而且他是他指挥的这艘船的主要船主，但他对她离开祖国感到非常悲伤。他和她的三个兄弟决定，让她的记忆里永远有她的故乡。因此，他们准备了一份她出生和长大的家庭的复制品作为她的结婚礼物。家具和框架在每个细节上都很相似，只需要在到达时插入砖块和灰泥即可。她的两个兄弟乘坐“好冒险”号航行，他们自己将框架、横梁和地板组装在一起，并在威廉·马丁在河岸上购买的一块土地上完成了房子的竣工。

就连花园尽头的一座大型避暑别墅也是家乡运河岸边避暑别墅的翻版。当一切都完成后，威廉·马丁把他的新娘带来了，她几乎可以想象她还在阿姆斯特丹附近的家里。从那时起，她每年都会乘丈夫的船航行一次，与亲戚们一起度过几个星期。当从海上回家时，这座伟大的避暑别墅是威廉·马丁在罗瑟海斯的朋友们的聚会场所，所有的船长都像他一样，有些仍在现役，其他的则靠积蓄退休了。然而，并非所有人都有幸在河岸上拥有房屋。因此，避暑别墅不仅可以作为聚会场所，还可以作为过往船只的瞭望台。

这是一座坚固的建筑，陆地一侧封闭，但向河流开放，但那里有折叠百叶窗，这样在寒冷的天气里它可以部分关闭，但仍然可以看到河流的景色。一个巨大的荷兰炉子立在一个角落里，冬天的时候，这里一直生着熊熊的火。在罗瑟海斯，很少有人能像马丁船长那样拥有如此丰富的资源。他的父亲曾是城里的一名商人，但威廉的兴趣在于大海而不是商店，而且由于他是三兄弟中最小的一个，所以他在这件事上有自己的一套办法。当他二十三岁的时候，他的父亲去世了，威廉用他的部分积蓄购买了好冒险号的主要股份，几个月前他就指挥了这艘船。

当他结婚时，他不仅得到了自己的房子，还得到了一大笔钱作为苏菲的财产。有了这个，他就可以购买 Good Venture 的其他股份；尽管他是一名水手，但他是一个谨慎的人，他不喜欢把所有的鸡蛋都放在一个篮子里，因此他用它购买了另一艘船的股份。威廉·马丁和索菲·马丁生了三个孩子——一个男孩和两个女孩。爱德华是长子，故事开始时他已​​经快十六岁了。他是一位活跃、体格健壮的年轻人，曾与父亲一起在“好冒险”号上航行了五年。那艘船前一天从荷兰旅行回来，现在正躺在四分之一英里高的溪流中。第一天晚上没有人来访，因为在罗瑟海斯，船长返回后希望第一天晚上独自在家与妻子和家人在一起，这在罗瑟海斯是众所周知的事情。但第二天晚上，当威廉·马丁完成了他的船卸货工作后，游客们开始迅速涌入，避暑别墅几乎已经挤满了人。马丁太太现在已经是一位六岁三十岁的漂亮主妇了，她忙着看着女仆和她的女儿康斯坦斯和珍妮特为来访者提供自酿啤酒，或者从荷兰带来的浓水。谁更喜欢他们。

“马丁船长，你比平时离开的时间更长，”一位访客说道。

“是的，”船长回答道。 “贸易很乏味，尽管‘好冒险’号在速度和安全方面享有盛誉，而且很少停泊在码头上装货，但我们还是在一周后才租用她。我不知道这一切的结局是什么。我坚信，自从世界诞生以来，没有人因为良心的缘故而受到如此残酷的对待；因为你知道，反对的不是西班牙国王，而是宗教裁判所。低地国家的人民非常清楚，与欧洲最伟大国家的力量抗衡将是疯狂的，直到今天，他们已经并正在承受着他们在平静的绝望中所遭受的残酷，并且没有为了拯救他们的生命而进行抵抗的想法。一些城镇可能发生了骚乱，比如在安特卫普，最低层的暴民进入大教堂和教堂，摧毁了神殿和雕像；但至于对西班牙人的武装抵抗却没有。

“奥兰治亲王对这个国家的第一次远征是由德国雇佣兵和一小部分流亡者组成的。很少有乡下人加入他们的行列。如你所知，虽然他们取得了一点胜利，但他们几乎全部被杀，被切成碎片。残暴的西班牙总督阿尔瓦的士兵们进行的屠杀是如此可怕，以至于当奥兰治亲王再次进军该国时，没有人加入他，他只得撤退，一事无成。众人似乎都被绝望惊呆了。宗教裁判所难道没有将所有荷兰居民——除了少数特别点名的人——当作异端分子判处死刑吗？腓力不是已经确认了这项法令，并下令立即执行，无论年龄或性别吗？难道曾经有三百万男人、女人和儿童仅仅因为拒绝改变自己的宗教信仰而被大笔一挥处以死刑吗？每天都有数百人被阿尔瓦血腥委员会的命令处死，正如它所称的那样，甚至没有经过嘲笑的审判。”

聚集的人群中普遍发出愤怒和恐惧的低语声。

“如果我是女王陛下，”一位老船长用拳头敲着桌子说道，“明天我就会向西班牙腓力宣战，并派出所有有能力携带武器的人前往荷兰，帮助人民解放自己。”来自他们的暴君。

“是的，这片土地上没有一个新教徒愿意去。一想到如此残酷的事情，我的血管里就热血沸腾，仿佛我又回到了少年时代。为什么，在玛丽的时代，在英国有两三张唱片因为他们的宗教而被烧毁，我们认为这是一件可怕的事情。但三百万人！哎呀，我们所有这些岛屿上的数量就这么多了！你觉得这位伙伴怎么样？

“这超出了我们的理解，”另一位老水手说道。 “这对我们来说太可怕了，无法接受。”

“据说，”另一个人插嘴说，“法国国王与西班牙腓力结盟，两人联手消灭所有领土上的新教徒，其中包括西班牙、法国、意大利、低地国家和德国大部分地区，理所当然，因为我们新教徒应该帮助我们的朋友；因为邻居们，你们可以确信，如果腓力在低地国家取得成功，他将永远不会休息，直到他试图将英格兰也置于他的统治之下，并在这里安置宗教裁判所及其篝火、刑架和酷刑。

周围响起一阵愤怒的低声表示同意的声音。

“你可以肯定，我们会与他们战斗到底，”马丁上尉说，“直到最后一刻；但西班牙是一个强大的国家，众所周知，欧洲没有任何士兵可以对抗他们的长枪兵。如果低地国家的人口数量与我们一样多，却无法利用河流、沼泽、堤坝和坚固城镇等所有优势来对抗他们，那么我们这些没有这些东西的人还有什么机会呢？同志们，我所说的是这样的：我们必须与西班牙作战——你知道菲利普对我们怀恨在心——而且最好是我们去低地国家与西班牙人并肩作战，与那里的人民并肩作战。 ，并且凭借他们的河流和堤坝所提供的所有优势，以及我们的妻子和孩子在家里安全的安慰，而不是等到西班牙镇压了荷兰并消灭了人民，然后就可以像法国一样她的盟友，用她的全部力量来对付我们。这就是我说的。”

“你说得对，马丁船长。如果我是女王陛下，我明天就会传话给菲利普，叫他遣散他的僧侣和审判官黑人船员。荷兰人民无意反抗西班牙的统治，如果腓力不干涉他们的宗教，他们就会像以前一样成为腓力的顺从臣民。正是宗教裁判所的所作所为让他们陷入了绝望。当人们听到你告诉我们的事情时，国王已下令消灭所有人口——男人、女人和儿童——难怪他们准备战斗到最后一刻；与其与妻儿一起被活活烤死，不如战死一千次！”

另一位船长说：“我想女王和她的议员们都知道，如果她插手这件事，可能会失去她的王国，也可能失去我们的自由。” “他们说，西班牙人可以在战场上部署七万或八万名训练有素的士兵，而英国除了女王自己的保镖之外，没有任何士兵；而他们的海军足够强大，可以容纳女王拥有的十五或二十艘船，并将它们分解以烧毁他们的桨帆船。”

“这确实是真的，”马丁船长同意道。 “但是我们的英国人以前在法国平原上打得很好，我不认为我们今天应该打得更糟。当法国人一次又一次以十比一的比分击败我们时，我们击败了他们，我们的父辈所做的事情我们也能做到。你所说的海军也是如此。他们有一支庞大的舰队，而我们没有值得一提的船只，但我们每天都像西班牙人一样优秀的水手和优秀的战士；虽然我并不是说我们可以阻止他们的舰队在泰晤士河上航行，但我相信当他们登陆时我们应该向他们表明我们和他们一样好人。他们可能会带来七万名士兵，但迎战的英国人却有七十万；如果我们只有棍棒和石头来战斗，他们就不会发现自己能轻松获胜。”

“是的，你和我都是这么想的，邻居；但是，你看，我们没有责任。女王必须为我们所有人着想。虽然如果她发出战争的口号，我会很高兴，但在采取可能给她的所有臣民带来毁灭，甚至比毁灭更糟糕的一步之前，她很可能会犹豫。我们也必须承认，尽管我们对低地国家人民的苦难深表同情，但他们的行动并不总是明智的。他们应该拿起武器反对这些残酷的暴君，即使他们没有机会击败他们，这是我们都同意的正确和自然的事情；但当安特卫普的暴民闯入大教堂，毁坏祭坛和雕刻，撕毁法衣，扔下马内斯和圣徒，然后又在城里和乡村的其他教堂做同样的事他们的行为比孩子还要糟糕，表现得像西班牙人一样不宽容和偏执。他们激怒了菲利普，让他无法原谅，并为他对他们的残忍行为找到了借口。”

“哎呀，这真是一件坏事，”马丁船长同意道。 “这是一件非常糟糕的事情，同志。尽管这些事情是镇上一小撮人渣干的，但可敬的市民并没有举手阻止，尽管他们可以轻易地赶走镇守卫，以制止两个镇民之间的争吵。行会。有很多人以“乞丐”的名义联合起来，并发誓为自己的宗教而战，如果他们愿意的话，就会打倒这些家伙。他们没有选择，现在菲利普的复仇将同样降临在他们身上。”

“那么，奈德，你觉得这件事怎么样？”一位队长转向站在角落里的小伙子说道，他在长辈面前一如既往地保持着沉默，直到有人发言。

“如果我是一个荷兰人，生活在这样的暴政之下，”内德热情地说，“我会奋起反抗至死，也不愿看到我的家人殉难。如果没有其他人愿意和我一起站出来，我就会拿着剑出去杀死我遇到的第一个西班牙人，然后再杀死另一个，直到我被杀。”

“好极了，内德！小伙子说得好！”三四个船长说道：但他的父亲摇了摇头。

“这些都是热血青年的话，内德；如果你住在那里，你会像其他人一样——保持安静，直到刽子手来把你拖走，看看你是否像你所说的那样，用刀对付西班牙人，这会给屠夫一个借口屠杀数百名无辜民众。”

小伙子因责备而低下头，感到羞愧，然后他说：“好吧，父亲，如果我不能拿起武器，或者杀死一个西班牙人然后被杀，我就会离开我的家，加入拉马克手下的海上乞丐。”

“这里面还有更多的理由，”他的父亲回答道。 “尽管拉马克是一个凶猛的贵族，他的追随者并没有很仔细地询问他们攻击的船只是西班牙的还是其他人的。然而，一个人挨饿还是很困难的。随着时间的推移，他们再也找不到西班牙商船了，如果他们从其他路过的船上拿走了他们需要的东西，我们也不能太责备他们。但你所说的都是有道理的。如果沿海的人们看到他们的生命和家人的生命现在受到西班牙人的摆布，他们会和他们所亲爱的人一起上船并不断骚扰西班牙人，他们会给他们带来巨大的伤害吗？需要一支庞大的舰队来击败他们，而这非常困难，因为他们了解海岸以及所有的河流和海峡，并且可以在西班牙人无法跟踪他们的浅滩避难。目前，在我看来，人们处于如此深的绝望之中，他们对任何这样的事业都没有兴趣。但我相信总有一天会产生这种冲动——一些比平时更大规模的屠杀会让他们发疯，或者某个爱国者的话语唤醒他们采取行动，然后他们会团结起来战斗，直到彻底被摧毁。 ，因为他们最终能够战胜西班牙，这超出了任何人的希望。”

“那么他们必须迅速行动，马丁朋友，”另一个人说。 “他们说，自从阿尔瓦上任以来，已经有八万人被这样或那样地处死。再过十年，低地地区就会只剩下一个身体健全的人了。顺便说一句，你说的是海上的乞丐。他们的船队目前停泊在多佛，据说西班牙大使正在向女王严正抱怨他的主人不同意为这些人提供庇护，他认为这些人不仅是西班牙的敌人，而且是海盗和海里的强盗。”

“我正在和席普香克斯船长谈话，”另一位水手插嘴道，“我在他的船上航行了三十年，他是一名市议员，知道发生了什么事，他告诉我，从他所听到的情况来看，这已经足够了，女王将屈服于西班牙的要求。只要她选择公开地与西班牙保持朋友关系，无论她的想法和意见如何，她都不能允许她的港口被腓力的敌人利用。这一定严重违背了她高昂的精神；但在她和她的议会决定英格兰将勇敢地面对西班牙的全部力量之前，她不能忽视菲利普的抗议。这是一件糟糕的事，邻居们，一件糟糕的事；越早结束越好。没有人怀疑，有一天我们将不得不与西班牙作战，我说，最好是在我们的低地国家兄弟可以与我们并肩作战的时候进行战斗，而不是等到西班牙消灭了他们之后，可以把她的国家变成敌人。对抗我们的全部力量。”

大家一致同意，然后话题转向北部港口的运费。对更好地标记浅滩和危险、海员权利、工资和其他事项的迫切需要进行了讨论，直到集会结束。奈德的姐妹们和他一起来到花园里。

“我听说，康斯坦斯，”男孩对长辈说道，“自从我们离开之后，我们的祖父和叔叔就没有任何消息了。”

“什么也别说，内德。妈妈话不多，但我知道她心里很苦恼、很着急。”

“康斯坦斯，她很可能看到，无论是安静的行为、软弱还是其他任何东西都无法保护任何人免受西班牙人的愤怒。你们这些呆在家里的人只会听到关于跨海的残酷故事，但如果你们听到我们在他们的港口所做的故事，它们会让你几乎发疯。我们听到的并不是很多，因为我们必须留在船上，不能登陆或与人们混在一起；但我们从上船的商人那里了解到了足够多让我们热血沸腾的信息。他们做了正确的事来阻止我们着陆；因为这些大屠杀的故事让水手们热血沸腾，我确信，如果他们上岸，他们很快就会与西班牙人卷入其中。

“你看我们父亲的这些朋友是多么愤怒，他们是英国人，血管里没有荷兰血统，他们之所以感到愤怒，只是因为他们被这些残酷行为所触动，因为低地国家的人民是新教徒；但对我们来说情况不同，我们的母亲是这些受迫害的人之一，我们属于他们，就像属于英国一样。我们在那里的朋友和亲戚正处于极大的危险之中，我们知道他们可能已经成为西班牙人残暴行为的受害者。如果我愿意，我会加入海上乞丐，或者我会与德雷克或卡文迪什一起航行，在印度洋与西班牙人作战。他们说，英国人正在证明自己比这些傲慢的老头子更好。”

“这非常令人难过，”康斯坦斯说。 “但是能做什么呢？”

“必须尽快采取行动。”奈德郁闷地回答道。 “事情不能再这样下去了。情况如此糟糕，税收如此沉重，以至于许多城镇的所有贸易都暂停了。我听说在布鲁塞尔，阿尔瓦自己的首都，酿酒师拒绝酿造，面包师拒绝烘烤，酒窖拒绝酿造酒。这座城市挤满了大批失业的人。西班牙士兵本身也长期领不到军饷，因为阿尔瓦只想着流血。因此，他们对官员无礼，不顾秩序，在街上侮辱和抢劫公民。毫无疑问，不久之后一定会发生一些事情。人们的绝望将变成疯狂的愤怒。如果他们站起来，康斯坦斯，而我父亲也不拒绝，我一定会加入他们，并尽我所能。

“我不相信女王会禁止她的臣民向荷兰人民提供援助；因为她允许许多人在法国为孔德和新教徒反对吉斯家族而战，她现在肯定也会这样做，因为我们荷兰兄弟的苦难比法国胡格诺派的苦难更能触动这个国家。 。我现在十六岁了，我父亲说再过一年他就会把我评为他的二副，我想船上没有多少人能更用力地拉绳子，或者在我们起吊时更坚定地在绞盘上工作。我们的锚。此外，由于我们都说荷兰语和英语，所以我应该比那些不懂该国语言的人更有用。”

康斯坦斯摇摇头。 “奈德，我认为我们的父亲不会允许你离开，至少在你长大成人之前不会。他希望你能和他在一起，希望有一天你能接替他指挥好冒险号，而他则安静地留在家里和我们的母亲在一起。”

奈德叹了口气表示同意。 “我担心你是对的，康斯坦斯，我将不得不坚持我的航海事业；但如果荷兰人民起来反抗他们的暴君，那么当我们的朋友和亲戚为自己的生命而战时，伦敦和荷兰之间的和平贸易就很难来回航行了。”

两周后，好冒险号装满了前往布里尔的货物，布里尔是莱茵河、瓦尔河和马斯河联合入海的港口。在她启航的前一天，女王发布公告，禁止她的任何臣民向德拉马克和他的水手提供肉、面包或啤酒。由于逆风，顺流而下的航程很缓慢，十天后，即 31 月 XNUMX 日，他们进入宽阔的河口，在布里尔镇附​​近抛锚。他们抵达时已是傍晚时分。早上，一名官员前来索取通常的文件和文件，直到将近两点，一艘船才出来，获得了必要的许可，可以让船驶到码头并卸货。

正当马丁船长下达绞盘杆操作命令时，一支由大约二十四艘船组成的舰队突然出现在陆地的临海点附近。

“等一下，小伙子们，”船长说，“半个小时对于我们的着陆来说不会有太大影响。我们不妨拭目以待，看看这支舰队到底有何意义。在我看来，他们既不是西班牙人，也不仅仅是一支贸易舰队。我不应该怀疑他们是否是海上的乞丐，他们被迫离开多佛，因女王的公告而挨饿，现在来这里接他们可能会遇到的西班牙人。”

船队在距城镇约半英里处抛锚。就在他们这样做的时候，一位名叫科佩尔斯托克的摆渡人正从一英里半外对岸的马斯兰德路易斯镇载着乘客，从好冒险号附近经过。

“你觉得船上怎么样？”摆渡人对马丁船长喊道。

“我相信他们一定是海上的乞丐。”船长回答道。 “在我离开伦敦之前就已经下达了一项命令，禁止向他们提供补给，因此他们必须从多佛出发。这很可能就是他们。”

乘客们惊呼起来，因为他们的同胞和西班牙人几乎一样害怕海上乞丐，后者不遗余力地散布对他们不利的谣言。摆渡人一让乘客上岸，就大胆地向船队划去，他没有任何可以掠夺的东西，而且暗地里对乞丐很友善。他欢呼的第一艘船是由特雷斯隆勋爵威廉·德布卢瓦指挥的，威廉·德布卢瓦在布里尔很有名，他的父亲曾担任那里的总督。

他的兄弟四年前被阿尔瓦公爵处决，而他本人则与奥兰治亲王的兄弟拿骚伯爵路易并肩作战，这场战役以灾难性的结局告终，尽管他浑身是伤，他是从耶明根战败后可怕的大屠杀中逃脱的少数人之一。在那场灾难之后，他出海了，成为德拉马克号最著名的船长之一，并获得了奥兰治亲王的海军上将任命。

“我们快饿死了，科佩尔斯托克；你能告诉我们如何获得食物吗？我们在从多佛来这里的途中接见了两名西班牙商人，但我们的食品储藏室在启航前就被清空了，我们发现船上的战利品供应不足。”

“布里尔镇上有很多东西，”摆渡人说。 “但据我所知，其他地方没有。那艘停泊在那里的英国双桅船可能船上有一些面包。”

“这并不算多，”威廉·德·布卢瓦回答道，“在五百人中，但也比什么都没有好。你划船问问他们愿不愿意卖给我们？”

“你最好派出一支全副武装的船员，”科佩尔斯托克回答道。 “你知道英国人对我们很好，船长无疑会给你所有他剩下的给养；但这样做就会让他与西班牙人同归于尽，西班牙人可能会没收他的船。你最好表现出武力，这样他就可以辩称自己这么做了，但只能屈服于必要。”

于是，一艘载有十人的小船划向双桅船，科佩尔斯托克随行。后者爬上了甲板。

“我们无意伤害你，船长，”他说。 “但这些船上的人几乎快要饿死了。特雷斯隆先生给了我一个钱包，用来支付你能卖给我们的所有东西，但他认为镇当局可能会因为与他打交道而指责你，所以他派了这些武装人员和我一起去，以便在受到询问时你可以回答说，他们是强行上船的。”

“我愿意把我船上的所有给养都交给你。”马丁船长说道。 “虽然这些东西在这么多东西中只是一点点，因为我只携带足以在航行期间在船上消费的物品。”

一桶盐牛肉被吊到甲板上，还有一袋饼干、四块奶酪和一份培根。马丁船长拒绝支付任何款项。

“不，”他说，“我的妻子来自这些地方，我的心与爱国者同在。您能否告诉特雷斯隆先生，好冒险号的马丁船长很乐意为他和他勇敢的追随者尽其所能。奈德，”当船划开时，他转向儿子说道，“这是一项明智的政策。这些物品的价值虽小，但此时此刻，对于我所赠予的人来说，它们却价值不菲。首先，你看，我们为正义事业提供了援助，其次，我们赢得了海上乞丐的感激之情，如果我将来在他们中间奔跑，我会比我应该舒服得多过去做过。不受海上乞丐骚扰的来去自由是用不需要很多克朗的食物价格廉价购买的。”

夺回特雷斯隆大人的船后，一些给养立即分发给了士兵们，其余的则送到了其他船只上，威廉·德·布卢瓦带着科佩尔斯托克登上了海军上将的船只。

“那么，德布卢瓦，在这种极端情况下，你有什么建议呢？”德拉马克问道。

“我建议，”特雷斯隆领主回答道，“我们立即向该镇发出消息，要求其投降。”

“特雷斯隆，你是在开玩笑还是生气了？”海军上将惊讶地问道。 “哎呀，我们几乎无法召集四百人，而这座城镇的城墙和防御工事都十分坚固。”

“这里没有西班牙军队，海军上将，如果我们在这件事上采取大胆的态度，我们可能会吓唬市民屈服。该男子表示他愿意携带传票。他说，关于我们是谁的消息已经被他出来之前降落的一些乘客告知了他们，他毫不怀疑他们正处于罕见的恐慌之中。”

“好吧，我们可以试试，”海军上将笑着说道。 “很明显，我们必须吃饭，即使我们必须为之奋斗；尽管我们都很饿，但我们不想等待。”

特雷斯隆把他的戒指交给科佩尔斯托克以显示他的权威，渔夫立即划船上岸。他说海上乞丐决心要占领这座城镇，然后穿过聚集在登陆点的居民人群，然后推进到市政厅，那里是地方法官聚集的地方。他告诉他们，他们所熟知的舰队司令和特雷斯隆领主派他来要求派两名专员代表该市与他商议。派遣他的人的唯一目的是使这片土地摆脱沉重的税收，并推翻阿尔瓦和西班牙人的暴政。地方法官问他德拉马克有什么力量可以调动，他漫不经心地回答说他不能确切地说，但总共可能有五千人。

这句话结束了舰队抵达时所造成的沮丧。县官们一致认为抵抗是疯狂的，决定立即逃跑。费了很大的劲才说服其中两人作为代表上船，他们一出发，大多数带头的市民就立即准备逃跑。抵达船上的代表们得到保证，不会伤害公民或私人财产，只是为了推翻阿尔瓦政府，并给了他们两个小时的时间来决定是否投降该镇。

在这两个小时内，几乎所有居民都离开了城镇，带走了他们最宝贵的财产。时间一到，乞丐们就登陆了。城里剩下的一些人做了微弱的抵抗尝试。但特雷斯隆从南门强行闯入，德拉马克则在北门生起篝火，然后用一根旧桅杆的末端将其击倒。就这样，爱国者们占领了第一个城镇，并开始了漫长的战争，直到荷兰自由共和国的建立才结束。镇上剩下的居民没有受到任何伤害。征服者在废弃的房屋中最好的地方扎根。然后他们开始抢劫教堂。祭坛和神像全部被毁；丰富的家具、神圣的器皿和华丽的法衣都供私人使用。十三名不幸的人，其中一些无法逃脱的牧师，被德拉马克抓住并处死。

他收到了奥兰治亲王最严格的命令，要尊重所有中立国家的船只，并对他可能俘获的所有俘虏表现得彬彬有礼和友善。这些禁令都没有被遵守。德拉马克是一个狂野而嗜血的贵族。他在听到他的亲戚埃格蒙特王子被阿尔瓦处决的消息后发誓，在谋杀案得到报复之前，他不会剪掉他的头发和胡须，并发誓要对阿尔瓦造成伤害。荷兰贵族和人民对波佩里进行了深深的报复。他恪守这一誓言，他对所有落入他手中的神父和西班牙人的残暴行为深深玷污了他为之奋斗的事业。

占领城市的第二天，好冒险号就驶入了港口。居民们得知海上乞丐尊重公民的生命和财产后，纷纷大批返回，贸易很快就重新建立起来。占领了这个地方，并确保了对教堂和修道院的掠夺后，如果不是特雷斯隆爵士向他指出布里尔对事业的重要性，并说服他坚守这个地方，德拉马克可能会扬帆去其他远足。直到他收到奥兰治亲王的来信。

布里尔被如此大胆地俘获几天后，博苏伯爵从乌得勒支发起进攻。这些海上乞丐虽然对自己在海上与西班牙人交锋的能力充满信心，但他们知道，在陆地上他们不是训练有素的长矛兵的对手。因此他们一直呆在墙内。然而，镇上的一个木匠，长期以来一直是奥兰治亲王的秘密支持者，他抓起一把斧子，冲进水里，游到水闸处，用力击打几下，就把城门撞开了。海水涌入，迅速淹没了城北的土地。

西班牙人沿着堤坝向南门挺进，但海乞丐们已经匆忙将城墙上的大部分大炮移到了那里，用如此炽热的火力迎接了西班牙人，让他们犹豫不决。与此同时，特雷斯隆领主和另一名军官已经载满了两艘船，划向那些带来敌人的船只，砍掉了一些漂流的船只，并点燃了其他船只。南门的西班牙人失去了信心；他们暴露在烈火之中，无法返回。一方面，他们看到水位迅速上升，超过了他们所站的堤坝的高度；另一方面，他们意识到他们唯一的撤退手段受到了威胁。他们转身，绝望地沿着现在被水淹没的堤道撤退。在匆忙中，许多人滑出了道路并被淹死，其他人跌倒并在水中窒息，其余的人成功地到达了尚未触及的船只，并全速返回乌得勒支。

马丁船长、内德和船员们站在他们能爬到的桅杆最高点，观看着这场斗争。内德曾恳求父亲让他沿着城墙去南门观看冲突，但马丁队长拒绝了。

“我们不知道这项业务的结果可能是什么，”他说。 “如果西班牙人（很可能）占据了这个位置，他们将屠杀他们遇到的所有人，并且不会费心去询问任何人，无论他是战斗者还是旁观者。此外，一旦他们占领了这座城镇，他们就会对这里的一切提出质疑，如果我能说我们不仅在这件事上保持中立，而且我的车队都没有踏上这一步，那就太好了。今天靠岸。最后，我的目的和希望是，如果西班牙人占领了这个地方，趁大家都忙于掠夺的时候，溜掉我的缆绳。风和潮汐都很有利，毫无疑问，一旦城镇被占领，他们的船员大部分都会登陆参与洗劫。”

然而，事实证明，没有必要采取这些预防措施。乞丐们取得了胜利，西班牙人全速溃逃，布里尔对他们对压迫者的制止感到非常高兴。博苏从布里尔退休后，前往鹿特丹。他发现大门紧闭。当局拒绝服从他的要求或接纳驻军。他们宣称自己完全忠诚，不需要西班牙军队来维持秩序。博苏请求允许他的部队不间断地穿过这座城市。这是治安法官批准的，条件是一次只能允许下士的连队进入。博苏为此签署了一份协议。但在整个麻烦中，西班牙人从未尊重过他们向居民提出和宣誓的条件，大门一打开，整支部队就冲了进来，开始了通常的屠杀、暴行和掠夺工作。几分钟之内，四百名公民被谋杀，居民遭受了无数的暴行和残酷行为。

在博苏对该镇进行无效尝试的两天后，马丁船长完成了货物的卸货。那天早上，一名信使从法拉盛赶来，带来的消息是，布里尔被占领的消息在该海港传出后，赫普特领主就煽动市民将西班牙的小型驻军赶出该镇。

他们刚这样做完，阿尔瓦就派出大批增援部队抵达城墙前，以完成为确保占领西斯海尔德河口这个重要港口而开始修建的要塞。赫普特说服市民，现在撤退已经太晚了。他们的所作所为足以招致西班牙人的报复。他们现在唯一的希望就是抵抗到底。人群中一个傻瓜提出，如果有人愿意给他一壶啤酒，他就可以登上城墙，向西班牙船只发射两门大炮。

这个提议被接受了，那人跑到城墙上开枪了。西班牙人突然陷入恐慌，整个舰队立即向米德尔堡方向驶去。

第二天，该岛总督抵达法拉盛并立即被接纳。他把公民聚集到市场上，向他们讲话，恳求他们重新效忠，并向他们保证，如果他们这样做，国王，整个基督教世界中脾气最好的王子，就会忘记并原谅他们的罪行。可悲的是，总督演讲的效果因德赫普特及其追随者的打断而受到损害，他们提醒人们其他叛乱城镇的命运，并嘲笑国王在数十次处决中所表现出的善良本性全国各地每天都在发生。

州长发现自己的努力没有效果，就离开了该镇，他一这样做，信使就被派往布里尔，说法拉盛的居民愿意提供武器和弹药，只要他们派出有经验的游击队人员。战争。第二天，两百名乞丐在特雷斯隆的指挥下出发前往法拉盛。大约在这些船出发的同时，“好冒险”号将她的缆绳从码头上扔了下来，并在一段时间内与它们保持着联系。

“见过这么狂野的船员吗？”马丁船长摇摇头说道。 “我相信，这样的队伍从来没有开始过战争冒险。”

特雷斯隆追随者的相貌确实不凡。每个人都穿着从被掠夺而来的教堂里买来的华丽法衣——金色刺绣的法衣、闪闪发光的长袍，或者是嘉布遣会修道士的阴沉的头巾和服装。当他们航行时，狂野的海歌在空中响起，夹杂着向西班牙人和教皇复仇的呼声。

“人们不会认为这些下流的船员能够战斗，”马丁上尉继续说道。 “但毫无疑问他们会这样做。不应该完全责怪他们；他们对自己的朋友和亲戚在西班牙人手中所遭受的痛苦和残酷行为感到近乎疯狂。我知道，当人民最终站起来时，战斗将是一场可怕的战斗，他们会用残酷、血与血来报复。众所周知，奥兰治亲王是最仁慈、最温和的统治者之一。他的所有法令都要求温柔对待囚犯，并且他一再承诺对每个人在宗教活动方面完全宽容；尽管他可能会原谅并忘记，但人民却不会。

“天主教会一直是他们的压迫者。以它的名义，数以万计的人被谋杀，我担心布里尔牧师的屠杀只是一系列血腥报复的第一步，只要人民占了上风，就会发生这些报复。”

好冒险号投入法拉盛几个小时后，就出现了一个新的例子。一艘船抵达港口，带来了阿尔瓦公爵的首席工程师、一位享有最高声誉的建筑师帕切科。他被公爵派去负责士兵们派去执行的新工程，他对发生的事情一无所知，在港口登陆。他立即被暴徒抓住。一名军官愿意救他的命，把他从他们手中接过，并把他带到了监狱。但民众强烈要求他的血，特雷斯隆愿意满足他们的要求，并为阿尔瓦最喜爱的军官按照阿尔瓦的命令谋杀了他的兄弟报仇。这名不幸的军官因此被判处绞刑，判决于当天生效。

几天后，一位名叫泽拉特斯的军官带着奥兰治亲王的任命抵达法拉盛，担任瓦尔赫伦岛总督。他身边有一小队法国步兵，他指挥下的兵力迅速增加。因为当英国得知布里尔和法拉盛摆脱了西班牙人的权威后，来自英国的志愿者开始大量涌入，帮助他们的新教徒同胞参加他们面前的斗争。

好冒险号在法拉盛只停留了几个小时。在目前的情况下，没有机会在那里获得货物，因此马丁船长认为最好不要浪费时间，而是立即前往英国，以了解他通常为之工作的商人的意图。在已经发生变化的情况下可以做什么。

每天都有关于起义扩大的消息。西班牙军队大部分驻扎在佛兰德斯，有效地阻止了佛兰德城镇的公民起义。但叛乱的火焰在整个荷兰、泽兰和弗里斯兰迅速蔓延。布里尔和法拉盛摆脱西班牙枷锁的消息让所有人兴奋不已。这是所有人等待已久的信号。他们知道西班牙将多么拼命地努力夺回对荷兰的控制，如果她征服了，她的复仇将是多么可怕；但所有人都觉得，与其被零碎地杀害，不如死在手中。因此，一个又一个城镇崛起，驱逐了西班牙任命的当局和小型西班牙驻军，布里尔起义后三个月内，大部分沿海省份获得了自由。然而，一些城镇仍然忠于西班牙。其中最突出的是阿姆斯特丹，这座伟大的贸易城市，它担心反对阿尔瓦可能给它带来的毁灭，而不是当他们的同胞为自由和以自己的方式崇拜上帝的权利而战时袖手旁观的耻辱。

23月19日，拿骚的路易率领法国军队出人意料地占领了重要城镇蒙斯，但立即遭到西班牙军队的围攻。六月，荷兰各邦在多特举行会议，正式放弃阿尔瓦公爵的权力，并宣布皇家任命的总督奥兰治亲王为西班牙王室在荷兰的唯一合法代表；作为对王子代表圣阿尔德贡德雄辩演讲的回应，投票通过了一大笔资金来支付王子在德国筹集的军队的费用。 XNUMX月XNUMX日，爱国事业遭遇了严重的不幸。一支胡格诺派增援部队在前往援救蒙斯驻军的途中，遭到了西班牙人的袭击，并将其打成碎片，路易伯爵本来希望得到法国国王的充分援助和帮助，但他却被留下来他的命运。

7 月 14,000 日，奥兰治亲王率领 7,000 步兵和 12,000 骑兵渡过莱茵河。当部队因拖欠军饷而发生叛变时，他只前进了一小段距离，他被拘留了四个星期，直到荷兰各城市保证他们三个月的军饷。一些城市向他敞开了大门；但它们大部分都是不重要的地方，而梅赫林是唯一接纳他的部队的大城市。他仍然继续向蒙斯进发，预计每天都会有科利尼海军上将指挥的 3,000 名法国步兵和 XNUMX 名骑兵加入。

这位很少允许自己乐观的王子相信他的希望目标已经达到，他现在应该能够将西班牙人赶出荷兰。但当他继续前进时，他收到的消息表明，他的所有计划都破灭了，前景比以往任何时候都更加黯淡。虽然法国国王一直在鼓励起义的荷兰人，并授权他的大臣率领军队前往援助他们，但他正在准备进行一场历史上最黑暗的行动，如果不是它的恐怖不那么可怕的话比阿尔瓦对荷兰占领的城市造成的伤害还要大。圣巴塞洛缪前夕，巴黎发生了一场针对新教徒的大屠杀，随后法国各地也发​​生了类似的屠杀，受害者人数据估计从二十五到十万不等。

新教欧洲对这一可怕的罪行充满了恐惧。西班牙的菲利普也充满了同样的喜悦。正如他所相信的那样，荷兰的危险不仅似乎一次又一次地永远威胁着他，已经结束了，而且他在法国新教徒的毁灭中看到了朝着他内心深处的方向迈​​出的一大步——整个欧洲的异端分子被彻底消灭。他向法国国王写了最热烈的祝贺信，尽管他以前与法国国王有仇。教皇则在红衣主教的陪同下前往圣马可教堂，感谢上帝赐予罗马教廷和整个基督教世界的独特恩典。对于奥兰治亲王来说，这个消息犹如晴天霹雳。他的军队彻底丧失了信心，拒绝守住阵地。王子本人也差点死于叛乱分子之手，最后，他渡过莱茵河，解散了军队，几乎只身一人前往荷兰，与追随他的各省分担命运。他怀着等待的心情来到了那里，并做好了赴死的准备。

“我要在那里建造我的坟墓，”他在向弟弟宣布他的意图的信中这样说道。拿骚的路易伯爵现在别无选择，只能投降。他的士兵几乎全部是法国人，既然国王改变了意图，城市就被投降了，他们拒绝再抵抗，驻军也被允许带着武器撤退。

到目前为止，投降条款得到了尊重。但是，并没有遵守尊重城镇居民的条款，而是成立了血腥委员会，几个月来，每天都有十到二十名居民被绞死、烧死或斩首。关于圣巴塞洛缪大屠杀的消息，关于法国国王对荷兰居民的背叛，以及对梅赫林和其他向奥兰治亲王敞开大门的城镇的居民所犯下的可怕暴行的消息，激起了英国人民最强烈的愤慨。

女王举行了哀悼活动，但并没有比以前更愿意向荷兰提供任何真正有效的援助。她允许志愿者过去，提供了一些微薄的资金，但对任何公开参与战争的行为保持冷淡。因为如果以前，当法国应该对荷兰有利而敌视西班牙时，她觉得自己无法与后者进行战争，那么当圣巴塞洛缪的行为使两国重新团结起来时，她就更不可能指望与西班牙打交道了。天主教君主。

马丁船长嫁给了荷兰人，经常与他的行业中的人们打交道，他自然而然地热衷于他们的事业，甚至超过了他的大多数同胞，并一遍又一遍地宣称，当他航行时，荷兰人和西班牙人之间正在进行海战，他会拉下英国国旗，升起荷兰国旗，加入战斗；不出所料，内德在这个问题上与他父亲有着同样的感受。九月初，Good Venture 号开始向阿姆斯特丹运送货物，这座城市在荷兰几乎是唯一一个支持西班牙事业的城市。

当索菲·马丁听说这是这艘船的目的地时，她很高兴；因为她已经很长时间没有收到他们的消息了，她非常担心父亲和兄弟的安全。邮费昂贵，而且邮件不规则。英国人写出或收到的信件很少，漂洋过海寄出的信件更是少之又少。因此，在一般情况下，如果多年过去了没有从阿姆斯特丹传来消息，就没有任何理由感到不安。事实上，在索菲·马丁的整个婚姻生活中，她只收到过一两封从她以前的家寄来的信，尽管许多信件是她丈夫在那里做生意的朋友带来的。但是，好几个星期以来，好冒险号都很少亲自前往阿姆斯特丹，因为该镇是荷兰最大的贸易中心之一，所以信件传递的机会很少。然而，由于这样或那样的原因，自从马丁船长因公事来到那个港口以来，已经过去十八个月了，这段时间里没有邮寄或专人送来任何信件。

没有一个在荷兰有朋友的人可以放心，无论是从他们的地位还是品质来看，这些朋友一定不会受到席卷全国的风暴的影响。穷人和富人一样，工匠和贵族一样，都有可能成为阿尔瓦血统议会的受害者。这张网是为了捕捉所有阶级和条件而拉下的。尽管他的愤怒主要落在新教徒身上，但天主教徒也遭受了痛苦，因为总是有借口可以谴责天主教徒。

荷兰充斥着间谍和告密者，只要不加警惕地表达意见就足以将一个人送进监狱。事实上，在很多情况下，私人仇恨是谴责的原因。因为任何指控都可以在未经审判的情况下安全地提出，而且受害者往往完全不知道他们被逮捕并拖走执行死刑的所谓犯罪的性质。

当船启航时，索菲·马丁给她的丈夫写了一封信给她的父亲和兄弟，恳求他们效仿成千上万的同胞，离开这片生命和财产不再安全的土地，来到伦敦。他们在那里找到工作不会有任何困难，并且可以在生意上站稳脚跟，做得和在家里一样好。

她知道，他们在伦敦存有钱。因为在麻烦开始之后，她的父亲卖掉了他用积蓄购买的房屋和其他财产，并由她的丈夫将所得转交给英国，而她的丈夫又将其委托给一位与他有生意往来的知名公民进行投资。因为这不仅代表了她父亲的积累，也代表了她和他一起工作的兄弟们的积累，所以这笔钱在当时被认为是一笔可观的数字。

“内德，我感到焦虑，”马丁船长沿着须德海驶向这座城市时说道，“你的祖父和叔叔们遭遇了什么事。我一直对你母亲尽力而为，但我无法向自己隐瞒他们可能会受到伤害。奇怪的是，我们在镇上做生意的朋友没有给我们发消息，因为你们的叔叔认识我的很多同志，当他们到达时，可以在货运清单上看到他们的名字。他们会知道你的母亲听到这里正在发生魔鬼工作的消息会多么焦虑，并且总是对她温柔体贴，肯定会时不时地向她发送有关他们的消息，因为他们有机会。我非常担心一定发生了什么事情。你的叔叔们都是谨慎的人，他们各司其职，从不干涉。但他们也是男人，会说出自己的想法，不会像许多人一样，在没有感情的情况下假装表达爱意。

“好吧;我们很快就会知道。一旦船停泊并且我的文件已按顺序申报，你和我就会前往沃尔德维克，看看他们的情况如何。我不认为他们会听从你母亲的建议和我们一起航行；因为那是我最后一次见到他们，他们对移民进行了严厉的批评，并说每一个能够携带武器的人都应该，无论他的危险有多大，都应该等待并等待时机，直到有机会为他的宗教和信仰而奋斗。国家。这些荷兰人都是坚强的人，不会轻易改变他们所接受的观点。虽然我会尽力用我的论点来支持你母亲的信，但我对能说服他们的希望微乎其微。

晚上，它们停泊在当时欧洲最繁忙的城市之一阿姆斯特丹的码头旁。它的贸易规模很大，公民的财富巨大。它有大量的修道院，它的当局都是天主教徒，致力于西班牙的事业，尽管它的围墙内有很多渴望自由事业的人，但他们无力采取行动，运动也在攻克布里尔和法拉盛后，荷兰几乎所有城镇都宣布拥护奥兰治亲王，但在阿姆斯特丹却没有得到任何回应。该船在港口外抛锚，第二天早上，在检查了他们的文件并发现其秩序井然后，她沿着拥挤的船列排列。马丁船长和内德一起上岸，拜访了托运他的货物的商人，并告诉他们他应该在第二天开始卸货。

然后他和内德一起步行前往两英里外的沃德维克。到达村子后，他们突然停了下来。他们经常去的那栋房子的屋顶已经不见了，墙壁也被火熏黑了。在第一声惊讶和遗憾的感叹之后，他们向前走，直到废墟对面，站在那里凝视着它。然后马丁上尉走到一个站在他店门口的村民面前，问他什么时候发生的事情，老人普洛马特怎么样了？

“你是他的女婿，不是吗？”男子反问道。 “我曾多次在这里见过你。”马丁船长点点头。那人小心翼翼地环顾四周，发现在他的声音范围内没有人。

“那你没听说过吗？”他说。 “这是一项糟糕的生意，尽管我们现在已经习惯了。大约八个月后的一天，一队士兵从阿姆斯特丹赶来，带走了我的邻居普洛马特和他的三个儿子。他们被指责一年前参加过实地讲道，你知道这意味着什么。”

“那么坏人就杀了他们？”马丁队长惊恐地问道。

男人点点头。 “第二天，他们和大哥的妻子格特鲁德一起被绞死。如您所知，约翰未婚。路易的妻子伊丽莎白当时病了，否则她的处境无疑会和其他人一样。她和两个女儿一起去了她家人居住的哈勒姆。当然，他们的所有财产都被扣押和没收，房子也被烧毁；因为，如你所知，他们都住在一起。现在，我的朋友，我要离开你了。我不敢邀请你进来，因为我不知道谁会在监视我们，在我们这个时代，即使是招待那些被送上绞刑架的人的妹夫也可能会送上他的生命。”

然后马丁船长的悲伤和激情在言语中得到了宣泄，他严厉地咒骂西班牙人和他们的作品，不管谁会听到他的声音；然后他走进花园，参观了他经常与老人和他的儿子们交谈的避暑别墅，然后坐下来，充分发泄了他的悲伤。奈德听到这个消息几乎惊呆了。由于经常出海，他从来没有意识到，自从他母亲收到家人的来信以来，已经过去了这么长时间了。事实上，这件事在他面前已经被提及过。但是，他知道这个国家的动荡局势，他的叔叔们应该有很多事情要考虑并给他们带来麻烦，而且很可能没有时间写信，这对他来说是很自然的。他父亲前一天晚上的话第一次让他们产生了一种真正的不安感，看到被毁的房子和他的祖父、他的三个叔叔和他的一个姑妈的消息所引起的震惊。被西班牙人谋杀，彻底压垮了他。

“我们走吧，奈德，”他父亲最后说道。 “我们在这里没什么可做的，让我们回到我们的船上吧。我是一个爱好和平的人，内德，但我现在感觉好像我可以加入海上的乞丐，和他们一起杀死每一个落入他们手中的西班牙人。小伙子，这对你母亲来说将是一个可怕的消息。”

“确实会的，”奈德回答道。 “哦，父亲，我希望您能让我留在这里，加入王子的乐队，为他们的自由而战。当我们从泰晤士河起航时，有英国志愿者来到布里尔和法拉盛，如果他们是没有血缘关系的荷兰人，为什么不可以为我这个母亲身边的荷兰人、亲戚被谋杀的人而战呢？ ”

“我们稍后再讨论，内德，”他的父亲说。 “你还年轻，干不了这么艰苦的工作，而且这不是普通战争。这里没有任何宽恕，这是一场你死我活的战斗。西班牙人像野兽一样屠杀新教徒，而他们也会像野兽一样保卫自己。但如果这场战争继续下去，直到你获得了全部的力量和力量，我不会拒绝你。正如你所说，我们国内的人民已经准备好为了自由和宗教事业而发动一场战争，女王下令了吗？当其他人仅仅因为对西班牙人的残酷行为感到恐惧而准备来到这里并与他们同甘共苦时，在我看来，你这个有一半荷兰血统并且亲人被谋杀的人是正确的受到这些恶魔的侵害，应该站出来站在受压迫者一边。如果发生海上战斗，我可能会亲自参加，并将好冒险号交给奥兰治亲王。但我们稍后会讨论这一点，也会讨论你自己。当你十八岁的时候，你仍然很年轻，适合做这样的工作。”

他们一边说话，一边快步朝阿姆斯特丹走去。 “我们会直接上船，奈德；在我们启航之前我不会再上岸。我想我现在不敢相信自己会遇到一个西班牙人，而应该拔出刀冲向他。我知道这些事情发生了，我们也听说过这些日常的屠杀，但我并没有像现在这样理解，当我们自己的朋友成为受害者时。”

进入镇门后，他们径直前往港口，很快就登上了好冒险号，马丁船长回到了自己的小屋。奈德现在感到太焦躁和兴奋，无法下去。但他告诉了船员们发生了什么事，诚实的水手们愤怒地大声叫喊。自从马丁船长指挥好冒险号以来，他们中的大多数人就和他一起出航，每当船只在阿姆斯特丹靠岸时，他们登船时都见过普洛马特夫妇。事实上，他们无事可做，也没有采取任何措施来报复谋杀，这更加激怒了他们。

“内德少爷，我希望我们能拥有二十艘像我们自己的船一样的船，”其中一位说道。 “这将为我们提供四百人，有了这些人，我们就可以上岸绞死地方法官、议员以及所有参与这桩肮脏勾当的人，并点燃他们的公共建筑，然后再杀回来。”到港口。”

“恐怕四百人在这里无法像在布里尔那样做到这一点。那里没有西班牙驻军，但在这里他们有一个团；尽管西班牙人似乎有魔鬼的心而不是人的心，但他们可以战斗。”

“好吧，我们会抓住机会，”水手回答道。 “如果我们有四百人，船长一声令下，我们就会向他们展示英国水手的能力，伙计们——不是吗？”

“是的，我们会的；”其他人齐声咆哮。

第二天一早，卸货工作就开始了。水手们辛苦了；因为，正如他们中的一个人所说，“这个地方似乎充满了血腥味——我们要尽快离开这里，伙计们。”下午四点，一个与内德年龄相仿的小伙子登上了船。他是商人的儿子，好冒险号的大部分货物都托运给这个商人。

“我有一封父亲吩咐我交给你的信，马丁船长。他说事情很紧急，求我到你的小屋里交给你。他还告诉我，当你认为你的货舱会空的时候就去询问，因为他为你准备了回程所需的货物。”

“到明天晚上，我们几乎就空了。”马丁船长边说边领着他走向位于船尾的小屋。 “工人们的工作速度比平时更快，因为我们通常需要三天才能卸货。”

“我认为我父亲并不关心这个，”小伙子走进小屋时说道。 “这只是我来这里的一个借口，他在所有其他职员之前向我传达了这个信息。但我想，这封信才是我此行的真正目的。”

马丁上尉打开了信。由于他准备继承父亲的事业，他学会了读书和写作。在当时的船长中，成就绝非一般。

“这确实很重要，”他一边浏览着这封信一边说道。内容如下：“马丁船长，我的一位朋友，这里的议会成员之一，刚刚告诉我，在今天下午的会议上，有人对你提出谴责，因为你在沃尔德维克街上公开咒骂了并辱骂西班牙国王陛下、阿尔瓦公爵、西班牙人和天主教。有些人认为你应该立即在船上被捕，但另一些人则认为最好等你一上岸就抓住你，因为如果你在政府的保护下被带走，可能会带来麻烦。英国国旗。他们敦促说，在岸上，不会出现任何问题，尤其是像现在许多英国人一样，尽管两国处于和平状态，公开在奥兰治亲王的领导下服役。

“我派人来告诉你这件事，尽管如果我这样做了，我自己就会冒不小的风险；但由于我们已经交往多年，我认为警告你是正确的。我可以说，那些等待的人的建议占了上风。但如果一两天后，他们发现你没有上岸，我担心他们会毫不犹豫地在你自己的船上逮捕你。请在阅读完这封信后立即销毁它，并根据情况采取您认为最好的行动。我由我儿子亲手把这封信寄给你，因为到处都有间谍，现在谁都不能相信。”

“年轻的先生，我非常感谢你给我带来这封信。你会向我感谢你的父亲，并说我对他深感亏欠，并会思考如何才能最好地逃离这个困境。先把我的口信传达给他，后天中午我就空了，准备好收货。”

小伙子离开后，马丁船长叫来内德和他的大副威廉·彼得斯，把案子摆在他们面前。

“马丁船长，这是一件很尴尬的事情，”彼得斯说。 “只要船上有人能挥舞短刀，你就不会在好冒险号上被捕；但我不知道从长远来看这是否会对你有帮助。

“一点也不，彼得斯。我们可能会击败第一批来抓我的人，但不久之后他们就会带来一股我们无论如何都毫无机会的力量。不，不是只有战斗才有逃脱的机会。由此可见，我明天是安全的；他们将至少等待一天，看看我是否上岸，他们确实会确保我迟早会上岸。至于我自己的安全，以及这里的内德的安全，因为他和我在一起，无疑也包括在谴责之中，这是很容易的。我们只需在天黑后上船，把桨消音，然后划船前往距离仅十英里的哈勒姆，并已宣布前往奥兰治亲王号。但我不想离开这艘船，因为如果他们发现我们走了，他们可能会扣押并宣布没收。虽然，当我们回到英国时，我们可能会向女王投诉，但我们没有机会从西班牙人那里得到这艘船或她的价值。两国之间有太多的抱怨原因，扣押一艘双桅船无论如何都没有什么区别。问题是，我们能把她救出来吗？”

“这不是一件容易的事，”彼得斯摇着头说道。 “今天下午来的那艘法国船已经在我们外面停泊了，除非她让开，否则无法离开。如果她不在那儿，也许会尝试一下，尽管很难在不引起注意的情况下做到这一点。至于港口里有四艘西班牙战舰，只要我们扬起风帆，我就不会害怕它们，因为冒险号比这些笨拙的西班牙人航行得更快；但他们会派出划艇追赶我们，除非风很大，否则这些划艇很快就会把我们拖垮。”

“好吧，我必须考虑一下，”马丁船长说。 “我确实应该为失去我的船而感到遗憾，这对我来说几乎是毁灭，但如果没有其他办法，我们必须乘船前往哈勒姆。”

第二天，卸货工作继续进行。下午，躺在他们外面的法国船的船长登上了船。他一直有与荷兰进行贸易的习惯，并用荷兰语与马丁船长交谈。

“你可能要在这里躺很久吗？”他问。 “我想尽快让我的船靠码头，因为将货物卸到这些驳船上是一项缓慢的工作。早上有一两艘船出发，但如果可以的话，我宁愿在这个点附近到达，因为我的货物托运的 Mynheer Strous 的仓库就在对面。”

“你能到我的船舱来和我喝一杯吗？”马丁船长说，“然后我们可以讨论一下？”

马丁船长毫不费力地发现法国船长是胡格诺派教徒，而且他同情荷兰人民。

“现在，”他说，“我可以自由地和你说话了。前天我上岸后，得知我妻子的父亲、她的三个兄弟和他们的一个妻子被西班牙人杀害了。好吧，你可以理解，在我的悲伤和愤怒中，我咒骂了西班牙人和他们的所作所为。我得知有间谍告发我，他们只是在等我上岸来抓捕我，然后你知道接下来会发生什么；目前，由于志愿者已经来到布里尔和法拉盛，西班牙人对英国人感到愤怒。他们宁愿带我上岸也不愿带我上船，但如果他们发现我没有上岸，他们一定会来接我的。他们相信我要到明天中午才能卸货，并且毫无疑问地期望货物一出我就会登陆，安排货物运往英国。因此，直到明天下午我都是安全的，但现在不再安全了。现在，我想今晚想办法安静地出去；但要做到这一点，您必须将您的泊位以一种方式或另一种方式移动一船的长度​​。你愿意为我做这件事吗？

“我当然愿意，我很高兴。”船长回答道。 “我马上下令。”

“不，那是不行的，”马丁船长说。 “他们对我更加宽容，因为他们知道，只要你的船在那里，我就无法离开，但如果他们看到你改变泊位，他们会立即意识到我可能打算溜走。你必须等到天完全黑了，然后尽可能安静地脱掉你的经线，放松你的缆绳，让她落下来，以便给我留下一条轻松的通道。天一黑，我就会给我的所有积木涂上油脂，当一切安静下来时，试着把她救出来。风是西南风，它将把我们带到须德海。”

“我希望你能成功，”法国队长说道。 “一旦起航，你就可以安全地避开他们的军舰，因为在他们能够扬起帆之前，你就已经在两三英里之外了。危险在于他们的划艇和厨房。”

“好吧，好吧，我们必须冒险，”马丁船长说。 “我会在旁边安排一艘船，如果我发现情况紧急，我们会开船划到岸边，然后前往哈勒姆，在那里我们应该是安全的。”

奈德一整天都在密切监视，他发现两名西班牙官员已经在离船不远的码头上就位。他们似乎无事可做，对正在发生的事情漠不关心。他告诉他的父亲，他认为他们正在观看。不久，商人亲自来到了码头。他没有上船，而是站在甲板上与马丁船长交谈，以便周围的人都能听到他的话。

“马丁船长，你过得怎么样？”他用荷兰语问道。

“很好，”马丁船长回答道。 “我想，如果我们继续前进，到明天中午，她就会空了。”

“你知道，我有一件货物要和你一起回去，”商人说，“如果你明天清关后能过来的话，我想在办公室见你。”

“好吧，Mynheer，你可以在两点左右等我。

“但你不会看到我，”他对自己补充道。

商人摆摆手就走开了，几分钟后那两个官员也走了。

“这让他们的眼睛蒙上了灰尘，”马丁上尉说，“但斯特劳斯却安全了。当他听说我走了时，他会假装和任何人一样惊讶。”

天一黑，码头上空无一人，马丁船长就派了两名水手提着油壶登上高空，命令每个区块都要仔细涂上油脂，以确保其运行时没有噪音。一艘划着六支桨的小船悄无声息地沉入水中，桨上缠着法兰绒。这些人意识到威胁到他们的船长的危险，磨利了长矛和斧头，并互相宣布，无论船长是否下令，只要其中一人还活着，任何西班牙人都不得踏上船。甲板。厨师在一个大锅炉里装满了水，并在下面生了火，木匠则在没有命令的情况下加热了一大锅沥青。

“你在做什么，汤普森？”船长从船舱出来时注意到火光，问道。

水手来到船尾，然后回答道：“我只是在给老师们煮一点辣酱，船长。你知道，我们不会邀请他们来；我们会邀请他们来。但如果他们这样做了，我们就应该招待他们。”

“我希望不会发生战斗，小伙子，”船长说。

“好吧，法官大人，这并不完全是我和我的伙伴们的愿望。听完这些消息后，我们感觉除非与西班牙人有过接触，否则我们不会高兴。至于战斗，法官大人；据我们所知，霍金斯船长和印度洋上的其他人已经向他们表明，尽管他们可能在陆地上昂首阔步，但在海上却不是英国人的对手。无论如何，法官大人，我们不会袖手旁观，看着你和奈德少爷被这些屠杀西班牙人的人迷惑。

“我们都下定决心，发生在你身上的事也会发生在我们所有人身上。在过去的十七年或十八年里，我们在这艘好冒险号船上一起航行，我们意味着要么一起游泳，要么一起沉没。没有对你不敬，船长；但这是我们所有人的坚定意图。如果我们能航行回到伦敦港，当我们站在旁边看到我们的船长和他的儿子被西班牙人带走吊死或烧毁或其他什么的时候，我们会说这是一件好事，然后航行回家告诉他们故事。我们并没有不敬的意思，船长，我再说一遍；但在这件事上，我们听从彼得斯先生的命令，因为你在这件事上受到的谴责并不被认为是对它有正确的判断。

“好吧，好吧，我们会看看是否有机会打一场成功的战斗，”马丁船长说，对水手的表达方式忍不住微笑。

夜色漆黑，一些面向港口的房屋悬挂着两三盏油灯，没有投射出任何光线延伸到船只上。在天空的衬托下，很难辨认出二十码外法国船只桅杆的轮廓。但不久，奈德的注意力被她的电缆轻微溅起的声音吸引了过来。然后他听到绳索从锚链孔中伸出时发出低沉的隆隆声，并看到桅杆正在慢慢移动。两三分钟后，他们就从他的视线中消失了。他走进船舱。

“法国人走了，父亲；声音如此之小，我几乎听不见她的声音。如果我们能安静地出去，就不用担心会被注意到。”

“我们不能那么安静，内德。她只需松开缆绳，随着半小时前转向的潮水而漂流，我们就得拖船起航了。然而，夜已深，风已离岸，一切都对我们有利。你看看我们上面和下面的船的甲板上有没有人。”

奈德先走到船尾，然后走到船头。他能听到艏楼里人们说话和唱歌的声音，但听不到两艘船的甲板上有任何动静。他下去报告了他的父亲。

“那么，我想，我们不妨立即开始，内德。镇上仍然有声音和噪音，因此，与等到一切完全静止相比，我们发出的任何噪音都不太可能被注意到。”

水手们都已经准备好了。所有人都赤着脚，以便尽可能无声地移动。好冒险号携带的四门小炮，炮口上装满了子弹和铁片。人们在下面进行了搜查，发现了几块沉重的石块，它们是以前搬运过的压载物的一部分，被运上来并沿着舷墙每隔一段距离放置一次。长矛被一根松散的绳索固定在桅杆上，斧头则靠在大炮上准备就绪。

“现在，彼得斯，”马丁船长说，“让船上有人。你派人上岸把船头的缆绳扔掉吗？让他随身携带一根绳子上岸，以便松开缆绳，不要让缆绳末端掉入水中。他一做完，就让他来到船尾，登上那里的船，然后你和他尽可能安静地把木板搬上船。一旦船头缆绳上船，我就会通知船上的人划船。内德将登上她的船，并确保他们划向正确的方向。当你把木板放进去的那一刻，就拿出你的刀，把船尾的经线切掉一半，她的头立刻就出来了，你感觉到了压力，把它砍断。船尾离码头太近了，末端不可能掉进水里溅起水花。”

内德的命令是，一旦船头指向大海，他就向右转向，以防止水流将她冲到法国船的船头，但水流却很弱。一旦越过后者，他就直接出去，根据岸上的灯光驾驶。船员们被要求在每次划动时尽可能安静地将桨放入水中，并深深地划动，因为如果不这样做，船就被拖着，否则就会搅动水。船划了一两下，然后，随着绳子收紧，人们安静地坐着，直到听到马丁船长低声下令划船；然后他们弯下桨。彼得斯为此目的在船上挑选了六名最好的划手，他们把桨浸入水中的声音是如此之小，以至于马丁船长几乎听不到声音，只能通过看向另一边，看到岸边才知道。正在后退，表明船在行驶。两分钟后，彼得斯上前。

“我已经切断了亚空间，马丁船长，她要搬出去了。我让沃森掌舵。”接下来的五分钟里，大家几乎没有说话。只有看着岸上的灯光，他们才能判断自己的进展。第一个危险已经过去，每个人都呼吸更加自由了。他们从泊位出来，没有引起任何注意，无论是从岸边还是从旁边的船只。他们的下一个危险来自停泊在港口外等待进港的船只。如果他们撞上其中一艘，碰撞的声音，也许还有桅杆断裂的声音和船员们的喊叫声，肯定会引起他们的注意。引起岸上哨兵的注意。

到目前为止，船一直在划动，但距离船头斜桅末端只有一小段距离，但马丁船长现在已经走到了那根桅杆的末端，并告诉内德，他将给他更多的绳子以便他能够保持领先地位，并密切留意停泊的船只。又过了一刻钟，马丁船长想，他们现在一定已经超出了外层船的界限了。现在他们已经离开了城镇的庇护所，他们对风的感觉更加强烈，风对船体和桅杆的影响使前面船上的人的工作变得更轻松。

“现在，彼得斯，我想我们可以安全地展开前帆，把他们从船上叫过来。”

帆已经松开了，现在又落了下来。它立刻就肚子疼了。

“小伙子们，把床单拉起来。”马丁队长说道，然后向前低声吹了一声口哨。一分钟后，船靠岸了。 “让她落在后面，彼得斯，”船长说，内德和划手们爬上了船。 “我们现在可能想要她。哈喽！那是什么？我确信这是一艘警戒船，正朝这边过来。”男人们听到桨声，悄悄地偷偷地爬到桅杆上，拿起长矛，把斧子别在腰带上，沿着小船驶近的船舷排列。 “她会在我们前面还是在后面？”马丁船长对大副低声说道。

“我还不能说，先生。从声音来看，她似乎几乎是直奔我们而去。”

“真不幸，”马丁船长低声说道。 “就在我们看起来安全离开的时候。”

又过了一分钟，大副低声说道：“她会落后于我们，先生，但不会落后太多。”

“我相信她不会看到我们，”船长说。 “但现在我们远离了城镇，灯光也不再那么暗了，而且他们的眼睛已经习惯了。”

当船靠近时，船上一片死寂。她刚经过船尾，大约有一条船的距离，突然一声惊呼，一个声音喊道：“那是什么船？你要去哪里？”马丁船长用荷兰语回答。 “我们正在利用风向出海。”

“放下那张帆，长官！”该官员喊道：“这违反了所有规定。日出和日落之间不允许任何船只离开港口。并肩而行，小伙子们；这有什么奇怪的！”

“不要靠近。”马丁船长严厉地说。 “我们是爱好和平的商人，不干涉任何人，但如果你干涉我们，对你来说会更糟。”

“你这个无礼的狗！”那军官怒喝道：“你敢威胁我。小伙子们，吹掉你们的火柴，扛起你们的火绳枪。这里有叛国和叛乱。”

船上的人看到六个微小的火花出现，两个在船头，四个在船尾。一分钟后，船就靠岸了。当它这样做时，三块大石头被投入其中，击倒了两名划船者。

“火！”军官惊呼一声，跳了起来，爬上了船舷。六支火枪射出，士兵们起身跟随他们的队长，这时划手们喊道：“船要沉了！她被困住了！”

与此同时，军官被长矛刺穿，向后倒去。其中两名士兵被斧头砍倒，另一名士兵跳回正在下沉的船上，船立即漂向船尾。

“小伙子们，扬帆起航吧！”马丁船长喊道； “现在是速度问题。警报已经在岸上传播了。”各个炮台的哨兵一边放火枪，一边喊叫着，几乎立刻就听到了鼓声。船员们很快就把双桅船的每一处帆都拉好了。她在水中平稳地移动。但风仍然微弱，尽管偶尔会刮起更强的风，让人有理由相信不久之后风会吹得更猛烈。

“他们需要一段时间才能弄清楚这到底是怎么回事，彼得斯，”马丁上尉说。 “桨帆船将配备人员，并将划至听到枪声的地点。船上的一些人肯定会游泳，当他们出来时会遇见他们并告诉他们发生了什么事。最糟糕的是，几分钟后月亮就会升起。我把这一切都忘了。这就是它更轻的原因。不过，我们已经有了一个良好的开端。一两艘警戒艇可能会在一刻钟内到达这里，但桨帆船需要两倍的时间才能聚集船员并离开。这一切都取决于风。幸亏天还没亮，不然电池可能会开裂。我认为现在他们不会看到我们，直到我们完全超出射程之外。”

现在好冒险号上不再需要保持沉默，船员们大笑起来，拿西班牙人开玩笑。他们为自己的成功而兴高采烈，唯一的遗憾就是与追赶者的交锋没有来得更猛烈一些。从谈话中可以明显看出，他们向后投去的目光中既充满了希望，也充满了恐惧，看到一个与自己实力相当的敌人紧追不舍，他们绝不会感到遗憾。破碎的船落在船尾一刻钟后，月亮在右舷船头升起。它已经满了四分之三，肯定会让岸上的人看到这艘船。当它真正出现在地平线上方时，后面传来一声炮响，一两秒后，附近的水中传来剧烈的溅射声。

“这是一记好球，”马丁上尉说道。 “但我更看重的是运气而不是技巧。在这个距离他们击中我们的可能性很小。我们必须相距一英里半；你不这么认为吗，彼得斯？”

“正是如此，船长；他们一定给了他们的枪很大的高度才能运到这么远。我几乎想知道他们浪费了粉末。”

“当然，他们根本不知道他们在向谁开火，”队长说。 “他们还无法得知任何事情，只能知道港口正在开火，一艘飞船正在靠近。无论他们知道什么，我们都可能是海上乞丐的船只之一，并且可能是从他们眼皮子底下夺取战利品的。”

“是这样的，”大副回答道。 “但开枪可能是为了发出信号，也可能是为了击中我们。”

“也许是这样，也许是这样，彼得斯；我没想到这一点。当然，这可能就足够了。我们知道他们有几艘船在须德海巡航，监视着乞丐。这样的夜晚，风向后吹，声音在数里之外都能听见。我们可能还有麻烦。我不太害怕桨帆船，因为虽然风很小，但我们的航行却是出了名的。你看，我们手里什么也没有，只要我们死在风前，一切就对我们有利。此外，如果桨帆船真的出现了，也可能是单独的，我们应该能够击败它们，因为我们离水面很高，它们会发现很难爬上舷侧；但如果我们撞上了他们的任何一艘船，那就完全是另一回事了。”

又开了四五声枪，但他们都倒在了船尾；当最后一门炮发射时，他们已经在两英里半之外了，而炮手们一定知道他们已经超出了射程，马丁船长确信大副的想法是正确的，大炮已经与其说是作为一个信号，不如说是为了到达他们的希望。

“内德，跑到前甲板上，”船长说，“并密切注视前方。月球给那些在我们轨道上落后的人带来了优势，但它也给了我们相对于我们前面的任何飞船的优势。早在他们看到我们之前我们就会看到他们。”

当最后一声枪响时，彼得斯一直在看着船尾，并说，通过闪光，他相信他看到了停泊在港口外的三艘船只。

“如果那些是他们的厨房，那么我们还有两英里的起步时间，”船长说。 “我们正在以大约四节的速度潜入水中，也许他们可能会划六节，所以他们需要一个小时才能上来。”

“我应该说，远不止这些，船长，因为风有时会变得清爽一些。他们可能要一个半小时才能出现。”

“那就更好了，彼得斯。他们将从那艘船上接起的人那里得知，我们并不是一艘大型船只，我们的船员可能不超过二十人；因此，由于这些桨帆船除了二十名桨手之外还载有大约二十名士兵，他们不会认为有必要保持在一起，而是会尽力追上我们。他们中的一个肯定比其他人更快，如果他们单独上来，我想我们应该能够漂亮地击败他们。现在讨论战斗是否明智是没有意义的。通过击沉第一艘船，我们都把自己的头套在了绞索里，没有退路了。我们已经用武力击退了他们的军官，如果我们落入他们手中，我们任何人都不会手软。”

“知道这一点后，我们会更好地战斗，”彼得斯冷酷地说。 “荷兰人正在认识到这一点，而西班牙人则付出了代价。没有什么比让一个人打架更重要的了，因为他知道如果他被打败了，就会有一个缰绳在等着他。”

“彼得斯，你最好把两门枪放在后面，以便在它们出现时向它们开火。你可以暂时把其他人留在一边，当我们看到他们要冲向哪一边时，再把其中一个碾过去。啊!那是一个漂亮的小泡芙。如果情况真的如此，我们就应该向他们展示我们的脚后跟。”

两三分钟后，风就停了，风也比之前更小了。

“我以为我们会得到更多，”船长不满地说。 “看起来就像太阳落山时的样子。”

“我想早上之前我们会得到更多，”彼得斯同意道。 “但恐怕它不会及时到来，对我们有多大帮助。”

当月亮升起时，他们能够辨认出他们身后的三艘飞船。其中两个几乎并排，第三个落后了一点距离。

“这正是我所期望的，彼得斯；他们正在进行一场竞赛。我们手上马上就有两个；当他们过来给他们任何帮助时，另一个人已经太远了。我应该说，他们现在已经落后了大约一英里，除非风势稍强，否则他们将在大约二十分钟内靠岸。我会给你三个人，彼得斯。一旦我们再次发射子弹，然后将枪转向并向前移动到船尾的边缘，然后将它们指向腰部。如果西班牙人上船，我们发现他们对我们来说太强大了，我们中那些有能力的人就会去艏楼，其他人会跑到这里。然后用你的枪横扫西班牙人，然后你直接用长矛和斧头向他们射击。我们也会做同样的事情，如果我们不清除它们，那就很难了。”

就在这时，内德从上面向他们致意。 “有一艘船就在我们前面，先生；她正躺着，帆收起，显然是在等待。”

“奈德，你觉得她离她还有多远？”

“我应该说她在四英里外，”内德回答道。

” “好吧，我们暂时不用为她烦恼，等我们处理完这些家伙之后，我们就有时间想想她了。你现在可以下来了，奈德。”

船长用几句话向他的手下解释了他的意图。

“我希望，小伙子们，我们能够阻止他们在甲板上站稳脚跟；但如果他们这样做了，而我们发现我们无法击退他们，那么一旦我发出命令，你们要么到艏楼，要么到船尾。彼得斯先生将在那里准备好两把枪，用子弹扫射他们。当他开枪的那一刻，大家欢呼起来，从两侧冲向他们。我们会再次清除它们，不用害怕。内德，在我重新加入你之前，你将负责腰部的工作。当我告诉你他们从哪一边过来时，准备好用其中一门枪射击。尽可能地压抑他们。我拿一把枪，你拿另一把，确保在你看到枪口下方有一艘船之前不要开枪。请注意，你的目标是船，而不是人。”

马丁船长再次登上船尾并与彼得斯会合。两艘船现在仅相距几百码，他们可以听到军官们为桨手们加油鼓劲的声音。第三艘船落后领先者整整四分之一英里。当他们接近一百码时，步枪开火了。

“伙计们，躺在舷墙下，”马丁船长对三名水手说道。 “不必要地冒生命危险是没有意义的。我预计一艘船会从一侧过来，另一侧也会有一艘，彼得斯。如果他们这样做了，我们都会选择左舷的那一个。我们中的一个人可能会错过，如果可以的话最好确保一艘船。我认为我们可以很有把握击败对方。是的，他们正在分离。现在稍微转动你的枪，使其落在船尾约二十码处、左舷一艘船的长度处。我也会这样做。你做到了吗？

“是的，我想我已经明白了，先生。”

“那好吧。现在弯下腰，不然我们可能在开火之前就被击中了。”

船尾周围的舷墙只有大约一英尺高，但坐在船尾后面的船长和大副受到保护，免受现在在船尾轻快呼啸的子弹的伤害。

“他们来了，彼得斯，”马丁船长说。 “现在跪下来，看着你的枪；准备好你的火柴，在你看清船之前不要开火，然后拍你的火柴，不管我是否开火。”

船疾驰而去，直到距离船尾二十码左右的地方，大炮几乎同时开火。声音过后是一阵尖叫声和叫喊声。两门炮的内容物都击中了船的中部，她几乎立刻就沉没了。他们一开火，马丁上尉就跑上前去，加入了船员的腰部。他已经向内德传达了命令，让他把两门炮移至右舷，他立即负责其中一门，而内德则站在另一门。西班牙人没有等待救起另一艘船上溺水的战友，就直接向前推进，一分钟后就到了岸边。舵手把船靠得太近了，以至于炮无法压下以攻击她，过了一会儿，西班牙人爬上了船的侧面，划手们放下桨，抓住斧子，加入了队伍。士兵们。

“奈德，别管枪；目前没有用。现在，小伙子们，当他们上来时，把他们赶回去。”

当西班牙人试图爬上去时，水手们用长矛和斧头遇见了他们。厨师把他的大锅里的沸水端到了舷墙上，一桶又一桶地扔进船上，而木匠则用大勺子把沸腾的沥青舀起来。船上传来可怕的叫喊声和尖叫声，士兵们徒劳地试图在甲板上站稳脚跟。当他们出现在舷墙上方时，他们要么遭到长矛的推力，要么遭到斧头的猛烈打击，从战斗开始的那一刻起，仅仅三四分钟，船就脱离了，落在了后面，船上一半以上的人死亡或致残。船员们爆发出热烈的欢呼声。

“我要不要再把炮开回船尾，”彼得斯在上面问道，“给它们注射临终剂量？”

“不，不，”马丁上尉说，“让他们走，彼得斯；让他们走吧。”我们正在为保卫自己而战，但我们已经给他们造成了足够的伤害。不过，看看第三艘船在做什么。”

“他们已经停止划船了，”彼得斯走到船尾后说道。 “我认为他们正在从我们沉没的船上救起一些游泳者。他们的数量不可能很多，因为大多数桨手都会被我们的射击杀死，而穿着盔甲的士兵也会立即沉没。”

马丁船长现在登上了船尾楼。很快，小船就与那艘落在后面的船汇合了，那艘船无助地躺在水中，没有人试图去划桨，因为大多数未受伤的人或多或少都被严重烫伤了。他们的报告显然并不令人鼓舞，第三艘船也没有尝试追击。她的一些桨手被转移到另一艘船上，他们一起掉头返回阿姆斯特丹。

“现在轮到前面的这艘船了，”马丁船长说道。 “这是比船更严肃的事情。”

这艘船在他们前方约两英里处，现在已经扬起了一些帆，正向他们驶去。

“他们现在可以清楚地认出我们了，彼得斯，射击当然会告诉他们我们就是他们正在寻找的船只。我认为没有任何办法可以摆脱他们。”

“我不认为有，”大副同意道。 “无论我们采取哪种方式，他们都可以切断我们的路。最糟糕的是，毫无疑问她船上有一些大枪，而我们的这些小东西除了近距离之外没有任何用处。跟她吵架也没有用吗？”

“一点也不，彼得斯。我们最好径直向她驶去。”

“你不会是想带着她登机吧？”彼得斯疑惑地问道。 “她看起来是一艘大船，船上大约有一百五十人；虽然西班牙人不是水手，但他们可以在船的甲板上作战。”

“是这样的，彼得斯。我想做的就是直接向她冲去，就像我打算登机一样。当我们上来时，我们必须站在舷侧，然后我们就会越过她，并且凭借我们的轻微吃水，我们应该随着这股风立即逃离她。现在的事情比以前还要多，而且我们正在快速溜走。除非她碰巧撞倒了我们的一根桅杆，否则我们就能远离她。”

当他们距离西班牙船不到半英里时，他们看到她的船头起飞了。

“躺下，小伙子们，”船长命令道，“她要向我们发起猛烈攻击。结束后，开始一首你在布里尔学到的海乞丐歌曲；这会让他们大吃一惊，他们会以为我们挤满了人，然后就会登上他们。”

一分钟后，西班牙船发出八道闪光，此时西班牙船正躺在他们的舷侧。一发子弹击穿了舷墙，另外两发子弹穿过了船帆，其余的则偏离了目标。一切一结束，船员们就跳了起来，大声唱起了海上乞丐唱的一首野歌。

“彼得斯，让我们的头正对着她，”马丁船长说道。 “他们会认为我们打算撞倒她，这会让他们感到慌乱和困惑。”

在那个年代，装货并不是一件容易的事，在炮火再次开火之前，船只之间的距离缩短了一半。这次不是猛烈攻击，而是猛烈攻击。火炮在装弹时一炮一炮地开火，瞄准仓促且不准确，虽然距离很近，但没有一发炮弹击中好冒险号的船体，尽管有两三炮击穿了船帆。在明亮的月光下，可以看到西班牙人号上的男人们跑来跑去，军官们挥舞着手臂发号施令，然后她的头脑开始得到回报。

“我们吓坏了他们，”马丁队长笑道。 “他们以为我们会打败他们。他们知道，如果海乞丐能够击沉敌人，他们会很乐意让自己沉没。彼得斯，紧跟在她的后面，然后稍微离开，就好像你打算从他们的右舷经过一样；然后当你靠近时，让她的舵锋利并扫过她的船尾。当我们经过时，我们将把枪交给她，然后再次起飞并从她的左舷经过她；他们很可能不会再在那里装载。”

西班牙船就在前方一百多码处。当她再次顺风而行时，马丁船长满意地看到“好冒险”号距离她两英尺远了三英尺。西班牙人的船尾和船尾走廊上挤满了士兵，他们用步枪向追击者开火。现在，这些人都躺在他们的枪前，枪口上装满了步枪子弹。

“尽可能地提升他们。她露出水面的高度比我们高得多。现在，彼得斯，你负责掌舵，我来掌舵。”

“我会掌舵，长官，”大副回答道。

“不，你不会的，彼得斯；我的地方就是危险的地方。但如果你愿意的话，你可以在开火后躺在那里的舷墙下，并准备好在看到我倒下时接替我的位置。现在，小伙子们，做好准备吧。”

船长说着放下了舵柄。好冒险号在距离西班牙人号约四十码的船尾处扫过，当她这样做时，枪口装满子弹的大炮相继开火。效果很糟糕，画廊和船尾都被铅雨冲刷了。然后船长又把舵摆正了。船员们爆发出战斗时乞丐们发出的疯狂叫喊声和哭声。西班牙人被敌人的枪炮造成的可怕屠杀搞糊涂了，他们相信一群绝望的敌人即将在左舷登上他们，于是急忙升起舵柄，船随着好人号而开走了。风险号横扫而过，向他们展示的是她的船尾而不是侧舷侧。

让西班牙人暂时松了口气的是，他们的攻击者没有模仿他们的策略，而是顺风直行，没有乞丐的疯狂呼喊，而是英国人热烈的欢呼声。正如马丁船长所预料的那样，左舷的炮在最后一次发射后还没有重新装弹，而好冒险号已经在两三百码之外了，西班牙人从对敌人似乎难以理解的机动的惊讶中恢复过来之前，他们醒悟到自己被骗了，袭击者不是一艘挤满了海上乞丐的船，而是一位试图逃离他们的英国商人。

当他们得知真相后，立即喊出了十几条相互矛盾的命令。上尉被葡萄喷出身亡，中尉受重伤。指挥部队的军官大声叫手下装炮，却发现舰上的少尉已转头追击敌人，一炮都扛不住了。两国当局之间发生了激烈的争吵，但军事首领的级别最高。

“你难道没有看到吗，”他愤怒地说，“她正在离我们远去。当我下达装货命令时，她距离我们只有几百码，而现在她已经足足有四分之一英里了。”

“如果我放下舵，让她的舷侧迎风，”海员说，“在我们能直起身子再次追上她之前，她就会领先半英里；除非你碰巧打伤了她，否则她一定会逃脱。”

“无论如何，她都会逃走的，”士兵咆哮道，“如果我们不打残她的话。立即放下头盔。”

命令一发出，船头就转了过来。船帆拍打，船体嘎嘎作响，然后舷侧舷炮开火。但对于愤怒和兴奋的人来说，要撞到近半英里外的桅杆可不是一件容易的事。其中一发子弹击中了主桅脚一码范围内的甲板，另一发子弹打碎了一艘船，另外三发子弹使船帆上的孔洞更加严重，但没有造成严重损坏。当西班牙人转过身来再次追赶时，好冒险号已经领先半英里多了。

“现在一切都结束了，船长，”彼得斯一边走到船尾一边说道。 “除非我们找到另一个这样的人（这不太可能），否则我们就是安全的。”

“有人被击中了吗，彼得斯？”

“木匠被船上的碎片击倒并昏迷了，先生；但我认为情况并不严重。”

“感谢上帝，”船长说。 “现在，你愿意掌舵吗？”声音中有些东西让大副吃了一惊。

“先生有什么事吗？别说你被打了。”

“我被击中了，彼得斯，我非常害怕；但现在船员和船只都安全了，这已经不重要了。”

彼得斯发现船长快要站不住了，于是抓住了船长，并叫了两个人来帮忙。船长躺在甲板上。

“先生，你哪里被击中了？”

“在膝盖和臀部的中间，”马丁队长微弱地回答道。 “如果没有舵柄，我应该会摔倒，但在它的帮助下，我用另一条腿站了起来。那是在我们开火之前，就在我放下舵的那一刻。”

“你为什么不打电话给我？”彼得斯责备地说。

“彼得斯，我们两个人被击中是没有好处的；只要我还能掌舵，我就比你做得更好。”

当船长受伤的消息传来时，内德跑到船尾，跪在他父亲身边。

“忍耐一下，奈德；像个男人一样忍受，”他的父亲说。 “我受到重创，但我不知道是死。但即使是这样，在与西班牙人的战斗中死去也比像狗一样被绞死要好一万倍，如果他们带走了我们，这会降临在我身上，也许我们所有人都会降临到这一点上。”

按照彼得斯的指示，一张床垫被抬了上来，船长把它搬到了他的船舱里。现在船上没有想到后面有追赶者，也没有想到前面可能有危险。马丁船长受重伤的消息浇灭了船员们之前因成功躲避西班牙人并严厉惩罚她而感到的所有胜利和热情。船长一躺在沙发上，彼得斯就检查了伤口。它就在腿的前面，距离膝盖大约四英寸。

“对此我们无能为力，”马丁船长说。 “我确信它已经把骨头打碎了。”

“恐怕是这样了，船长，”彼得斯悲伤地说。 “我说没有，那是没有用的。先生，我认为我们最好留在恩克赫伊森。我们现在距离它不超过四五英里，我们会在那里找到外科医生，他们会为你竭尽全力。”

“我认为这将是最好的计划，彼得斯。”

命令立刻下达，船改变了航向，半小时后恩克赫伊森号的灯光出现在前方。

他们在离港口不远的地方抛锚，然后点燃了一些火把并挥舞着。

“解雇的声音肯定已经被听到了，”彼得斯说，“他们会派人去了解发生了什么事，否则今晚进入的机会很小。”

正如大副所料，很快就听到了桨声，一艘大船向他们划来。它停在一百码远的地方，有人喊道：“那是什么船？”

“英国双桅帆船“Good Venture”。我们恳求您允许我们将被西班牙人打成重伤的船长带上岸。”

“我们听到的解雇声是什么？我们可以看到水面上的闪光。”

“我们已经订婚两次了，”彼得斯喊道。 “首先是两艘西班牙桨帆船，然后是一艘大型战船，我们以惨重的损失击败了它。”

“干得好，英国人！”那声音惊呼起来，小船立即划向双桅船。 “今晚你不能进来，”荷兰官员说，“因为链条在港口对面，这条规则是强制性的，无一例外；但我很乐意带你的船长上岸，我向你保证，他将得到镇上可以给予他的最好的外科援助。只有他一个人受伤吗？”

“其中一名男子受了碎片伤害，但他只需要包扎并卧床几天。我们的舷墙被击穿了一两次，船帆上布满了千疮百孔。船长的儿子和他一起在下面；他充当二副，会告诉你关于我们被迫卷入的这件事的一切。”

“很好;届时我们将把他带上岸。那里非常令人兴奋。海战即将爆发的消息让所有公民都纷纷围观。”

马丁船长躺着的床垫被拿出来，小心地放入船尾。奈德在船边坐下，船就开走了。经过堡垒后，他们进入港口并划船前往登陆地点。许多市民聚集在这里，其中许多人拿着火把。

“有什么新鲜事吗？”当船靠近时，一个声音问道。

“这是一艘英国船，市长。她已经订婚了。首先是西班牙桨帆船，然后是一艘军舰，这艘军舰无疑就是今天下午被殴打的那艘。她击沉了其中一艘桨帆船，并将整艘船击落。”人群中爆发出一阵大声的欢呼声。当风声平息后，这位官员继续说道：“我的船上有英国船长和他的儿子。队长受了重伤，我已经答应他会提供镇上最好的医疗救助。”

“他会得到的，”市长说。 “立刻把他抬到我家去吧。汉斯·莱帕特，你赶紧告诉我妻子立即准备一个房间吧。你已经听说过他是谁，以及他为什么来，我向我保证，她会尽最大努力让这个勇敢的英国人感到舒服。你们中的另外两个人是否跑去找佐贝尔医生和哈伦医生，祈祷他们赶紧来我家。立即从市政厅拿来担架。”

担架一送来，床垫就放在上面，六名水手把它抬上岸。此时围观的人已经多了很多，因为消息传播得很快。当垃圾被抬上来时，每个人都露出头来表示同情和尊重。人群向后退去，形成一条车道，水手们在市长的带领下，把受伤的人抬进了城里。他被带到楼上为他准备的房间，外科医生很快就到了。那时的医学还只是一门原始科学，而外科手术虽然粗糙、粗暴，却远远领先于姊妹艺术。战争不断发生，外科医生有充足的实践机会。截肢等简单的手术也是很常见的事情。两位外科医生只需要进行很短的检查，就可以宣布必须立即截肢。

“骨头似乎完全碎了，”其中一人说道。 “毫无疑问，球是在很短的距离内射出的。”当奈德听到这个决定时，他发出一声呻吟。

“我知道会是这样，内德，”他的父亲说。 “我一刻也没有怀疑过这一点。很高兴我能够如此迅速地获得援助。肢体胜过生命，我的孩子。当我被击中时，我没有退缩，在上帝的帮助下，我现在可以忍受痛苦了。你走开吧，告诉市长这一切是怎么回事，然后把我留给这些先生们。”

内德一离开房间，尽管他努力表现得有男子气概，但他还是抽泣着，船长说：“现在，先生们，既然必须这样做，我请求你们不要浪费时间。我会尽力忍受，我向你保证；三、四年、二十年的海上生活会让一个人变得非常坚硬并习惯于粗暴的使用，我希望我能像其他人一样忍受它。

外科医生们一致认为，拖延没有任何好处，事实上，在发烧之前截肢要好得多。因此，他们立即回家拿了他们的器械、刀子、锯子、要被加热到白热的熨斗。止血，以及当时使用的其他器具。如果内德知道行动会这么快发生，他就无法满足市长和公民的好奇心，想知道英国商人是如何与西班牙人发生冲突的；但他不知道那天晚上会发生这种情况，并认为可能要过几天，外科医生才最终决定有必要截肢。

应船长的要求，一名外科医生在镇长离开房子时将他叫到一边，恳求他让小伙子继续谈话，直到他听到他说一切都结束了。市长欣然答应这样做。由于许多重要人物都聚集在客厅里聆听这个消息，内德不可能溜走。

“在你开始告诉我们你的故事之前，年轻的先生，我们应该很高兴知道你为什么能把我们的语言说得这么好；事实上，我们无法从你的口音看出你不是这些地方的本地人，这当然是不可能的，因为你的父亲是英国人，也是躺在那里的船长。”

“我妈妈来自附近，”内德说。 “她是 Mynheer Plomaert 的女儿，住在距阿姆斯特丹两英里的 Vordwyk。当她嫁给我父亲时，她去了英国，但当他出海旅行时，她总是对我们孩子说她自己的语言，这样我们就可以像说英语一样自然地说英语了。”

内德随后讲述了他们抵达祖父家时所见的消息，以及父亲愤怒的惊叹声。

“这对我们来说是一个很常见的故事，”市长说，“对于我们中的一些人来说，我们的朋友或亲戚都在我们这些残暴的暴君手中失去了。但对于生活在自由土地上的你来说，这确实是一种可怕的震惊；我不奇怪你父亲的愤怒背叛了他，如果被人无意中听到的话，很可能会导致这个国家的一个人丧命。”

“他们被无意中听到并报告了，”内德说。然后继续讲述他们收到的警告、他们为不被发现而采取的措施、与护卫艇的意外相遇以及护卫艇的沉没情况、桨帆船的追击以及与护卫艇的战斗，以及然后就是与西班牙战舰的遭遇。

“你还说你父亲在受到撞击时从未放松过对舵柄的握持！”市长惊讶地说。 “我本以为他一定是一头栽倒在地了。”

“他告诉我，”内德回答道，“在他被击中的那一刻，他正在推舵柄，他的体重部分落在那条腿上，部分落在他的另一条腿上。否则他当然会倒下，因为他说有那么一会儿他以为自己的腿被射断了。”

当奈德讲完他的叙述后，市长和地方法官们大声惊叹，对这个小商人与她强大的对手战斗和欺骗的方式表示钦佩。

“这确实是英勇的举动，”市长说。 “一艘只有二十个人手的小船能够奋力战斗并安全地离开唐·佩德罗号，这真是太神奇了，因为这就是我们今天下午看到的那艘船。我们很了解她，因为一个月前我们宣布加入奥兰治亲王号之前，她经常停泊在这里。海上的乞丐本身不可能做得更好——我的朋友们，他们可以吗？尽管我们荷兰人和泽兰人相信没有水手可以与我们的水手相媲美。”

这个故事花了将近一个小时才讲完，内德现在说：

“先生，如果您允许的话，我现在就去见我父亲。”

“你现在最好不要走，”市长说。 “医生让我把你留在身边一段时间，因为他希望他的病人完全不受打扰。他现在就在他的床边，如果你父亲希望你陪在他身边，他会立即告诉我。”

一刻钟后，仆人把市长叫了出来。外科医生正在外面等候。

“一切都结束了，”他说，“他已经很好地忍受了。即使我们用热熨斗熨斗，他也几乎没有发出一声呻吟。但他现在已经筋疲力尽了，我们给他注射了鸦片剂，希望他很快就能入睡。我的同事将陪他四个小时，然后我会回来接替他的位置。你最好什么也不跟那小伙子说。他自然想见见他的父亲；我们宁愿他不这样做。因此，请告诉他，他的父亲正在睡觉，无论如何都不要被打扰。我们会轮流与他坐在一起，如果有任何需要他在场的情况，我们会立即通知他。”

内德很高兴听到他的父亲可能要睡觉了。虽然他很乐意和他一起坐起来，但他知道外科医生在他身边更好。镇长的妻子是一位善良而慈母的女人，把他带到一旁的一间小客厅里，那里摆着一张桌子，上面摆着一只冷阉鸡、几块面包和一瓶镇长最好的葡萄酒。由于奈德从下午开始就没有吃任何东西，现在已经过了午夜，所以他并不后悔去吃点点心。当他完成后，他被带到了一个为他准备的舒适的小房间，尽管他担心他的父亲，但不久他就睡着了。

他醒来之前太阳已经很高了。他迅速穿好衣服下楼，因为他不敢直接去父亲的房间，免得他正在睡觉。

“你睡得很好，”市长的妻子微笑着说。 “难怪，在你疲惫不堪之后。外科医生刚刚走了，我正要派人去叫醒你，因为他让我告诉你，你的父亲已经度过了一个美好的夜晚，你现在可以去看他了。”

奈德跑上楼，轻轻转动门把手，进了父亲的房间。马丁上尉的脸色看上去非常苍白，但奈德认为他的脸色已经不像前一天晚上那样憔悴了。

“你好吗，我亲爱的父亲？”

“我一切顺利，内德；至少医生是这么说的。我觉得当我再次出发时，我将只是一个疲惫不堪的老废船。但我知道你妈妈不会介意的。”

“医生们还认为他们必须把腿取下来吗？”奈德犹豫地问道。

“这是他们昨晚的看法，内德，也是我的看法；于是事情就这么解决了，也就结束了。”

“随手完成的？”内德重复道。 “你的意思是”——他犹豫了。

“我的意思是他们已经把它脱下来了吗？我当然知道，内德。昨晚你在楼下市长客厅的时候，他们把它取下来了；但我认为你最好直到今天早上才知道这件事。是的，我的孩子，感谢上帝，一切都结束了！我并不是说这并不难忍受；事实上，这确实很难忍受。但这是必须要做的，你知道，而且越早结束越好。没有什么比撒谎思考一件事更糟糕的了。”

奈德激动得说不出话来。但泪水从他的脸颊上流下来，他俯身亲吻了他的父亲。这个消息让他感到震惊，但似乎也减轻了他心中的负担。最糟糕的时期已经过去了。虽然想到他的父亲失去了一条腿真是太可怕了，但在担心他的生命可能会被牺牲之后，这似乎还是一件小事。内德知道他的父亲不应该激动，甚至不应该说太多不必要的话，所以内德只和他呆了几分钟，然后就匆匆赶到了船上，然而，在那里，他发现船长的腿受伤的消息。几个小时前，人们就知道他被截肢了，医生希望他能康复。彼得斯在黎明时分就上岸寻找消息，从镇长的仆人那里听说截肢手术是在前一天晚上进行的，一小时后又从一直在船长身边监视的医生口中得知。在床边，他度过了一个相当美好的夜晚，到目前为止可能被认为表现良好。

“你认为我们最好做什么，奈德少爷？当然这要由队长决定；但在这些问题上，最好事先征求意见。因为，尽管这件事当然是他所想的那样做，但我们仍然可以指导他的想法；在他目前的状态下，思考越少越好。”

“彼得斯，你所说的要做什么是什么意思？”

“嗯，你父亲可能会在这里呆上好几个星期；事实上，如果我说很多个月，我认为这与事实相差甚远。事情从来不会进展得很顺利。肯定是有炎症，发烧时常来的；如果医生说三个月，那就是六个月了。”

“我当然会留在这里照顾他，彼得斯。”

“好吧，奈德少爷，这将是队长需要解决的问题之一。我不认为他会希望好冒险号在他闲置期间一直闲置。虽然我可以驾驶这艘船，但贸易业务完全不属于我的范围。你认识所有与他做生意的商人，上岸时，就像你经常与他做的那样；我不怀疑你能代替他的位置，像他在这儿一样对付他们。”

“但我现在还不能离开他。”

“不，不，奈德少爷；没有人会想到这一点。现在，我心里一直在想的是，对船长、对你和你的好母亲来说，最好的事情就是我应该毫不犹豫地开动冒险号，把她接过来。如果风势合适，运气好的话，十天左右我们就可以回来了。到那时，船长可能已经康复，可以思考我们最好去哪里取货，以及一般情况下最好采取什么方针。”

“我认为这肯定是最好的计划，彼得斯；我会立即向我父亲建议。如果我母亲和他在一起，他就更有可能相处得很好，而如果她不在他身边，她会在家里伤心地担心。此外，她最好有事可做，因为她父亲和兄弟的不幸消息对她来说将是一个可怕的打击。如果我这样对他说，我毫不怀疑他会同意这个计划。否则，他可能会害怕在如此困难的时期将她带出来，因为没有说西班牙人何时会集结军队收复叛乱的城市，也没有说他们将首先尝试攻击哪些城市。我会立即回去，如果他醒了，我会告诉他，你和我同意，你最好立即航行，一小时内接我母亲过来，然后我们就可以推迟谈论其他事项直至船返回为止。”

奈德立即回到他父亲的卧室。他发现船长刚刚从短暂的睡眠中醒来。

“神父，我现在不想打扰您思考，但我会告诉您彼得斯少爷和我经过共同探讨后得出的结论是最好的做法。你可能会在这里躺上一段时间，最好的办法就是让好冒险号过来接母亲来照顾你。”

“我会过得很好的，内德。这里的人们都很友善；并将我们与西班牙人的战斗视为我们对他们的友谊和善意的标志，他们将竭尽全力为我服务。”

“是的，父亲，我确实希望您一切顺利；我相信这里的好心人会尽一切努力为你服务，当然我也会尽我最大的努力照顾你，尽管这对我来说确实是一项新工作；但我们所想的并不是你，而是母亲。当她的父亲和兄弟全部被杀，而你受重伤躺在这里的消息传来时，这对她来说将是可怕的。快要让她心烦意乱了。但如果她马上过来，她在为你忙碌的同时，就没有时间去思考她的悲伤了；事实上，我不明白为什么要告诉她在沃德维克发生的事情，直到她和你在一起，你可以告诉她。从你嘴里说出来会更好，而且为了你，她会克制自己的悲伤。”

“奈德，你所说的内容很丰富，事实上，我非常渴望有她和我在一起。但荷兰目前还没有地方可以带女人去，我想她也会带女孩们去，因为她不能把她们单独留在房子里。那里有很多朋友很乐意收留他们；但她可以自己做决定。然而，由于她是这里的本地人，她可能会认为自己很可能会与其他同胞一样面临同样的风险。他们留在父亲和丈夫身边，忍受可能存在的危险，而她没有理由不这样做。”

“我们的建议是，冒险号应该立即起航，把我母亲和女儿们接过来，如果她认为合适的话。我当然会和你待在这里，直到双桅船回来，到那时，我希望你有足够的力量来讨论关于这艘船和一般业务最好做的事情。”

“好吧，随你的便吧，奈德。目前我无法思考事情并看到什么是最好的；所以我会把这件事交给你处理，我真的很高兴有你母亲和我在一起。”

内德对得到许可很满意，赶紧离开了房间。

“市长回来了吗？”当他到达下层时，他问道。

“他刚刚进来，我正过来告诉你晚饭已经上桌了。”

“已经十一点了吗？”奈德惊呼道。 “我没想到已经这么晚了。”他走进房间，向市长和他的妻子鞠了一躬。

“尊敬的先生，”他说，“我刚刚向父亲请假，准备派船去伦敦接我母亲来照顾他。我相信，当她到达时，他就能搬家，然后他们会去别处住宿，以免再侵犯您的盛情款待。”

“我认为你母亲过来是件好事，”市长说。 “对于一个腿的大部分被切除的人来说，不能指望很快就能康复。再说了，昨晚你告诉我们她家遭遇的不幸之后，她最好还是忙着照顾她的丈夫，少有时间去思考这件事。至于热情好客，如果我们不为一位在与我们共同的敌人作战时受伤的勇敢者尽我们所能，那就太奇怪了。请转告你的母亲，她会像他一样受到欢迎，我们将在各方面做好准备，安排她认为最方便、最舒适的一切。现在你最好坐下来和我们一起吃饭。一切结束后，我会和你一起下到码头，并尽我所能加速你的船的航行。我不认为，”当他们在餐桌上就座时，他继续说道，“她在出海途中遇到另一个西班牙人的可能性不大，因为我们今天早上有消息说，一些乞丐的船有人看到西班牙人在入口处巡航，而西班牙人将在阿姆斯特丹的炮台掩护下。我听说他们期待一支来自西班牙的舰队很快抵达，以协助他们针对我们港口的行动。然而，我并不担心他们会在海上对我们采取很多行动。我希望我们能像在水上一样在陆地上保持自己的地位。”

内德发现这顿饭极其漫长而乏味，因为他正忙着去加快好冒险号上的准备工作，当市长最后说：

“现在，我的年轻朋友，我们一起去码头吧。”

尽管有些刻意，市长却被证明是一位有价值的助手。当他告诉奈德他会尽其所能加快船的航行时，小伙子认为这只是一种口头形式，因为他不知道如何才能加快船的航行。然而，当他们一上船，奈德告诉彼得斯船长已经同意他立即航行时，市长就说：“彼得斯少爷，在潮水转向之前你很难起航，因为风太小了，即使你这样做，也不会取得什么进展。据马丁大师告诉我，你从阿姆斯特丹来的太匆忙，以至于没有时间在船上装压舱物。除非你手里有东西，否则开始前往英国的航行将是非常冒险的。我会下令立即给你们提供沙袋，否则你们就得等轮到你们了，其他船只都躺在这里；因为如你所知，道碴在荷兰是一种稀有商品，我们甚至不喜欢与我们的沙山分开。与此同时，你距离启程还有将近六个小时，我会在我的朋友们中间转一转，看看能否为你弄到一点货物，可以支付你的部分航程费用。”

因此，镇长立即去拜访了几位主要商人，并表示镇民有明确的义务为那些如此勇敢地与西班牙人作战的人们提供帮助，他成功地从他们那里获得了一份数量可观且条件良好的货运；他如此热心地推动这项业务，以至于在很短的时间内，马车开始与“好冒险”号一起抵达，许多人迅速开始工作，将货物转移到她的货舱上，在晚上之前，她已经登上了一艘好船。货物数量。

内德写了一封信给他的母亲，告诉她发生了什么事，并说他的父亲很高兴她能过来和他在一起，但他让她决定是否带女孩们过来。他没有提及沃德维克发生的事件。但只是提到他们得知一名间谍向西班牙人告发他的父亲使用了敌视国王和宗教迫害的言论，因此，如果他不立即出海，他就会被捕。彼得斯被指控不得透露他所听到的有关普洛马特一家的消息，除非她向他提出问题。他要简短地报告说，他们在阿姆斯特丹卸船的工作太忙了，马丁船长只上过一次岸，因此可以推断，他登陆只是为了见见货物托运的商人。

“当然，彼得斯，如果我母亲催促你是否收到了沃德维克的任何消息，你必须说实话；但如果能瞒着她那就最好了。她会对我父亲感到足够的焦虑。”

“我会看看，”彼得斯说，“能做些什么。毫无疑问，一开始她会满脑子都是你父亲的危险，以至于不会想太多其他事情；但在旅途中，她将有时间把思绪转向其他方向，她几乎肯定会询问她的父亲和兄弟的情况。我的回答将以她的状况为指导。马丁太太是个理智的女人，而不是一个像疯女人一样歇斯底里、胡言乱语的女孩。

“也有可能，她会因为对另一方如此着迷而减轻对一方的打击；不过，我会尽力而为，内德少爷。真正是您的朋友，市长为我们提供了良好的服务。我本想失去这次去英国的航行，而我离开的十天将是相当浪费的时间；但现在，虽然我们不能完全持有，但运费足以支付所有费用，而且还能留下不错的利润。”

潮水一转，舱口盖就打开了，船就从泊位上翘了起来，几分钟后就起航了。

货物一上船，内德就忙着帮忙把货物收好，两次跑过去看看他父亲的情况如何。每次市长聘用的那位女士告诉他，他正在安静地睡觉。当他看到好冒险号正在顺利进行后回来时，他悄悄地向房间里窥视，发现马丁船长刚刚醒来。

“我睡得很好，内德，”当小伙子走到他床边时，他说道。 “我看天已经黑了。双桅船已经开航了吗？”

“她刚刚出港，父亲。风很小，潮水退了再出发也没用；尽管事实上，潮汐对于这些内陆水域来说并没有多大作用。尽管如此，我们还是不得不在船上携带一些压舱物，因为我们的货舱是空的，而且他们在回家的路上可能会遇到暴风雨；所以他们必须等待。但是，事实上，毕竟，他们只吸收了很少的压舱物，因为市长如此热情地支持我们，以至于商人在我们把货物装上船的时候就尽快送来货物，尽管时间很短，但主要的货舱在我们打开舱门之前，水已经接近半满了；这样一来，她回国之行，也不至于没有什么收获。”

“这是个好消息，奈德；因为虽然就我而言，这笔钱无论如何都没有多大影响，但我只是部分所有者，其他人很可能会抱怨我把船空着回家去接我的妻子，而不是关心他们的利益”。

“我确信他们不会这么做，父亲，看看你为他们做的有多好，以及风险投资公司赚了多少钱。为什么，我听你说她每两年返回一次价值。这样一来，他们很可能在没有两周收入的情况下也不会抱怨。”

“我不认为他们会抱怨，内德，因为他们都是我的好朋友，而且总是对我为他们做的事情感到非常满意。尽管如此，在生意上，严格和有规律总是好的。我应该认为我有责任计算这艘船在她离开期间的正常收入，并向我的合伙人支付他们的份额，就像她照常进行交易一样。并不是因为这艘船一半是我的，而且我和我的合伙人从她身上赚了很多钱，我就有权为了我自己的目的而将她从她的贸易中转移出去。正如你所说，我的合作伙伴可能很乐意让我这样做；但这不是问题，我自己不应该满足。

“在商业活动中，我们应该始终秉持良心，更加注重那些信任我们的人的利益，而不是我们自己的利益。事实上，如果只是为了权宜之计，最好这样做。因为这样，如果不幸发生，贸易失败，或者你的船只被遗弃，他们会为你提供充分的照顾，因为他们知道你和他们一样都是失败者，并且在任何时候你都像他们一样考虑到了他们。你自己的。永远把这件事记在心里，小伙子。我不太可能更多地出海，不久你就会指挥好冒险号。永远更多地考虑那些信任你的人的利益而不是你自己的利益。

“他们把钱投入到这艘船上，依靠的是合作伙伴的技能、诚实和勇气。即使对自己不知所措，你也应该始终向他们表明这种信心并没有错。尽你的职责，再多一点，小伙子。大多数男人都履行自己的职责。一个人与另一个人之间的区别就在于多一点。我一直试图多做一点，并且我发现我从中受益匪浅，因为我的船上合作伙伴以及与我做生意的商人的信心和信任。不过，我很高兴这艘船不会空着回来。我将计算一下在阿姆斯特丹答应我的运费我们应该收到多少，然后你会给我一份这里的商人应支付的费用的帐目。我将弥补差额，因为这是唯一正确的做法，因为我在表达自己对自己特有的事务的意见时的轻率，与船无关，所以我被迫离开而没有考虑到这一点货物。”

内德默默地听着父亲的话，并决心将他们所传达的教训牢记在心。他为所有认识他的人对他父亲的崇高地位和评价感到自豪，现在他第一次完全认识到他是如何赢得这种评价的。这不仅是因为他是一名优秀的水手，而且在所有事情上，人们都确信他的荣誉是绝对可以信赖的，而且他将雇主的利益置于自己的利益之上。

一两天后，内德发现父亲的病情几乎没有什么变化。他身体虚弱，性格低落，很少说话。毫无疑问，他的身体状况现在因他必须永远存在的想法而恶化——他积极的职业生涯已经结束了。事实上，一旦完全康复，他也许能够再次出海，但他将不再是以前那个活跃的水手了；他不再是以前那样了。当狂风猛烈、船只处于危险之中时，他能够为他的部下树立一个充满活力的榜样。除非充分意识到他有能力履行其职位上的所有职责，否则马丁上尉不是继续担任该职位的人。

奈德焦急地盼望着好冒险号的归来。他知道母亲的存在会对父亲有很大帮助，无论她自己有什么悲伤，她都会让他高兴起来。马丁船长从未对她的到来表现出任何不耐烦。但每天早上他问内德的第一件事是风向朝哪个方向吹时，他的儿子很清楚他在想什么。与此同时，内德一直在打听，他安排租了一栋舒适的房子，里面的居民都是天主教徒，当恩克赫伊森宣布成为奥兰治亲王时，他们搬到了阿姆斯特丹。因为尽管亲王最真诚、最有力地坚持宗教宽容应该扩大到天主教徒，并且任何人都不应因为自己的宗教而受苦，但并不是所有人都那么宽容。当阿尔瓦的军队大规模屠杀新教徒的消息传来时，下层阶级很容易爆发骚乱，并通过破坏城镇中天主教徒的财产来进行报复。

因此，内德毫不费力地以极其温和的条件从代理人手中获得了这所房子的使用权，房主将他在恩克赫伊森的事务交给了代理人。市长的妻子应他的要求聘用了两名女仆，护士当然会陪伴她的病人。市长和他的妻子都反对采取任何行动；奈德虽然真诚地感谢他们的热情好客，但也指出，他的父亲可能要过很长一段时间才能康复，他的母亲最好能照顾一下家里的事务，分散她的注意力。病床上的思绪，而且，由于她很可能带着他的姐妹们一起去，所以从各方面来说，他们最好有一个自己的房子。医生们经过咨询后一致认为，伤者最好留在自己的同胞中，小心地将他转移到另一所房子也没有什么坏处。

“改变，即使是轻微的改变，通常也是一种好处，”他们同意。 “只要温和、仔细地管理，就足以抵消将患者从一个地方转移到另一个地方可能存在的任何轻微风险。”

因此安排好，只要看到好冒险号临近，马丁船长就被带到他的新住所，那里已经为他准备好了一切，而他的妻子则直接去那里见他。

双桅船离开后的第九天早上，天一亮，内德就起床，朝城墙走去。过去两天里他与那里的看守人进行了几次交谈，他说：

“有一艘双桅船，船体朝下，朝海，我应该说，她的大小与你要找的那艘差不多。她看起来也好像正前往这个港口。”

“我想那就是她，”内德说，专注地凝视着远处的船只。 “在我看来，我可以看出她的三角帆比画布的其他部分颜色更浅。如果真是这样，我毫不怀疑这是一笔好生意，因为我们在奥斯坦德附近的一场风暴中把三角帆吹走了，大约四个月前又换了一个新的。”

“那就是她了，少爷，”看守人说，遮住眼睛，专注地看着双桅船。 “她的三角帆肯定比画布其他部分的颜色更浅。”

得到这一确认后，内德立即跑到他所住的房子，告诉仆人们生火，一切准备就绪，迎接这群人。

“我的父亲，”他说，“一个小时左右就会被带到这里。我妈妈会晚一点到达。”

然后内德去找医生，医生答应他将亲自监督病人的转移，并会带来四名细心的人和一具担架来运送他。他说他半小时后就到市长那里。然后奈德回到了他父亲身边。马丁上尉进来时热切地环顾四周。

“是的，父亲。”奈德回答道。 “有一艘双桅船就在眼前，我很确定，这就是好冒险号。几个小时后她将抵达港口。我刚刚拜访过哈伦医生，半小时后他就会带着担架过来，带你去新家。”

马丁上尉深深地感叹了一声，然后闭着眼睛躺了一会儿，几乎没有说话，直到医生和抬担架的人到来。

“你必须先喝掉刚刚送来的这碗汤，”外科医生说道，“然后喝一勺甜酒。你知道，无论我们处理得多么好，这都会是一种疲劳。当你的好妻子到来时，你必须看起来尽可能聪明、健康，否则她会对恩克赫伊森的医生产生非常不好的看法。”

马丁上尉按照命令行事。然后，人们小心地把他放在上面的床垫抬起来，放在担架上。

“我想，当我们穿过街道时，我们会把你全身盖起来，”医生说。早晨的空气比这个房间的气氛清新得多，你不会想四处张望。”

因此，垃圾完全被毯子覆盖，然后被抬起并小心地沿着宽阔的楼梯运送到街道上。市长的妻子之前亲自去看看一切都准备得舒适，当床放在床架上，毯子翻过来时，马丁船长看到一个明亮的房间，壁炉里燃烧着火，市长的妻子和护士在他旁边，而内德和医生则在床脚。

“马丁船长，我希望你在搬家的过程中没有受苦吧？”市长的妻子问道。

“一点也不，”他说。 “一开始我感觉有点晕，但动作很轻松，很快就过去了。我很高兴我的头被遮住了，因为我认为我无法忍受看到经过的物体。”

“现在你必须再喝一勺甜酒，”医生说，“然后安静地躺着。如果你的脉搏跳得太快，我不会让你见到你的妻子。到目前为止，你表现得还不错，我们不能让你被赶回去。”

“我不会兴奋，”马丁船长回答道。 “既然我知道那艘船就在眼前，我就很满足了；但我一直担心双桅船在穿越岛屿时可能会与一名西班牙人相遇，如果她被发现并被俘虏，船上的任何人都会受到一点怜悯。既然我知道她已经安全到港了，我就可以安静地等待了。现在，内德，你可以出发去港口了。”

医生和内德一起出去，并严格要求他让他的母亲记住，当她看到她的丈夫时，必须保持自我克制和安静。

“我对他的状态并不太满意，”他说，“很大程度上取决于这次会议。如果一切顺利，明天他的情况也不会变得更糟，我会看到他迅速康复；反之，如果他情绪激动、激动，可能会立刻发烧，这样的话，他虽然体弱，病情也会很严重。”

“我明白，先生，我会把这一点铭记在心的。但我认为你不需要为她担心。无论她感觉如何，我相信她都会执行您的指示。”

奈德下到港口。他发现双桅船距离我们只有四分之一英里。他能辨认出船上的女性形象，并且知道，正如他所预料的那样，他的母亲带着他的姐妹们一起来了。他跳上一条船，被划到船上，爬上船舷，立刻投入了母亲的怀抱。他已经回答了彼得斯在离岸一半之前喊出的问题，并回答说他父亲的情况正如预期的那样。因此，当内德跳上船时，他的母亲和女儿们都流下了眼泪，因为在航行期间一直压抑着她们的焦虑感得到了缓解，以免她们在航行结束时发现自己来得太晚了。

“他真的更好吗？”这是马丁夫人将内德从怀抱中放开时说的第一句话。

“我不知道他是否更好，妈妈，但他也没有更差。他非常虚弱；但医生告诉我，如果他见到你时的激动没有对他造成伤害，他希望看到他能迅速康复。他一直很担心你的安全，我认为了解你的情况已经对他有好处了。就在我开始之前，他说话的声音比几天来更强。只是，最重要的是，医生说，当你第一次见到他时，你必须克制自己的情绪，保持冷静和安静。现在，姑娘们，你们俩怎么样？”他转向他们问道。 “我想不太好；因为我知道，当你和妈妈一起来的时候，你总是表现得像个糟糕的水手。”

“大海并没有很波涛汹涌，”珍妮特说。 “除了我们第一次出海的时候，我们没有生病。”

“你打算对女孩们做什么？”马丁夫人问道。 “当然，我必须去你父亲所在的地方，但我不能指望陌生人会善意地把女孩们安置在他们身上。”

“一切都安排好了，妈妈。父亲同意我的看法，认为你们中的任何一个人与陌生人在一起都是不愉快的，因此我买了一所房子。他刚刚被搬到那里，所以你将拥有他。”

“这确实是个好消息，”马丁夫人说。 “无论人们多么友善，都没有比在家更舒服的了。一个人怕麻烦，那又是另外一回事了。我已经听到了所有的消息，我的孩子。彼得斯少爷极力向我隐瞒，但从他的态度来看，我确信出了什么问题。我最好立即知道，”她擦着眼睛继续说道。 “尽管这一切都很可怕，但我现在几乎没有时间去想这件事，因为我的心思全都集中在你父亲的危险上。这对我来说一点也不奇怪，因为我早就觉得他们一定遭遇了某种邪恶的事情，否则他们肯定会在这之前向我透露自己的消息。”

这时，好冒险号已经驶入港口，并停泊在一个码头附近。船帆一降下，经线拉紧，彼得斯就指示三名海员把箱子从船舱里搬出来，然后跟着他。奈德随后带路前往新房子。

“妈妈，我先上去告诉他们你来了。”

马丁夫人悄悄脱下帽子和斗篷，跟着奈德上楼，一脸平静地走进丈夫的房间。

“好吧，我亲爱的丈夫，”她几乎是高兴地说，“我是来护理你的。你看，当你遇到麻烦的时候，你们男人们终究会依靠我们女人。”

听到马丁夫人来了，医生退到了隔壁房间，满意地点点头。 “她会的，”他说。 “我现在对我的病人不再有太多恐惧了。”

奈德知道，一段时间内楼上不会有人需要他，所以在行李放在楼下房间后，他和彼得斯一起出去了。

“彼得斯，你一路顺风顺水？”

“如果风再大一点，无论来风还是去风，我们都应该做得更好，”大副说。 “但没有什么可抱怨的。”

“那么你不可能在河里呆太久吧，彼得斯？”

“我们在港口待了六到三十个小时。我们在周一早上涨潮时进港，并在周二晚上退潮时退潮。首先，出于义务，我去见了我们的好女士，把你的信交给她，并回答她的问题。这是一件很困难的事情，我真想亲自去女王面前向她讲述事情的经过，就像去见你的母亲一样。当然，当我们逆流而上时，我升起了旗帜。我知道他们中的一些人肯定会在罗瑟海斯值班，并且他们会跑进来告诉她“好冒险号”再次进港了。我宁愿希望我们这么快回来会让她认为出了什么问题，因为她会知道我们几乎不可能去阿姆斯特丹卸货，再次装货，然后回到这里，尤其是在风已经停了的情况下。自从她航行以来，一直很轻。果然，这个想法突然出现在她的脑海里。因为当我看到花园大门时，你的一个姐妹正在那里放哨，她一看到我就跑了进去。我当时就以最快的速度赶路，因为我知道马丁小姐会非常害怕当她听说那既不是你的父亲也不是你的时候。当我到达那里时，你的母亲正站在门口。她脸色苍白得像死人一样。 “振作起来，女主人，”我尽可能高兴地说。 “我有一个坏消息要告诉你，但情况可能更糟。船长受伤了，奈德少爷正在停下来护理他。”

“她看着我，仿佛要读懂我的意思。 “这是事实，因为我是一名基督徒，情妇，”我说。 “这是一笔糟糕的生意，但情况可能会更糟。医生说他状况良好。”然后你妈妈深深地叹了口气，我一度以为她要晕倒了，于是跑上前去接住她。但她似乎在努力挺直自己，就像我看到双桅船在汹涌的大海淹没她的甲板并席卷前面的一切时所做的那样。

“‘感谢上帝，他没有从我身边被夺走，’她说。 ‘现在我什么都能忍受了。现在，彼得斯，告诉我一切。”

“‘我不擅长讲故事，马丁小姐，’我说； “但这是奈德少爷的信。”当你读完这篇文章后，也许我可以回答他可能没有写过的问题。女士，我会在花园里断断续续地站着，然后你就可以像在室内一样舒适地阅读它，当你读完它的底部时，向我致敬。没过几分钟，你的一个姐妹就把我叫进去了。她们都在哭，当我进去时，那些西班牙流氓向我们猛烈攻击时，我感到更不舒服，因为我担心她会这样掠夺我。带着疑问，她能否让我摆脱那件令人悲伤的事情；即使是最坚固的船也很难指望能够经受住两次这样的风暴，一次又一次。

“‘我完全不明白，彼得斯少爷，’她说，‘因为我的儿子没有给出充分的理由说明为什么西班牙人应该攻击一艘英国船；但我们可以稍后再谈。现在要紧的是，我的丈夫受了伤，失去了一条腿，处境危险；因为尽管内德显然已经尽力而为，但没有人会在不冒巨大生命危险的情况下遭受这样的伤害。他希望我立刻过去。至于女孩们，他说我可以带着她们一起走，或者把她们留给这里的朋友。但他们很自然地非常希望去；出于各种原因，他们这样做是更好的选择。如果他们留在这里，他们会对父亲的状况感到焦虑，而且由于他可能需要很长时间才能被转移，所以我不想让他们由我自己以外的其他人负责。你什么时候准备好再次启航？”

“‘我会在明天晚上潮水到来之前准备好，马丁小姐，’我说。 “我船上有必须卸货的货物，船上必须有木匠和帆匠来修复我们在这次行动中遭受的一些损坏。我想我不可能在明天六点左右，涨水之前准备好从河里掉下来。我会在五点半派一艘船到这里的楼梯上去接你和你的行李箱上船。

“‘我们会准备好，’她说。 “正如内德所说，我的丈夫在市长家里得到了很好的照顾，并得到了一切安慰和关注，我不需要为他接管任何事情。”我说我确信他已经拥有了他所需要的一切，而且她不需要在这一点上遇到麻烦；然后说，如果她允许的话，我会直接回到船上，因为有很多事情要做，而且目前这一切都落在我的肩上。

“我让水手长负责，并告诉他一旦收好帆并整理好所有东西，就打开舱口并开始装货；因为我没有等到那一刻，而是一抛锚就划上了岸。于是，我没有回到双桅船，就过了河，在桥上的台阶上岸，把信拿给我有货的商人，祈求他们立即送船，因为我急需卸货。尽快地;然后我去了那些你给我名字的商人那里，他们定期与我们运送货物，告诉他们冒险号已经停泊在港口，但明天晚上将再次启航，并将把他们能装上的货物运往恩克赫伊森或任何出海港口，但不适用于阿姆斯特丹或其他仍在西班牙人手中的地方。

“然后我去见了市长大人，在他面前发誓要向女王和议会报告西班牙人在没有冒犯的情况下肆意袭击了好冒险号，对她造成了很大的损害，并严重伤害了她的船长；如果我们不坚决保卫自己并击退他们，她就会沉没。当这一切都结束时，我很高兴，奈德少爷；因为，如你所知，我对写作一无所知。我的任务是按照你父亲的命令驾驶这艘船；但至于与那些向你提问的商人交谈，并且似乎认为你除了站着闲聊之外无所事事，这不符合我的方式，我非常希望你和我在一起，并且可以接受所有这些业务都交到您手中。

“然后我去了码头，很快就让一些木匠开始修理舷墙，并在被炮弹炸毁的甲板上放了一些新木板。幸运的是，我听说有一个人有一些帆，是他从一艘被丢弃在河口附近的船的船主那里买来的。对于 Venture 来说，它们有点大了；但我以你父亲的名义与他讨价还价，让他们上了船，并派了六名制帆工人来修理他们，第二天下午他们就准备好了。当其他人换上新衣服和补丁后，他们会再做一次。但如果我们出去的时候身上已经有十几个洞了，那么第一个看到我们、听说过我们与唐·佩德罗的战斗的西班牙人就会立刻认出我们。

“我可以告诉你，当我再次登上飞机时，我很感激。正当我这样做的时候，一些打火机出来了，我们一直努力工作到黄昏才把货物取出来。第二天早上，新鲜的货物开始向我们运送，一切进展顺利，如果不是船上有人纠缠我关于我们与西班牙人战斗的问题，事情会更好。就在中午，两位女王的官员下来了，肯定需要从头到尾了解整个故事；他们还带了一名职员来把我亲口写下的内容写下来。他们说我们做得很英勇，毫无疑问，第二天我应该在皇家委员会回答涉及这件事的其他问题。你可以肯定，我没有说过六个小时后我们就要顺河而下这一事实；但我没有说过任何一句话。因为如果我去了，他们就会命令我不要去，而无论他们是否去了，我都应该去——看到马丁船长正在寻找他的妻子，而且情妇急于离开——它可能会当我再次回来时，却引发了麻烦。

“到了下午，我们已经在船上装了大约三十吨货物，虽然这只是她所能运载的三分之一，但我很满意我们做了这么多。新帆装上船后，我派了一帮人来弯曲它们，一切准备就绪，就在潮水转向时起锚了。我们还没有下降几百码，马丁小姐和你姐妹们的船就靠岸了。庆幸的是，天黑了，我们顺着河顺流而下，刮着一阵轻微的西南风，因为整个下午我都提心吊胆，生怕某个信使从议会来，命令我去那里。那天晚上我没有和你母亲说太多话，因为晚上在河下游干活需要一个男人全神贯注。

“第二天早上，我把早餐带到了甲板上，而不是下去，因为，正如你可能猜到的那样，我不想让你母亲质疑我；但不久之后，你姐姐给我发了一条消息，说只要我能离开甲板，马丁女士就会很高兴与我进行一刻钟的谈话。所以过了一会儿，我振作起来，下到了下面，但我告诉你，我宁愿再次与唐·佩德罗一起行动。她立即​​开始向我开火，没有谈判，也没有礼貌。

“‘彼得斯少爷，我认为你还没有告诉我所有要告诉的事情。’

“你瞧，这让我在风和水之间徘徊。不过，我还是忍住了。

“‘好吧，马丁小姐，’我说，‘我不说了，因为我已经向你提供了所有细节。我不知道，正如我向你提到的那样，乔·威金斯被大艇的碎片击中，头晕了整整两个小时，但他又恢复了正常，第二天就可以上岗了。

“太太。马丁静静地听我说话，然后她说：

“‘那不行，约翰·彼得斯；你很清楚我的意思。你不必害怕告诉我这个消息；我长期以来一直害怕它。我丈夫不是一个在街上胡言乱语、招致西班牙人愤怒的人。他一定有充分的理由才说在那里所说的话会使他的生命处于危险之中。沃德维克发生了什么事？”

“嗯，奈德少爷，我站在那里，就像一个傻子一样。有什么可说的？我是一个诚实的人，但如果我认为撒谎会有什么好处，我就会说谎。但她就在那里，静静地看着我，我知道她很快就会看出我说的是真话还是假话。她安静地等了很久，最后我说：

“‘事情就是这样的，马丁小姐。我的命令是我要对所有事务保持沉默，不要触及船长或这艘船的事务。当你见到船长时，你应该向他提问，如果他认为这样做是对的，那么他就应该回答。”

“她用手捂住脸，安静地坐了一会儿，当她再次抬起头来时，她的眼睛里充满了泪水，脸颊湿漉漉的；然后她低声说道：

“‘所有人，彼得斯，——他们都走了吗？’

“嗯，奈德少爷，我正在擦拭自己的眼睛；因为男人的本性不应该看到一个女人遭受那样的痛苦，而且如此安静和勇敢，却不知何故感觉好像所有的男子气概都从他身上消失了。我什么也说不出来。知道真相后我能说什么？然后她放声大哭、抽泣，我一言不发地溜走，走上甲板，让那些人拉扯床单、修剪船帆，直到我知道除了咒骂之外，他们中没有一个人了。他心里有我，希望船长能再次回来。

“马丁小姐事后没有再提此事。她几次来到甲板上，向我询问更多关于船长的情况，他看起来怎么样，以及他受伤时在做什么。当然，我把这一切都告诉了她，完整而具体，以及当我们进入西班牙人的船尾时，他如何让其他人躺下，并站在舵柄旁，而我们谁都不知道他被击中了。直到一切都结束；以及我们如何用我们的四门大口径短炮撒满它们，以及所有关于它的事情。但大多数情况下，她都会在下面停下来，直到我们拉着风，沿着须德海向恩克赫伊森进发。”

“好吧，现在一切都结束了，彼得斯，”内德说，“毫无疑问，她应该从你那里听到这个消息，而不是我父亲告诉她。”

“我不否认可能是这样，奈德少爷，现在一切都已经结束了；但约翰·彼得斯再也不会从事当女人想从他嘴里得到什么东西时他必须守口如瓶的工作了。老天爷保佑你，小伙子，他们一眼就能看穿你；你觉得，无论你如何扭转和扭转，他们迟早都会把它从你身上除掉。在那里，我一开始就下定决心，命令必须服从，而且在你母亲到达之前，要对她一无所知。我自己也考虑过，在这种情况下，如果我必须编造一些能让她满意的故事，我的良心不会有太大负担；然而，在她把我带进那间小屋后的三分钟内，她就陷入了困境。”

“你看，她已经很不安了，因为这么长时间没有收到她父亲和兄弟彼得斯的消息；而且我父亲公开反对西班牙当局这一事实使她走上了正轨，并使她能够直接向你提出问题。”

“我想就是这样，先生。现在，船长有没有说过在他康复之前要如何处理这艘船？”

“没什么，彼得斯。他很少谈论任何话题。我知道他非常渴望我母亲的到来，尽管他对此只字未提。我想这几天他并没有想到自己应该康复。但医生告诉我，我不能因此而感到不安，因为他现在非常虚弱，而人，即使是在健康时最勇敢和最坚定的人，在完全虚弱和崩溃时也容易采取悲观的态度。他认为我母亲的到来可能会让他振作起来，让他重新振作起来。

“我也认为他一直害怕告诉她有关她父亲和兄弟的可怕消息；现在他知道她意识到这将减轻他的负担。而且，我知道，为了他，她会开朗、开朗，和她还有女孩们在一起，他会感到宾至如归。医生告诉我，精神对身体的影响很大，一个人在愉快的环境中，有五次机会与陌生人中的一个人对抗，而且没有人让他开心。我毫不怀疑，一旦他变得更强一点，他就会安排双桅船的处理事宜，但我相信他需要很长时间才能再次亲自指挥。”

“嗯，我担心会是这样，”彼得斯同意道。 “可惜你还不到四五岁，奈德少爷。我并不是说我不能把这艘船驶入荷兰的任何港口；我只是说我不能把它开进荷兰的任何港口。因为，我已经在这里来回航行了三十多年，我几乎可以蒙着眼睛做这件事。但是，如果你没有头脑去考虑如何为她运送货物，也无法阅读提单，也无法在海关名单上签名，那么将一艘船带到港口有什么好处呢？

“不，奈德少爷，我不适合当队长，这是肯定的。不过，虽然我不介意在你父亲能够再次掌管之前在另一个人手下工作，但我不能永远在另一个人手下在冒险号上工作。我存了一点钱，宁愿买一个小杯垫的股份，在那里做自己的主人。在你父亲手下服役了近二十年之后，我知道我无论如何都不应该与另一个船长相处。”

“好吧，彼得斯，现在讨论是没有用的，因为我不知道我父亲会做出什么决定。我最希望的是他能够再次掌权，但我内心非常怀疑他是否会这样做。如果他失去了膝盖以下的一条腿，那也没什么大不了的；但事实上，他的整条腿都僵硬了，走动起来就很困难，尤其是当船在波涛汹涌的大海中翻滚时。”

约翰·彼得斯严肃地摇摇头，因为这正是他在往返英国的航程中一遍又一遍地在脑海中思考的事情。

“我想，你的货物不全是为了这个地方吧，彼得斯？”

“不，先生。只有两到三吨沉在前堡的货物是运往恩克赫伊森的，其余的都是运往莱顿和海牙的。我告诉商人，如果他们把货物装上船，我就必须驶过港口，直达恩克赫伊曾；首先，我必须把马丁小姐带到船长那里，但是一旦我把她带到这里，我就会去卸下他们的货物。只是根据这些条件，我才同意接收这批货物。”

“那会很好，彼得斯。我马上和你一起上船，看看你的货物在这里托运给谁，并通知他们立即接收。今晚你会把他们送上岸，然后明天我会和你一起航行到莱顿和海牙，帮助你把货物交到那里的正确人手中。现在我母亲和女儿们都来了，我父亲就可以放过我了。我们可以在四五天后再次回到这里，到那时我希望他已经康复，以便能够思考问题，并就双桅船的未来管理做出一些决定。当然，如果他希望我留在船上，我就会服从他的命令，无论你还是其他人是船长。”

“当然，你会留在船上，奈德少爷。你还应该做什么？

“好吧，彼得斯，我自己的想法是加入奥兰治亲王号，并与西班牙人作战。在我离开家之前，我告诉我的姐妹们，这就是我渴望做的事情，因为我几乎无法入睡，因为想到他们对荷兰人民实施的所有残酷和屠杀，他们在我母亲身边，我的亲人。从那时起我就几乎不再去想其他事情了。他们谋杀了我的祖父、叔叔和我的一位阿姨；他们射断了我父亲的腿，如果他没有从他们手中逃脱，他们就会夺走他的生命。因此，以前的渴望现在已成为固定的想法，只要父亲允许，我肯定会实现它。

“有许多英国志愿者已经漂洋过海与这些凶手作斗争，尽管他们和我一样没有血缘关系，他们被带到这里来战斗只是出于怜悯和恐惧，而且众所周知，因为西班牙是英国和荷兰的敌人，她会像她在这里所做的那样，剥夺我们的自由并废除我们的宗教。我知道，在这件事上以及在所有其他事情上，我的愿望必须让位于我父亲的愿望。尽管如此，我还是希望他能受到感动而同意这些建议。”

内德认为最好让他的父母安静地呆在一起一段时间，因此直到十二点才回到家，那时他知道晚饭已经准备好了。因为他的母亲做事很有条理，一切都会顺利进行，就像在家里一样，她直接负责家里的事务。晚饭前他爬上楼几分钟，父亲脸上表情的变化让他大吃一惊。他的眼睛里流露出平静而满足的神情，奈德几乎觉得他的脸不像以前那么空洞和憔悴了。内德告诉他，双桅船需要绕道莱顿和海牙，彼得斯提议他应该和他一起去见见商人，并安排事务的商务部分。

“这会做得很好，”马丁船长说。 “内德，你还年轻，就开始和荷兰商人打交道，但是当你告诉他们我为什么不能亲自去拜访他们时，他们无疑会原谅你的年轻。”

“父亲，如果我们能弄到的话，您希望我们去那里运送货物吗？”

马丁队长半晌没有回答，然后说道：

“不，内德，我认为你最好乘船返回这里。我希望到那时我能够思考问题，并决定我对未来的安排。彼得斯什么时候想到航海？”

“到明天早上潮水为止，先生。他说他也许今晚就能准备好。但除非你愿意，否则他要等到明天潮水才出发，这样他就可以避免晚上在岛屿之间出去。”

“这将是最好的办法，内德。如果风顺的话，他将在夜幕降临前到达海牙。”

回国后的第二天，内德趁机与母亲交谈，表达了他希望为奥兰治亲王服务的愿望，并帮助荷兰人民摆脱迫害者的努力。正如他担心的那样，他的母亲强烈反对他的计划。

“奈德，你还太年轻，即使这件事与你有关。”

“这确实让我担心，妈妈。你不是荷兰人吗？尽管我出生在英国，并且是女王的臣民，但我自然会对此事感到温暖。此外我们知道许多英国人已经来这里帮忙了。西班牙人不是已经杀死了我的亲戚吗？除非他们被赶走，否则他们将彻底消灭荷兰的新教徒？难道腓力的宣告不就已经注定了他们无论年龄和性别都必死无疑吗？西班牙人每次占领一座城镇时，难道不是都会屠杀整个城镇吗？”

“这确实是真的，”他的母亲同意道。 “但这并不能证明你已经到了插手这件事的合适年龄了。”

“我十六岁了，妈妈；一个在海上生活多年的十六岁男孩与在陆地上长大的十八岁男孩一样强壮。你亲口告诉过我，我看起来比实际年龄大两三岁，而且我觉得我有力量去拿长矛和斧头。”

“这可能是完全正确的，”马丁夫人说，“但即使假设所有其他事情都合适，我们现在怎么能放过你呢，因为你的父亲几个月后才能再次从事海上贸易，即使他已经能做到吗？

“妈妈，这就是让我感到沉重的事情。我不知道我父亲在这方面的愿望是什么，当然，如果他认为我对他有用，我就必须放弃我的计划；但无论如何我希望你向他提及此事。也请您不要再提出异议，让他按照自己的意愿来决定这件事。”

“我没有机会提出反对意见，内德。我想你的父亲一刻也不会听从这种疯狂的计划。”

直到三四天后，马丁太太见丈夫身体越来越强健，也开始关心家里发生的事情，才兑现了对奈德的承诺，将自己的愿望告诉了奈德的父亲。

“你不能生他的气，”她说完后说道。 “因为他说得很漂亮，并且表示自己完全愿意在这件事上屈服于你的愿望。当然，我告诉他这是一个疯狂的计划，不应该被考虑。不过，既然他很紧急，我就应该把它交给你，我答应了。”

马丁上尉并没有像他妻子所期望的那样立即宣布这样的计划暂时不应该考虑，而是在他的脑海中显然反复考虑了一段时间。

“我不太知道该说什么，”他最后说道。

“不知道该说什么？”他的妻子惊讶地重复道。 “哎呀，丈夫，你绝对不能想到让内德从事如此疯狂的事业。”

“有很多英语志愿者过来；他们中的一些人年龄并不大，而且体力不如内德那么适合这项工作。他也有会说这种语言的优势，可以像当地人一样去任何地方。苏菲，你对我突然想到这个感到惊讶。”

“但是没有他你会怎么办？”她惊讶地叫道。

“这就是我躺在这里时一直在想的事情。我一直在烦恼如何处置内德。他还太年轻，还不能把船上的所有事务都托付给他，这里和国内的商人都会犹豫是否要与一个小伙子做生意。而且，他还太年轻，无法担任双桅船的大副。彼得斯是一个有价值的人，也是一个优秀的水手，但他既不会读书，也不会写字，也不懂生意。因此，在我能够（如果有可能的话）返回好冒险号之前，我必须有一名优秀的海员作为大副，并有一名押运员来管理船上的业务。如果内德大四岁，他就可以同时担任大​​副和押运员。在那里，你看到你对我需要他的反对意见落到了地上。至于其他原因，我会考虑一下，下次再跟你说。”

马丁太太心里非常不安，因为她的丈夫接受了内德的求婚，这对她来说似乎是一种莫名其妙的恩惠。然而，她并没有让这种感觉流露出任何痕迹，她也没有向内德提及她已经向他的父亲表达了他的愿望。第二天，马丁上尉又重新提起了这个话题。

“我昨天告诉过你，索菲，为什么我认为内德目前在双桅船的问题上对我帮不了什么忙，甚至可能在这方面走得更远，说我认为有一段时间它会像还好他不在船上。由于没有固定的职位，他就没有特殊的职责需要履行。现在，我特意告诉他所有有关托运货物和运费的信息，并鼓励他经常就这些问题自由表达自己的意见，以便提高他的智力；但是，如果他向超级货物如此表达自己的想法，后者很可能会生气，并且会出现困难，因此在你跟我说话之前，我已经决定最好他不要再在好冒险号上航行，直到年龄足够大，可以进来并且担任二副和押运员，但我会让他和我熟人的某个船长一起工作，在接下来的三四年里，他将在他的带领下继续学习自己的职责。”

“毫无疑问，丈夫，这是奈德不应该驾驶冒险号航行的一个很好的理由，但绝对不是他应该实现他的疯狂幻想的理由。”

“没有理由，我同意你，妻子；但这只是表明，此刻发生的事情我们完全可以饶过他。至于主要问题，这是一个很重要的问题。其他年轻的英国人站出来为荷兰而战，其理由远不及他卷入荷兰事务的理由。此外，最重要的是，我强烈地意识到，我们的这个男孩可能会被要求为荷兰做好服务。在我看来，妻子，”他继续说道，以回应妻子脸上惊讶的表情，“这件事是上天的旨意。

“我一直和你们一样对西班牙人怀有仇恨，并对他们对这些不幸的人民所犯下的残酷行为感到深深的恐惧，并且认为如果女王下令对他们发动战争，我会很乐意冒险我的生命和船在这样的企业；除此之外我还没有去过。但那天，当我听到你的父亲和兄弟被杀的消息时，我向天发誓，要向杀害他们的凶手报仇，并决定在我返回英国后，我将买下我在好企业的合伙人的股份，并以她加入了海上乞丐，与西班牙人进行殊死的战斗。妻子，我们另有所愿。在我宣誓后的二十四小时内，我就被击倒了，我的战斗力永远消失了。

“我的誓言没有被接受。我不应该成为上帝对这些凶手进行报复的工具。现在，我们的儿子在没有与我交谈或咨询的情况下，感到有责任承担我无法完成的工作。奇怪的是，在接下来的两三年里，他可以在海上幸免于难。我不认为这个男孩会做出伟大的事迹；但他很冷静，也很勇敢，因为前几天我在批评中注意到了他的举止。也许，尽管他在战斗中没有做出什么伟大的事情，但他可能是从西班牙人的愤怒中拯救一些妇女、一些孩子的手段。如果他只存一个，他接下来的三年就不会虚度了。”

“但他可能会倒下——他可能会被西班牙人杀死！”马丁小姐激动地说。

“如果这是上帝的旨意，妻子，没有别的事。每次出海，他都会面临危险。自从他第一次加入以来，风险投资公司不止一次陷入了可怕的危险之中。谁能说她的下一次航行可能不是她的最后一次。然而，我现在什么也不做；明天我会亲自和这个男孩谈话，从他的话中判断这是否只是一时的幻想，对于他的年龄和时代来说是很自然的，还是为了一个流淌着血液的受迫害人民的事业而冒着生命危险的深深渴望。他的血管，以及他自己和我们的信仰。”

马丁夫人不再说话。自从她结婚以来，她丈夫的遗嘱在所有对她来说重要的事情上都是合法的，而且现在他变得软弱无助，这一点比以往任何时候都更加重要。他的言语和态度也给她留下了深刻的印象。她对她的同胞充满了热情，而她最近遭受的惨重损失极大地增加了她对西班牙人的仇恨。她丈夫的建议也吸引了她的女性感情，尽管内德作为一名士兵可能没有什么伟大的事迹，但他可能是拯救某些妇女或儿童生命的手段。

她也有自己的女儿，想到奈德的帮助，一个同龄的女孩可能会从城市被洗劫的恐怖中解救出来，这一想法对她产生了巨大的吸引力。这一天剩下的时间里，她在屋子里走来走去，心情低落而安静。内德对她的举止感到困惑，如果不是亲眼看到父亲的进展令人满意，他会认为旧病复发，出现了一些不利的症状。但这显然不是原因，他只能想象现在母亲对父亲状况的焦虑有所减轻，她开始更加感受到失去父亲和兄弟的感觉。

他并没有想到，她以他的名义向他父亲提出的请求，与此事有关。确实，他已经开始后悔自己这么做了。他对为西班牙人效力的强烈渴望并没有以任何方式减弱，但他觉得这是自私的，现在他可能第一次对他的父母真正有用，因此他提议踏上冒险之旅。他自己的帐户。他曾请求母亲将这件事向父亲提出，但他根本不希望父亲会听取这个建议。第二天早上吃完早饭，当他正要漫步到码头去和彼得斯谈谈时，他的母亲轻声对他说：“奈德，把你的帽子放下，你的父亲想和你说话。”

她说话的语气如此严肃，奈德走上楼梯时精神有些不安。毫无疑问，她已经和他的父亲谈过了，而后者即将严厉批评他的愚蠢行为，因为他建议放弃自己的职责，并开始他所提议的如此疯狂的冒险。父亲严肃的语气并没有让他放心：

“内德，把椅子放在我的床边，然后坐下；我的声音不大，大声说话让我感到疲倦。现在，”当奈德一脸羞愧地坐在床边时，他继续说道，“你母亲告诉我的为奥兰治亲王服务，与西班牙人作战一段时间的愿望，是怎么实现的呢？先来找你吗？”

“自从我听到这里迫害的可怕故事以来，”内德回答道。 “当时我对自己说，当我成为一个男人时，我将为这些可怕的谋杀案报仇。从那时起，我越了解这里的人们因宗教事业而遭受的迫害，我就越渴望能够为他们提供力所能及的帮助。我已经和我的姐妹们一遍又一遍地谈论过这件事。但我想，如果不是我们在沃德维克得知了可怕的消息，我根本不会冒险把我的愿望用语言表达出来。然而现在，他们杀了我的祖父和叔叔，又打伤了你，我比以往任何时候都更渴望加入这里的爱国者行列；当然，当我得知许多年轻的英国人来到布里尔和法拉盛当志愿者时，我的愿望更加强烈了。我对自己说，如果英国人愿意为荷兰人的事业献出自己的生命，那么我这个说着他们的语言、流着他们的血的人为什么不应该呢？”

“你不想做大事，不想出名吗？”马丁船长问道。

“不，父亲；我从来没有这么想过。我无法想象，作为一个男孩，我能做出什么伟大的贡献。我想，也许我这么年轻，能够在西班牙人之间穿行，在别人无法传递的地方传递信息。有时我想，也许我可以及时携带一个警告，让妇女们带着孩子逃离即将被围困的城镇，我希望，如果我真的站在队伍中面对西班牙人，我不应该让我的国家蒙羞。和血。我知道，父亲，我认为自己能有任何真正的用处是自以为是的。如果你反对的话，我当然会高兴地满足你的愿望，就像我告诉我母亲的那样。”

“内德，我很高兴看到你在这件事上是出于正确的动机，而不是被任何冒险或英勇事迹的孩子气想法所感动。这不是一场普通的战争，我的孩子。这里的斗争中没有过去时代的骑士精神。这是一种生与死的关系——冷酷、认真、坚定。一方面，菲利普率领西班牙这个欧洲最强大的国家，决心摧毁这些贫穷省份的生活，消灭这个国家的宗教，不让任何一个拒绝的男人、女人或儿童活下来。参加弥撒并在天主教圣像前下跪；在另一边，你有一群穷人，他们租用了一块从海上夺来的土地，并通过持续不断的持久劳动维持着，同样决心他们不会放弃他们的宗教，他们不会允许在他们中间建立宗教裁判所，并准备好为了宗教自由的事业而奉献生命、家园和一切。如果西班牙能够容忍的话，他们就没有想过放弃对西班牙的效忠。奥兰治亲王以国王的总督和副官的身份发布命令和公告，并宣称他正在为菲利普而战，并打算击退那些通过迫害和残忍来羞辱王室事业的人。

“这种情况不可能永远持续下去，随着时间的推移，荷兰将被迫恳求其他外国君主将他们置于他的保护之下。在这场战争中，没有什么荣耀可言。男人们正在为他们的宗教、他们的家园、他们的妻子和家庭而战。他们知道西班牙人既不宽恕也不仁慈，而且这只不过是死于刀剑与死于酷刑和绞刑之间的问题。对于囚犯来说，没有任何怜悯。条件良好的城镇会像风暴一样被洗劫和摧毁，因为西班牙人在任何情况下都没有遵守他们所制定的条件，认为对异教徒的誓言对他们的良心没有任何约束力。

“因此，内德，那些踏上这场战争的人正在进行一场斗争，在这场斗争中，没有任何荣誉、荣耀、名誉或奖励可以赢得，而是一场几乎肯定会死亡的斗争，到目前为止，正如我所见，最终只能是消灭这个国家的人民，或者驱逐西班牙人。我并不是说没有荣耀可得；我并不是说没有荣耀可得。但这不是个人荣耀。就其本身而言，没有什么事业比那些奋斗的人更光荣的了，他们奋斗不是为了征服领土，不是为了掠夺战利品，不是为了满足野心，而是为了自由，为了宗教，为了家庭和家园，并为所遭受的无数暴行报仇。他们受到压迫者的迫害。听了我的话，你还想继续这场斗争吗？”

“我确实希望如此，父亲。”奈德坚定地说。 “如果你和我母亲能饶过我，我最渴望的就是它。”

马丁船长随后向奈德重复了他向妻子提供的理由，以让他同意他实现自己的愿望：“好冒险”号上目前没有他的位置，他发誓要向西班牙人报仇。他的印象是，虽然他本人无法履行这个誓言，但它的分量已经转移到了他的儿子身上，他的儿子渴望承担起他打算执行的工作，就在此时此刻，在他看来，这似乎是一种强烈的愿望。普罗维登斯的特殊设计。

“现在，内德，”他总结道，“你明白了我同意你为宗教和自由事业尽你所能的愿望的原因。我不建议你现在实际拿起武器，我怀疑你是否有足够的力量来挥舞。我会请求市长给你写一封给王子的介绍信，说你是一个年轻的英国人，准备好并渴望为这项事业尽你所能；你可以像母语一样讲这种语言，并准备好将他的信息传递到他需要的任何地方；您可以信赖是绝对忠诚的，并且您参与这项事业并不是出于轻松的精神或对个人信用或荣誉的渴望，而是作为一个在西班牙人手中失去近亲而遭受巨大错误的人，并且只希望为这项事业提供力所能及的服务。

“有了这样的推荐，王子可能会找到某种方式，让你的服务得到回报。现在离开我吧，我的孩子。我厌倦了这些谈话；虽然我认为我没有义务违背你的意愿，但看到我唯一的儿子踏上如此可怕和危险的冒险之旅，这绝对是一个不小的考验。但我认为这一事业是神圣的，在我看来，我没有权利阻止你参与其中，因为你的想法就是这样。”

奈德离开房间时，父亲的话给他留下了深刻的印象。他确实很高兴他所请求的许可得到了批准，他可以自由地投身于大多数英国人所珍视的事业，而且由于他与国家的关系，他更是如此。他往返于荷兰的各个港口，并能够与他遇到的所有人进行交往，多年来他一直在听有关暴行和恐怖的故事，直到他开始将西班牙人视为人类怪物，并且长期他全心全意地与被压迫人民一起反对暴君。

现在他已获得这样做的许可。但他比以前更加感受到了他所采取的步骤的严肃性。尽管他一刻也不后悔自己所做的选择，但他意识到这一选择的重要性，也意识到他在参与荷兰和西班牙之间的斗争中所承担的责任的庄严性质。他经过母亲坐的房间，走过去吻了她，然后戴上帽子走到街上，登上城墙，在那里他可以不受干扰地思考。父亲的话虽然浇灭了他的热情，却没有动摇他的决心。但当他来回踱步，大海的新鲜空气吹拂着他的脸颊时，青春和力量的感觉很快又让血液在他的血管里跳动。他的脸颊涨红了，眼睛也亮了。

“斗争中有荣誉和光荣，”他说。 “人民，无论老少，都涌入十字军东征，从异教徒手中夺取耶路撒冷吗？这是一项更加光荣的任务。是为了拯救神的追随者免遭毁灭；救助受压迫者；为妇女和儿童以及男人而战。这是一个比十字军为之奋斗的目标更神圣、更高尚的目标。成千上万的人死于炎热、饥荒、干渴和敌人的刀剑。那些参加战斗的人中很少有人能回到家乡为他们的事迹赢得荣耀。但那些倒下的人还是有荣誉的。就连妇女和儿童也离开家园，成群结队地为圣墓而死，本着同样的精神，我也将在这里为宗教和自由冒生命危险。”

一小时后，他回到家。他可以看到他的母亲一直在哭。

“妈妈，”他说，“我相信您不会为此感到悲伤。我一直在想，早期的妇女们是如何派出她们的丈夫、儿子和情人来为圣墓而战的。我认为这是一项更加伟大、更加崇高的事业；请相信，尽管您可能会感到焦虑，但您不会吝惜我为我们的宗教和乡村人民竭尽全力。”

“我确实认为这是一项神圣的事业，我的孩子；听了你父亲的话，即使我能拒绝，我也不会拒绝。我只能祈求上天保佑你，保佑你，有一天将你归还给我。但你不会总是在战斗，内德。没有人说斗争会持续多久；如果我让你走，我会保证最晚一点二十分你会回到我们身边，再次成为你父亲和我的右手。”

“我向你保证，妈妈，那么，或者在那之前的任何时候，如果你写信叫我回家，我就会回来。”

“我对此很满意，”他的母亲说。

那天下午，内德告诉了彼得斯已经决定的事情，第二天早上，后者与马丁船长进行了一次长谈，马丁船长指示他向该船的其他船东申请为他任命一位能干的大副，并选择其中一位他们的职员对他们有信心作为超级货物在船上航行。

“彼得斯，医生告诉我，两三个月后我也许就能回家并拄着拐杖行走；但他们建议我，至少还需要四个月的时间，我才能绑上木腿并相信我的体重。当我能做到这一点时，我会看看我该如何行动。你昨晚从奈德那里听说他要以志愿者的身份加入奥兰治亲王手下？”

“是的，他告诉我的，马丁船长。他是一个有精神的小伙子；如果我年轻十五岁，我就会和他一起去。”

“他还年轻，做不了这样的工作。”马丁上尉疑惑地说。

“马丁上尉，他是个坚强的年轻人，能做男人的工作。海上的训练使他沉稳冷静；我向我保证，如果他遇到危险，如果有机会，他会再次逃脱。我只希望，马丁队长，我们与西班牙人的擦肩而过不会是最后一次，我们也可能会成为西班牙人的打击对象。”

“我希望我们可以，彼得斯，”马丁船长认真地说。 “我和内德一样全神贯注于此；我会告诉你目前只有你自己知道的事情，我已经下定决心，如果我康复并可以再次掌管 Good Venture，我将购买其他股份，这样我就可以做我喜欢和她在一起，而不考虑任何男人。我不需要像以前那样在船上做那么多事，但会给你找一个好的二副，并且我自己只会指挥。然后我们将像现在一样在伦敦和荷兰之间进行贸易；但是，如果西班牙人和荷兰人在海上打架，或者王子需要船只将军队运送到陷入困境的城镇，那么我们将暂时停止贸易，并加入“好冒险”号，并进行打击（这是很可能的）在海上。”

“马丁船长，听力真好，”彼得斯搓着手说道。 “我向我保证，你不会发现任何一个船员在这项工作上落后，就我而言，我最喜欢的莫过于对付一个西班牙人，他的力量不超过我们自己的两到三倍。最后一个家伙对我们来说太大了，但我相信，如果我们坚持他，我们最终应该击败他，尽管他很大。”

“也许我们可以，彼得斯；但当时这艘船不是我的，不能冒险，而且我们船上有货物。如果将来我们在这艘船是我冒险的时候遇到一个西班牙人，而且我们的控制权是明确的，我向你保证，好冒险号不会向他展示她的船尾，除非他大到足以吃掉我们。

第二天，好冒险号启航前往英格兰，市长收到马丁船长的来信，请求他拜访他，于是拜访了他。马丁上尉向他透露了儿子的计划，并恳求他向王子提供一封信，推荐他作为一个值得信任的人，并且愿意冒着生命危险去完成他可能委托给他的任何事业。市长立即同意这样做。

“比他年轻的小伙子们，”他说，“在我们一些城镇的城墙上与西班牙人进行了顽强的战斗；既然这是他的愿望，我不怀疑他能够提供良好的服务。全荷兰都听说了你们的船如何击败了唐·佩德罗号；事实上，这个小伙子是你的儿子，并且参加了战斗，你会立即向王子推荐他。所有英国人都受到热烈欢迎；不仅因为他们作为我们这边的志愿者来战斗，而且是为了保证英格兰的心与我们同在，迟早她会加入我们对抗西班牙的斗争。毫无疑问，正如你所说，事实是，这个小伙子在他母亲身边，是我们中的一员，而且他可以同样轻松地用我们的语言和你们的语言交谈，这一事实对他非常有利。明天我将向他提供写给王子的信，以及写给王子议会中我所认识的两三位先生的信。”

市长离开后，马丁上尉把内德叫了进来。

“现在，内德，你要成为一名志愿者，在一段时间内，无论如何，绝对不存在报酬的问题；您是在提供服务，而不是出售服务。首先，您必须购买合适的服装，以便向王子展示自己。您还必须购买头盔、胸甲和背甲，以及剑和手枪。至于钱，我会给你一个足以满足你目前需要的钱包，你可以向与我们有贸易的海港的任何商人出示一封信，授权你向我支取，并祈祷他们尊重我。你的草稿。不要吝惜自己的金钱，也不要铺张浪费。你的需求会很小，当你在驻军或战场上服役时，你当然会像其他人一样领取口粮。我不需要给你一份各个城镇商人的名单，因为你已经认识他们，并且和我一起去过他们的许多营业地点。

“对于你的行为，我告诉你不要冒险，但也不要逃避危险。这是一个好的事业，而你却为此冒着生命危险；但也要记住，你是独生子，如果你跌倒了，就没有人可以接替你的位置。因此，不要鲁莽；遇到危险时始终保持冷静，如果有逃跑的可能，请立即抓住。请记住，你的死亡不会给荷兰带来任何好处，但你的生命可能会为荷兰带来好处；因此，当所有成功的希望都破灭时，不要出于任何错误的英雄主义意识而为了徒劳的防御而放弃自己的生命，而应该寻求某种逃跑的方法，当一切都失败时，你可以设法避免西班牙人的报复。我担心要经过多次失败才能获得成功，因为各州或城市之间没有联盟。

“只有荷兰和泽兰似乎热衷于这项事业，尽管弗里斯兰和格尔德兰也许会热心加入；但只有这些省份真正信奉新教，其他省份则以天主教徒为主，我担心他们永远不会热心地加入抵抗西班牙的行列。我看不出这片狭长的沿海土地如何能够抵抗西班牙的全部力量；但我相信人民和他们的精神，并且相信，一旦再次落入宗教裁判所的掌控，他们就会打开水闸，让海水淹没他们艰难夺取的国家，并开始登船去其他国家寻求以自己的方式敬拜上帝的自由，而这里却剥夺了他们的自由。”

没有必要购买很多衣服，因为荷兰人的服饰与英国人的差别不大。内德买了一件厚厚的浅黄色背心穿在他的盔甲下面，并毫不费力地买了钢帽、胸甲和背甲、剑和手枪；因为荷兰人民还没有开始普遍武装起来，许多城墙都是由身着公民服装的市民保卫的，以对抗西班牙的长枪兵。

三天后，内德含泪告别家人，乘小船起航前往鹿特丹，奥兰治亲王目前所在的地方。这次航行没有冒险，登陆后内德立即前往王子居住的房子。门口没有守卫，也没有任何军事盛况的迹象。门开着，内德进来时，一个侍从跟他搭话，询问他有什么事。

“我有写给王子的信，”他说，“请您在他有空的时候把这些信交给他。”

“那样的话，你就得等很久了，”侍者回答道，“因为王子从早到晚都在工作。然而，他总是向那些想见他的人开放，因此，如果你能告诉我你所持有的信的作者姓名，我会通知他，然后你可以自己送信。”一分钟后，内德被带到了这个无疑是他这个时代最杰出的人面前。

奥兰治的威廉出生于一个显赫的家庭，由一位虔诚的母亲抚养长大，十二岁时就成为查理皇帝家族的侍从。这个男孩的能力如此之大，以至于十五岁的时候他就成为了皇帝的亲密的、几乎是机密的朋友，而皇帝对功绩有着敏锐的判断力。

在他二十一岁之前，他被任命为法国边境陆军总司令。当查理皇帝退位时，王子被菲利普任命去与法国谈判条约，并且以极高的能力进行了这些谈判。王子和阿尔瓦公爵留在法国作为执行条约的人质。阿尔瓦秘密地在腓力和亨利之间安排一项协议，以消灭新教，并普遍消灭所有持有该信仰的人。法国国王相信奥兰治亲王也知道这个秘密，有一天，他在外出自由狩猎时与他交谈，并向他提供了为全面屠杀新教徒而达成的谅解的所有细节。遍及法国和西班牙的领土。

奥兰治亲王无论是从言语还是表情上都没有表明这一切对他来说都是新鲜事，而国王仍然不知道他是多么彻底地背叛了自己和菲利普的计划。奥兰治亲王在聆听这段令人震惊的谈话时，头脑冷静，沉默寡言，因此获得了“沉默者威廉”的称号。王子对他发现的阴谋感到震惊，从那一刻起，他投身于荷兰新教徒的事业，并迅速成为运动的领导者，将他的全部财产和生命奉献给了这个目标。到目前为止，它给他带来的只是考验和麻烦。

他和他兄弟的财产都花在了服役上。他欠下了巨额债务；他召集的德国雇佣军遭到了失败和毁灭。荷兰人民被绝望的冷漠压垮了，没有举起一根手指来援助那些前来援助的部队。直到布里尔几乎是一次意外地被海上乞丐抓获后，他多年来一直试图煽动的火花才在荷兰和泽兰两省燃起。

王子在他漫长而迄今为止毫无成果的斗争中，一直依靠着深厚的宗教意识支撑着。他相信上帝与他同在，最终会将荷兰人民从腓力注定的命运中拯救出来。然而，尽管王子是一位热心的新教徒，而且在新教徒几乎和天主教徒一样偏执的时代，宗教自由的观念还很少进入人们的头脑，王子却表现得完全宽容，从一开始就坚持认为，在他行使权力的所有省份中，天主教徒都应享有他所要求的荷兰天主教各州新教徒同样的完全的信仰自由。

他并不一直都是新教徒。当被荷兰、弗里斯兰和乌得勒支的菲利普总督任命时，他是一名温和的天主教徒。但他的思想很少转向宗教主题，作为一个爱国者和一个富有人性的人，他对自己所发现的法国和西班牙国王消灭新教徒的决心感到震惊。 。他首先利用这一知识秘密敦促荷兰人民鼓动西班牙军队撤出该国；虽然他得到腓力二世的秘密指示，要大力执行针对所有异端分子的法令，但他在力所能及的范围内避免这样做，并向许多他知道有被捕危险的人发出私下警告。

二十六岁担任荷兰总督时，他富有、有权势、拥有主权。他待人热情，对各阶层人士彬彬有礼，风度翩翩，受到全社会的普遍爱戴。即使在这个时期，他从父亲那里继承的财产，以及他与第一任妻子、荷兰最富有的女继承人埃格蒙特的安妮一起获得的财产，也因他的慷慨款待和挥霍无度而受到严重影响。他的智力被认为是最高水平的。他具有非凡的处理国家事务的机敏和能力。他对人性的了解是渊博的。他学习很深，拉丁语、法语、德语、佛兰芒语和西班牙语的口语和写作都很流利。

“沉默”这个绰号根本不适合他的一般性格。当演讲有危险时，他可能会保持沉默，但在其他时候，他是一位最开朗、最迷人的伴侣，在公共场合，他是他那个时代最雄辩的演说家和最杰出的争议家。十三年过去了，十三年在不断的烦恼和挣扎中度过。这位才华横溢的荷兰总督菲利普多年来一直在流亡。粗心的天主教徒变成了热心而真诚的新教徒。这位富有的贵族为了筹集军队来拯救他的同胞而承担了金钱负担，这让他感到困扰。

他亲眼目睹了他的军队被击败，他的计划被推翻，他的同胞被数以万计的屠杀，他的同教信徒被烧死、绞死和折磨，直到现在，他的同胞中的反抗精神才被唤醒。但不幸和考验并没有让他的脾气变坏。他坚信这一事业迟早会取得胜利，这一信念从未动摇过。他的耐心是无穷无尽的，他的脾气也是无可证实的。他所信任的许多人的无能，嫉妒和宗教差异阻碍了各州之间的联合，甚至是那些最忠实于这一事业的人的狭隘和嫉妒，都会使大多数人感到绝望。

斗争的全部重担都落在了他的肩上。他负责计划和执行，负责与诸侯谈判，负责组织军队，负责筹措资金，负责制造嫉妒，负责煽动冷淡者，吸引动摇者。每一个大大小小的细节都必须由他精心设计。到目前为止，反对欧洲最强国的力量的并不是荷兰，而是奥兰治的威廉一人。

这就是奈德·马丁现在被介绍给他的王子，他怀着最深切的崇敬之情走进了房间。他看到面前有一个看上去比实际年龄大十岁的男人。他的头发因思虑和关心而变得花白而稀疏，他那张窄脸上深深地刻着焦虑和烦恼的皱纹，但他的笑容和蔼可亲，他的举止和威廉年轻时一样和蔼可亲，举止和蔼可亲。菲利普皇帝的总督。

“我听说你有一封我的好朋友恩克赫伊森市长写给我的信，”奥兰治亲王说道，此时内德满怀崇敬地走近他所坐的桌子。 “我希望他没有给我带来坏消息吧？”

“不，阁下，”奈德说。 “他写信给你是为了我个人的私事，我事先请求你原谅，因为这个不重要的话题占用了你一会儿的时间。”

王子说话的时候目光敏锐地看了他一眼，发现眼前这个年轻人并非只是说说而已，而是一想到他打扰了他的劳动，他就感到很尴尬。他打开信，扫了一眼。

“啊！你是英国人，”他惊讶地说。 “我以为你是我的同胞。”

“我的母亲来自荷兰，先生，”内德回答道。 “并培养我说她的语言和我父亲的语言，并让我感觉荷兰和英格兰一样是我的国家。”

“你是英国船长的儿子，最近，据我所知，他在须德海航行时被西班牙船只唐·佩德罗拦截，他顽强地自卫，给西班牙人造成了巨大的损失和损害，他把他的船带进了恩克赫伊曾，除了自己受了重伤外，没有受到任何进一步的损害。市长告诉我，你很想成为一名志愿者，并且你已经得到了你父母的许可。

“你们许多勇敢的同胞已经过来了；我确实很高兴得到他们的援助，我认为这是一个预兆，英国有一天会为我们而奋起努力。但干这么辛苦的活，你看起来还很年轻，年轻的先生。我不应该带你超过十八岁。”

“我还不到十八岁，先生。”内德说道，尽管他认为没有必要提及他还想再长大两年。 “但即使是儿童和妇女也为保卫自己的城镇提供了帮助。”

“有点奇怪，”王子说，“你的父母居然支持你这么年轻就开始做这件事。”

“西班牙人谋杀了我的祖父、我的三个叔叔和一个阿姨； “如果不是我父亲因受伤而致残，并失去了一条腿，他会自己自愿的，”内德回答道。 “但是，先生，如果您认为我还太年轻，还不能参加战斗，我父亲认为您也许会以其他方式利用我。在过去的五年里，我乘着我父亲的船与这些港口进行贸易，沿着荷兰的每条河流航行，了解它们的航行和水深。如果您有信件想转交给佛兰德斯的朋友，并委托我，我会不惜一切风险忠实地为您递送；由于只是一个男孩，也许可以通过一个男人会被怀疑的地方。先生，我只请求您尽我所能地利用我，无论它是什么，因为我的生命在如此伟大而美好的事业中微不足道。”

“没有人能提供更多，”王子和蔼地说。 “我喜欢你的脸，年轻的先生，并且立刻就看出你是值得信任的，而且你是以严肃的态度对待这件事的。你的父亲已经证明自己是一位勇敢的战士和熟练的水手，我毫不怀疑你配得上他。在我眼里，你的年轻并不是缺点，因为我自己早在你这个年纪之前就已经涉足国家大事，而我的主人查理皇帝也不屑于听取我的意见。我以荷兰的名义接受您提供的服务；并认为，正如你所说，你可能比我将你派到我正在组建的一个军团中更能发挥你所说的作用，因此我将暂时任命你为一名志愿者，隶属于我的部队。自己的家，相信我，我不会让你闲着太久。”

他按了一下铃，页面就进入了。 “带这位绅士去见纽韦纳尔伯爵，告诉他他将获得绅士志愿者的称号，目前将继续作为我的家庭成员，并受到同样的待遇。”

他友善地点点头，打发奈德离开，奈德被王子的友善态度所感动，只能低声说了一两句感谢和保证忠诚的话语。内德是市长的一封信的持有者，这封信是写给王子的侍从尼乌韦纳尔伯爵的，当侍者把他介绍给那位官员并附上王子给他的信息时，内德把市长的信递给了他。伯爵的目光顺着它往下看。

“我的朋友市长高度赞扬了你，年轻的先生，”他说。 “虽然王子本人很高兴任命你为他的家庭成员，但我很高兴收到你的如此好的报告。整个荷兰和西兰都在谈论你父亲的船与西班牙人进行的英勇战斗；尽管我听说英国女王已就这次袭击英国船只的事件向西班牙大使提出抗议，但我认为在这起事件中受害最深的是西班牙人。”

“先生，请您指导我必须履行的职责。”

“没有什么义务，”伯爵微笑着说道。 “这里没有任何国家或仪式。王子的生活就像一个普通公民，你所要做的就是表现得谨慎，在用餐时出现，并准备好执行王子可能委托给你的任何服务；尽管他注定要为你提供什么服务，但我承认我一无所知。但是，”他更加严肃地说，“王子不会让那些对他无用的人为难自己，也不会保留任何人，除了那些他确信可以信赖的忠诚的人。因此，我毫不怀疑他会为你找到工作，因为事实上，为他服务的人几乎没有安逸和安静。今天下午我会为你找到一间公寓，我可以告诉你，虽然你目前没有任何职责要履行，因此不需要密切关注，但最好不要长期缺席；因为当王子想要完成一件事时，他希望迅速完成，并且最看重那些他日夜可以信赖的人。中午回到这里，然后我将把你介绍给将要与你交往的先生们和军官们。”

离开管家后，内德在鹿特丹的街道上走了一会儿。他几乎没有注意到自己去了哪里，满脑子都是他所受到的接待，以及他的希望的实现。王子的风度魅力，以及真正的善良，已经完全迷住了他，事实上，所有与他接触过的人都被他们迷住了，他觉得无论他能逃避什么危险，无论他能做什么努力，都不会是太糟糕的。如果他能赢得如此仁慈的大师的认可就好了。他在指定的时间向内务大臣介绍了自己，后者把他带到了一个大厅，许多军官和绅士正要坐下来吃晚饭，并向他们介绍内德，他是英国船长的儿子，他曾如此勇敢地击败了唐·佩德罗，奥兰治亲王以绅士志愿者的身份将他接纳为家。

内德受到了很好的接待，既因为他自己，也因为人们对英格兰的善意。尽管奥兰治亲王本人没有任何官僚主义，生活也极其简单和安静，但他仍然维持着一个庞大的家庭，并给予慷慨的款待，这更适合他过去的财富，而不是他现在的必需品。他有着大贵族的习惯；尽管各方面都向他索取资金，有时还被迫在自己的机构中实现他认为的巨大经济，但他的房子始终向他的朋友和追随者开放。

当然，在奈德坐下来吃饭的过程中，他并没有看到什么节俭的迹象。桌子上只有很少的银盘，因为王子的珠宝和银盘在几年前就已被抵押用于支付德国雇佣兵的报酬。但各种食物充足，美酒充足，侍者和侍从为客人服务的也很多。

第二天，王子在他的家人和一百名骑兵的陪同下骑马前往哈勒姆，因为他在哈勒姆召集了仍然忠于他的各州代表会议。他们一在分配给他们的住处安顿下来，内德就出去打听他姨妈和表兄弟避难的亲戚的情况。因为他知道她的娘家姓氏，所以他毫不费力地知道了她父亲居住的城镇的哪个部分，并且知道王子无论如何都会在这一天剩下的时间里完全专注于重要的事务，于是他就去了那里，向市民介绍自己。

“啊！”后者说：“我经常听我女儿说起她在英国结婚定居的嫂子。所以你是她儿子？嗯，你会在水门附近沿着城墙延伸的街道上找到她的房子。幸好，当阿尔瓦的暴徒抓住并谋杀了她的丈夫及其家人时，她恰巧因病卧床不起。有一段时间她几乎心烦意乱，也许她确实如此。事实上，她的命运只不过是这个不幸的国家中数以万计的人的命运。我很乐意在这里欢迎她，但我还有另一个已婚女儿和我住在一起，为我保管我的房子，而且由于她有六个孩子，所以房子几乎住满了。伊丽莎白在悲伤中渴望安静，所以我把她安置在我告诉你的那座小房子里。我本来想给你父亲写信的，但一再推迟，因为这些天要考虑的事情太多了，没有时间处理私人事务。她告诉我，她的丈夫和他的兄弟预见到了邪恶时期的到来，将钱寄到英国由他照顾，并投资在伦敦的房屋。”

“我相信是这样，”奈德回答道。 “我的父亲目前正受重伤躺在恩克赫伊森，我相信，既然他知道我姑妈在哪里，他会就此事通过信件与她沟通。我会给你他在恩克赫伊森的地址，因为距离这里只有很短的路程，你也许会抽出时间去看他，届时他将能够与你自由地谈论这个话题。现在，如果你允许的话，我就去看看我的姑姑。”

内德毫不费力地找到了指示的房子。他敲了敲门，门是他姨妈亲自打开的。她疑惑地抬起头看了一会儿，然后惊呼道：

“哎呀，这是我的侄子，爱德华·马丁！自从我上次见到你以来已经快两年了，从那以后发生了很多事情；”她泪流满面。

奈德跟着她进了屋，他受到了他的两个表妹——十四岁和十五岁的女孩的热烈欢迎。他首先得解释一下他是如何来到哈勒姆的，听到马丁船长的遭遇，他们确实感到悲伤，马丁船长是他们最喜欢的人。

“这么说你已经为奥兰治亲王效力了？”当他讲完故事后，姨妈说道。 “我真的很奇怪，你的父母竟然允许你从事如此无望的事业。”

“并非毫无希望，”奈德说。 “目前情况看起来很黑暗，但英格兰或法国可能会向我们提供帮助。无论如何，姨妈，如果西班牙军队再次横扫荷兰和泽兰，你和两个女孩肯定不会等待它的到来。你在英国有朋友。我的父母会非常高兴你能和他们在一起，直到你能在附近安家为止。寄过来的钱可以让你过上舒适的生活。这不会像在陌生人中间一样。伦敦已经有相当多的荷兰移民。你会发现很多人会说你的语言。”

“我的家人都在这里，”她回答道。 “我的父亲、兄弟姐妹们。我在其他地方永远不可能快乐。”

“是的，阿姨，我能理解。但如果西班牙人来了，一周后你家里有多少人可能还活着？”

女人举起双手，做出绝望的姿势。

“好吧，我们必须抱最好的希望，阿姨；但如果你听说西班牙军队即将飞往英国，如果你有机会的话，我会最强烈地敦促你，或者如果你不离开这座城市，前往离这里尽可能远的城镇或村庄。 ”

“哈勒姆很强大，能够经受住严酷的围攻。”女子自信地说。

“我毫不怀疑可以，姑妈。但西班牙人是优秀的工程师，除非奥兰治亲王有足够的力量去救援，否则它迟早会陷落；你知道接下来会发生什么。”

“为什么他们应该比其他地方更多地来这里？还有许多其他城镇离他们更近。”

“是这样的，阿姨。但从城墙上你可以看到阿姆斯特丹的塔楼和尖顶，这座城市是他们在国家中心的聚集地，他们可以从那里向四面八方发起进攻；因此，当你距离如此之近时，第一击可能会在这里受到打击。此外，如果他们占领了哈勒姆，他们就会把几乎唯一忠于王子的长条土地砍成两半。嗯，阿姨，请考虑一下。如果你怀疑我的话，请写信给我在恩克赫伊森的母亲。我保证她会告诉你她会多么高兴地在英国接待你，以及你在那里安家的感觉有多好。我不知道我要在这里呆多久，我必须密切关注王子，以防他突然有机会为我服务，但我每天都会下来与你交谈；我确实希望，为了我的表兄弟，如果不是为了你自己，你会决定暂时离开这片多灾多难的土地，到英国避难，在那里没有人会干涉你的宗教信仰，在那里你可以生活摆脱西班牙人残酷的偏执。”

内德呆了两周，没有任何特别的职责。当王子与重要人物密室时，他知道自己没有机会被需要，所以他大部分时间都在姨妈家度过。他开始厌倦了在王子的前厅闲逛，无所事事，有一天，一位侍从走到他面前，告诉他王子需要他在场。他跟着男孩来到王子的内阁，满怀希望地希望他能有机会证明他是真心实意地为荷兰事业服务的。

“我敢说你开始以为我已经忘记了你，”当侍童退下、幕布落到他身后时，王子开始说道，“但事实并非如此。直到今天我还没有机会为你服务，但现在我有一个使命托付给你。我有一些信希望带到布鲁塞尔并转交给那里的一些朋友。你最好立即乔装打扮成一个农家男孩。你必须把你的信件缝在你的背心里，并记住，如果它们被发现在你身上，你的命运肯定会是残酷的死亡。如果您在布鲁塞尔安全地执行任务，您将通过您认为最合适的路线返回并收到答案；因为这必须取决于西班牙人的行动。管家会给你提供你可能需要的钱。”

“谢谢大人，我已经有了足够的资金来完成这一趟旅程。”

“我不需要告诉你，我的小伙子，要小心谨慎。请记住，如果你的使命失败，不仅你自己的生命受到威胁，国家的利益也会受到损害，许多人的生命也将被丧失。你会发现这些字母上没有名字；只有一个小的私人标记，在每种情况下都不同，您可以通过它来区分它们。这是一张纸，它是这些标记的关键。在开始之前，您必须记住这些字母所针对的人的名字。这样，如果这些信件落入西班牙人手中，他们将不知道这些信件的收件人姓名。

“这张纸上写着‘致布鲁塞尔集市广场南角的蓝帽’，它的目的是把所有其他字母都包括在内，当你知道这些标记后，尼乌韦纳尔伯爵会把它们固定在里面，用我的印章封印它。这样做的目的是，如果你被抓获，你可以声明我的指示是将包裹交给一个戴蓝色帽子的人，他将在布鲁塞尔集市广场的南角与你会面，并且，拍拍你的肩膀，问“荷兰的风怎么样？”这些是我现在给你的指示。如果这样的人来找你，你就把包裹交给他，如果没有，你就打开它并把信交给他。但这最后一项并不构成您的指示的一部分。

“如果你被带走，这个装置不会拯救你的生命，但它可能会拯救你免于酷刑和其他人免于死亡。因为如果这些没有写明地址的信件在你身上被发现，你就会受到血肉之躯无法承受的残酷折磨，而这些信件的收信人的名字也会从你身上被榨取；但尽管它们是附在蓝帽大师身上的，但人们可能会认为你只是一个信使，其指示只不过是把包裹交给我在布鲁塞尔的一个朋友。现在，你不能再浪费时间了。你需要伪装自己，并牢记这些标志和它们所代表的名字。一匹马将在两小时内准备好带您前往鹿特丹，从那里您将乘坐沿海船只前往斯勒斯或阿克塞尔。”

当时，内德已经做好了准备。他现在打扮得像个年轻的佛兰德农民。他把箱子里的衣服、盔甲和武器都交给了他姑妈的父亲保管，因为他希望在他回来之前她就离开了小镇。然而，他无法获得她会这样做的任何承诺。她的论点是，如果其他女性可以留在哈勒姆，她为什么不应该这样做。她的朋友和家人都在那里；虽然，如果西班牙人围攻这座城镇，她可能会决定退出，但她不能让自己流亡，除非整个荷兰确实被征服，所有希望都破灭了。

奈德拿着一根粗壮的棍子。这是一件比看上去更强大的武器，因为旋钮上装满了铅。他犹豫着要不要带手枪。因为如果任何时候他被搜查并在他身上发现此类武器，那么这一发现可能是致命的，因为一个农民男孩肯定不会携带当时昂贵且相对稀有的武器。他的信件被缝在外套的衬里里，而他的钱，除了目前使用所需的钱，都藏在他的大靴子里。一匹乡村马，装备简陋，就像小农夫可能骑的那样，已经做好了准备，他骑着这匹马去了大约三十五英里远的鹿特丹，把它停在一家小旅馆里，在那里他被要求去别管它。

然后他走到河边，询问是否有开往斯勒伊斯或阿克塞尔港口的船只。没过多久，他就找到了第二天出发去后一个地方的车，在与主人讨价还价后返回了旅馆。第二天一早，天刚亮，他就起航了。船上只有三四个乘客，内德很快就与船长和四名船员建立了友好的关系。

“我想知道，”他不久对主人说，“荷兰的城镇和阿尔瓦省的城镇之间的贸易仍然在进行。”

“这些城镇的居民意见分歧很大，”船长说。 “如果有机会，许多人会很乐意崛起，但他们距离西班牙势力太近，不敢冒险这样做。但他们对我们还是足够友好的；由于他们需要我们的货物，我们也需要他们的货物，所以没有人阻碍交通或干扰来往的人。这些城镇中的大多数都只有小型的西班牙驻军，这些驻军除了维护西班牙的地位之外，不关心任何其他事情。阿尔瓦任命的天主教地方法官负责管理城镇事务，由于这些人本身大多是商人和贸易商，他们的利益在于保持港口开放和鼓励贸易，所以我们的来去不受质疑。西班牙人手头上已经有足够的资源，不会因限制贸易而引起不满。此外，公爵假装认为荷兰和西兰的起义只是一场小叛乱，他可以毫不费力地镇压下去，如果他关闭所有港口并禁止通讯，那就太重视这场运动了。”

“你想去瓦尔赫伦外面还是里面？”

“在外面。”船长回答道。 “这是最长的路，但也是最安全的。西班牙人占领了米德尔堡和特尔戈斯，最近还击败了试图夺取特尔戈斯的法拉盛军队。通道里有很多我们的船只和一些西班牙人，经常发生战斗。最好避免出现麻烦的风险，尽管瓦尔赫伦可能会再绕几里格。我已经准备好在需要时参与战斗，并协助运送部队往返法拉盛，但当我手里有货物时，我喜欢尽可能远离它。”

他们在法拉盛附近抛锚，因为此时风势恶劣，但当潮水转向时，他们再次起航，沿着海峡驶向阿克塞尔。当他们停在码头旁边时，没有人提出任何问题。内德立即上岸，前往码头附近的一家小旅馆，这里主要是水手经常光顾的地方。他们到达时夜色刚刚降临，他认为最好不要尝试继续前进，直到第二天早上。他曾多次来过好冒险号的阿克塞尔，对这个小镇很熟悉。这里的人口是混杂的，因为虽然阿克塞尔位于布拉班特，但它与荷兰对岸的交流如此之多，以至于相当一部分人口已经吸收了激励邻居的精神，如果有机会，他们会他们很高兴地摆脱了西班牙人任命的官员的权威。

奈德知道，作为一个陌生人，小客栈的常客们会对他抱有极大的怀疑，因为间谍系统已经达到了这样的程度，人们甚至在自己的家人的怀抱中也不敢说出自己的感受。因此，他一直走来走去，直到退休休息的时候，这样就避免了他可能会遇到的怀疑和质疑。他本可以轻而易举地让他们了解过去的情况——他刚刚从鹿特丹搭乘希望号抵达海岸，如果受到质疑，船长可以证实他的说法——但要让提问者满意可就没那么容易了。他来的目的。为什么一个荷兰小伙子想来布拉班特？每个人都知道，在他来自的地方，工作比西班牙人统治下的国家丰富得多，那里的耕种者几乎不敢播种足够自己消费的农作物，而西班牙军队进行的掠夺是如此广泛。

这些人总是严重拖欠工资，却毫不犹豫地从不幸的居民那里拿走他们需要的一切。后者知道抵抗或抱怨都毫无用处，因为士兵们总是处于叛变的边缘。他们的军官对他们几乎没有控制权。阿尔瓦本人总是缺钱，无法支付军队的费用，不得不让他们在国家里维持生计。

早上大门一打开，内德就朝通往布鲁塞尔的道路经过的地方走去。门口的四五个西班牙士兵没有多问，奈德迈着轻快的步伐走了过去。走了约三里路，身后传来马蹄声，不一会儿，就来了两个人。其中一个，从他的外表来看，是一个有一定地位的人，另一个他认为是他的职员。当马经过时，内德脱下了帽子。

“小伙子你要去哪里？”两人中年长的问道。

“尊敬的先生，我要去见一些住在布鲁塞尔附近德利根村的朋友。”

“现在是旅行的糟糕时期。你的舌头表明你不是布拉班特人。”

“不，先生，我的亲戚住在沃尔德维克，紧邻阿姆斯特丹。”

“阿姆斯特丹是一座忠诚的城市；尽管在那里，和其他地方一样，有些人背叛了他们的国王，背叛了他们的信仰。我希望你不是他们中的一员吧？”

“我不知道，”内德说，“我是否一定要回答任何在高速公路上骑行的人的问题，除非我知道他们有权利和权力来询问我。”

“我有权利和权力，”该男子愤怒地说。 “我的名字是菲利普·冯·阿特，我是总督委托调查这些问题的委员会成员之一。”

奈德再次脱下帽子。 “尊敬的先生，我知道您的名字，您是搜寻异端的第一人。这片土地上很少有人没听过这句话，即使是像我这样无知的乡下孩子。”

议员看上去很满意。 “啊！你听过我的好话吗？他说。

“先生，我听人谈论过你，无论好坏，都取决于说话者的感受。”

“你为什么要离开阿姆斯特丹，远离家乡？在这个时代，所有人都必须受到怀疑，直到他们证明自己是优秀的天主教徒和国王的忠实臣民，甚至像你这样的男孩也可能从事叛国活动。我再问你一遍，你为什么要把家人留在阿姆斯特丹？”

“不幸降临到他们身上了，”奈德回答道，“他们再也养活不了我了。”

“祸不单行啊！什么样的？

“他们的生意不再给他们带来利润，”内德回答道。 “正如我告诉阁下的那样，他们生活的不是在城镇本身，而是在城镇附近的一个村庄里，在这些动荡的时期，贸易几乎处于停滞状态，许多人家中都存在匮乏。”

“我将在安特卫普停留过夜，我在那里还有事要做；当你到达那里时，请注意拜访我。我必须和你进一步谈谈，因为你的答案令我不满意。”

奈德深深鞠了一躬。

“好吧，注意不要失败，否则对你来说会更糟糕。”冯·艾尔特说着，便策动了在内德说话时并肩行走的战马，向前疾驰而去。

“你们真是一对恶棍。”尼德看着两人远去的背影，自言自语道。 “我确实知道这位大师的名字，他是暴君最糟糕的工具之一；至于那个男人，他的脸上写着无赖。他瘦得像个稻草人，斜视着邪恶的眼神，脸上挂着邪恶的笑容。如果我一心想干别的事，我会给出截然不同的答案，并抓住机会用我的这根好棍子坚持下去。无论如何，我没有告诉他们绝对的谎言。今晚议员不会再问我任何问题了，我只希望他太忙了，无暇再想这件事。我将走经过根特的路；我走哪条路并不重要，因为在我看来，这两条路的距离几乎相等。”

因此，他立即离开了他所走的路，穿过田野向北行进，直到踏上通往根特的道路，中午过后不久，他走了两三二十英里，到达了根特镇。由于害怕受到盘问，他不停地穿过城镇，跨过斯海尔德河，继续前行五英里，在贡泰雷村停下来。他走进了一家小旅馆。

“我想在这里过夜，”他说，“有空位吗？”

“房间足够，还有空余的。”主人回答道。 “票价虽好，但房间不缺；昨天，一群来自根特的士兵来拜访我们，村里几乎没有留下任何吃的东西。不过，我想我们应该庆幸他们没有夺走我们的生命。”

“彼得，”屋里传来一个尖锐的声音，“我已经告诉过你多少次了，不要和陌生人八卦公共事务？正如我已经告诉过你很多次的那样，你的舌头很快就会让你丧命。”

“我应该说接近一百，妻子，”店主回答道。 “我不是叛国，只是解释为什么我们的食品储藏室是空的，只剩下一些黑面包，还有我们一小时前买的一些猪肉；而且，这个年轻人也不太可能是公爵的间谍之一。”

“你又来了。”女人愤怒地喊道。 “你想让我成为寡妇，让你的孩子失去父亲，彼得·格兰茨。女人受过这样的男人的折磨吗？”

“我不太确定是不是相反。”男人低声抱怨道。 “哎呀，老婆，”他提高了声音继续说道，“谁敢说我们的坏话呢？难道我不定期去参加弥撒，给我们的好牧师送一条上等的鱼，或者最好每周两三次切掉鱼骨吗？我还能做些什么呢？任何人听到你说话都会认为我是异教徒。”

“我认为你比异教徒更愚蠢，”他的妻子愤怒地说。 “这对我们来说是最好的希望。但是进来吧，孩子，坐下来；如果你愿意听我丈夫的话，接下来的一个小时他会让你在门口闲聊。”

“我不会不好意思坐下来的，女主人，”奈德走进低矮的屋顶房间说道。 “我从早上就从阿克塞尔步行过来了。”

“这确实是一次很好的长途步行；”女人说道。 “你要去布鲁塞尔吗？如果是这样，最近的路线就是安特卫普。”

“我走错了路，”内德说。 “当他们告诉我它们之间只有一两英里的差别时，我想我还是继续走我第一次走的那条路吧。”

“从你的言语来看，你是荷兰人，是吗？”女人问道。

“是的;我来自荷兰。”内德回答道。

“他们所说的，那里的人民已经摆脱了公爵的权威，准备冒险对抗西班牙的全部力量，这是真的吗？”

“有些已经起来，有些还没有，”内德回答道。 “没有人能预测会发生什么。”

“你最好不要过多谈论你来自荷兰的事，”女人说。 “因为他们说几乎所有来自该省的人都是异教徒，甚至在布拉班特被怀疑是异教徒就足以夺去任何人的生命。”

“我不是一个会说话的人，”内德回答道。 “但是我感谢你的谨慎，女士。菲利普·冯·阿特已经询问过我，他说他会再次见到我；但事实上我无意进一步打扰他。”

“他是鲜血议会的一员，”女人压低声音说道，焦急地环顾四周。 “也是其中最残忍的人之一。小心，我的小伙子，你是如何落入他手中的，因为可以放心，如果他有理由怀疑你不是一个好的天主教徒并且对西班牙人忠诚，他将不会对你手下留情。富有或贫穷，温柔或单纯，女人或孩子，对他来说都毫无意义。对于异教徒，无论他们是谁，都没有怜悯之心。除非你能彻底满足他，否则你最好的计划就是立即返回阿克塞尔，然后穿越荷兰。你不知道它们是什么。每个城镇和村庄都有间谍，如果有人知道我现在对你说的话，尽管那很少，我也会很难过。妇女被烧死或勒死的原因要少得多。”

“我会小心的，”奈德说。 “我有事要去布鲁塞尔，但等事情处理完毕后，我会尽快带我回荷兰。”

这时，一直站在火边说话的女人已经烤了两三片猪肉，这些猪肉连同一块黑面包和一壶麦芽酒，放在了奈德面前。

刚才站在门口的丈夫此时进来了。

“老婆，尽管你不断地责骂，但你并不比我聪明。我一直在听你的谈话；每次我一开口你就骂我，而你自己却说十倍危险的话。”

“我在屋子里说这些，彼得·格兰茨，”她反驳道，“不要站在门口说话，这样全村的人都能听到我的声音。这小伙子很诚实，从他的脸上就可以看出，如果我能为他做点什么，我就会这么做。”

“如果你能告诉我在布鲁塞尔有什么地方可以住，我会很高兴的。我可以在找工作的同时呆在一个地方，没有人担心我从哪里来或要去哪里，或者我对宗教或政治的看法是什么。”

“那是一件困难的事情，”女人回答道。 “房东们并不是关心来访的人属于哪一派，而是他们知道自己家里可能有间谍；如今，即使庇护一种新宗教也是危险的。因此，尽管房东可能不在乎经常光顾他们家的人，但他们在某种程度上被迫这样做，以免自己被指责为异教徒的庇护者。布鲁塞尔有一个强大的政党反对公爵；因为你知道，不仅仅是那些新宗教的人会高兴地看到最后的西班牙人。现在布拉班特的异教徒已经很少了，宗教裁判所和血统议会已经消灭了大多数，其他人要么逃到法国，要么英国，要么荷兰，一些人表面上遵守了教会的仪式，还有一些确实很少有人公开与她分​​离，尽管他们的内心可能仍然像以前一样是异端。

“仍然有很多人渴望看到旧宪法得到恢复——看到迫害被废除，德国和西班牙军队撤退，并在西班牙国王总督的领导下受到我们自己的法律的统治。因此，在布鲁塞尔，您不太可能受到密切盘问。官吏多，戍卒少，奸细多；这一切都是为了公爵，其余的人如果看到成功的机会，明天就会崛起。我应该说，作为一个陌生人，你更有可能被怀疑是间谍，而不是异教徒——也就是说，如果你是异教徒，我不问也不想知道。布鲁塞尔人民不像安特卫普和根特那样喜欢喧闹，而是安静地走自己的路。作为首都，来这里的陌生人比其他地方多，所以人们来来去去都不问；如果我还是你，如果你有什么充分的理由避免被人注意，我会宁愿住在城外，早上进入城门，做你白天可能做的事情，然后在日落之前再次离开。这样你就可以完全避免询问，也不会比其他进来推销商品的乡下人更吸引注意。”

“谢谢你，我会听从你的建议，”内德说。 “我不想惹上麻烦，而且作为那里的陌生人，如果我受到质疑，我应该很难证明我的故事是真实的。”

第二天一早，内德天一亮就出发了，下午一早就抵达了布鲁塞尔。他决定采纳前一天晚上给他的建议。而且他不会试图在任何一个村庄找到住处。

“我只需要一天，最多两天就能把信送达，”他心里想，“而且在田野里或树下睡几个晚上也不会有什么困难。这样我就可以躲过所有人的注意，因为人们在村庄里说话比在城镇里还要多。”他决定那天不会努力递送任何一封信，而是满足于在镇上散步并了解街道的名称，这样他就可以着手递送信件，而不必问很多问题。当距离城镇不到半英里时，他离开了道路，剪开背心的衬里取出了信件。然后他用刀切下一块方形的草皮，挖出一点土，把那包信塞进去，然后把上面的草皮踩下去。他把藏在靴子里的钱藏在附近的另一个洞里，然后回到路上，继续往布鲁塞尔走去，感觉舒服多了，因为他暂时摆脱了那些会夺走他生命的文件，如果它们是在他身上发现的。

穿过大门，他在街上闲逛了几个小时，对当时的喧嚣很感兴趣。与严肃的公民混在一起的是西班牙和德国士兵、带着侍从和追随者的贵族、布拉班特和阿图瓦其他城镇的代表、僧侣和牧师、带来农产品的乡下人、议员和政治家、西班牙贵族和抱怨者。托钵僧。他知道了许多街道的名称，并标记了那些他写信的人的房屋。其中一些是贵族，另一些是布鲁塞尔公民。他在市场上买了一些面包和奶酪，坐在门口台阶上吃。他把一些食物捆成一捆作为晚餐，然后他对自己的发现感到非常满意地离开了小镇。

他睡在干草堆的庇护下，早上把包裹挖出来，重新缝在藏身之处，城门一开，就和一些市场人一起进了城。已经聚集在那里等待大门打开。很快，所有的商店都开门营业了。因为在那个时代，如果人们早睡，他们也会早起。他首先朝一位市民的家走去，一直看着，直到他看到那个人出现在他的商店门口。然后他穿过街道。

“天气晴朗，”他说，“但太阳被云层遮住了。”

市民微微一惊。然后内德继续说道：

“我从农场给你带来了消息。”

“请进。”市民大声说道，这样店里的两个助手就能听到他的声音。 “我的妻子会很高兴听到她的老护士的消息，她上次收到她的消息时她已经病了。我希望你能在这方面让她放心，好吗？”

“是的，她恢复得很快。”内德一边回答，一边跟着市民穿过商店。

男人领着上楼，然后进了一间小客厅。他关上了身后的门。

“现在，”他问道，“你从荷兰带来了什么信息？”

“我带来了一封信，”奈德回答道。他再次拿出刀，割断了衬里的线，拿出了包裹。包裹包裹的丝绸并用王子的印章固定，其设计使其可以滑落，因此可以在不破坏密封的情况下打开包裹。内德拿出信来。检查完角落上的标记后，将其中一个递给了市民。后者打开并阅读了内容。

“我被告知，”他说完后说道，“不要给你书面答复，而是口头传达。告诉王子，我已经向我的行会中的许多人发出了声音，只要决定全面起义，大部分织布工肯定会起来，加入驱逐西班牙人的行列；可以肯定的是，所有其他主要城镇都会加入这一运动。除非是一般性的，恐怕是无能为力的。梅赫林的被洗劫、数千名公民的屠杀以及对妇女的可怕暴行造成了如此巨大的恐慌，以至于没有哪个城市敢单独激怒阿尔瓦的复仇。所有人都必须崛起，否则就没有人会崛起。我相信，如果其他国家也尽自己的一份力，布鲁塞尔也会尽自己的一份力。不过，作为首都，西班牙的进攻首当其冲将落在她身上。至于钱，告诉他目前还收不到。首先，我们几乎都被西班牙人的勒索毁掉了。接下来，无论我们的态度多么好，在起义普遍成功之前，很少有人愿意支持这一事业。然后，我毫不怀疑，议员们将投票支持该市能够支付的尽可能多的补贴。我们行会的理事会成员至少有四位是可以完全信赖的，王子可以放心地与他们沟通。他们是冈瑟、巴内维尔特、哈斯拉尔和布伊斯。”

“请再重复一遍，”奈德说，“这样我就可以正确地记住它们。”

“至于普遍的宽容，”市民在重复了名字后继续说道，“在宗教问题上，尽管存在许多不同的意见，但我认为王子在这方面的命令将会得到遵守，而且会得到遵守。”同意允许路德教、加尔文教和其他教派不受阻碍地集会礼拜；但天主教的感觉非常强烈，特别是在贵族中，过去几年里，秘密倾向于新宗教的人数大大减少，正如荷兰和泽兰的人数增加一样，据我所知，在这些地方，人们现在几乎都是新教徒。请向王子保证我个人对他的忠诚，我将尽最大努力推进他的计划，并向他保证织工行会将成为第一批反抗西班牙人暴政的行会之一。”

奈德离开家时，认定他所拜访的那个人并不是在紧急情况下能派上用场的人之一。显然，他对这一事业有足够的意愿，但他不会冒任何巨大的风险，也不会公开参加这一运动，除非他确信这项运动一定会成功。他一边走，一边思考这件事，突然有人粗鲁地搭话。他抬起头，看到了议员冯·艾特和他的职员。前者一脸愤怒，后者就在他主人身边，显然是吸引了他的注意力，脸上带着满足的邪恶笑容。

“你好，先生，”议员生气地说，“我不是告诉过你到安特卫普来找我吗？”

奈德摘下帽子，谦虚地说：“如果我经过安特卫普，我当然应该服从您的崇拜命令；但我不知道。”但后来我想起我有理由经过根特，因此就走了那条路，因为我很清楚，像我这样微不足道的人不可能有什么事情可以告诉您的崇拜，而会占用您宝贵的时间。

“我们会看到的，”议员严肃地说。 “热内特，把手放在这个年轻人的衣领上。我们将把他妥善保管，等有空的时候再调查此事。当你告诉我你怀疑他与表面上的不同时，我毫不怀疑你是对的。”

奈德环顾四周；一群西班牙士兵站在附近，他看到逃跑是没有希望的。于是，他静静地走在店员的马旁，决定一有机会就挣脱马匹的束缚，逃跑。然而不幸的是，他并不知道他们此刻已经距离监狱不到五十码了。几名旁观者听到了谈话，也纷纷跟了上去，想看看结果。其他路人看到奈德被那个可怕的议员身后的衣领牵着，迅速围了过来，脸上的表情对冯·艾特没有任何好感。

然而习惯了与镇民争吵的西班牙士兵立刻拔出武器，包围了书记员和他的俘虏，两分钟后他们就到了监狱门口，内德完全吃了一惊。他插了进去，门在他身后关上了，他还没来得及决定最好的路线。

“你要把这名囚犯安置在一个安全的地方，”议员说。 “这是一起严重怀疑的案件；稍后我会亲自质问他。留意他，直到我再来。”

奈德被交给两名看守，他们把他带到三楼的一个房间。令他沮丧的是，一名狱卒接替了他的职务，而另一名狱卒则退休了，并锁上了身后的门。因此，内德在上楼时所想的在独自一人时销毁文件的意图落空了。狱卒站在窗边，从窗户可以看到监狱的内院，他探出头与下面院子里的一些战友交谈起来。

奈德现在后悔了，在离开市民之前，他又把这些字母缝在了他的上衣里。如果他把它们松松地带在身上，他可能会把它们一一嚼碎吞下去；但他现在不敢尝试去接近它们，因为他的看守随时可能环顾四周。后者在一天中两次松了口气。没有人注意这个囚犯。进入监狱围墙只是为了离开绞刑架的受害者不断涌现，他们无暇顾及自己的事务。

这个男孩很可能是个异教徒；但无论是否，如果他招致了冯·阿尔特议员的敌意，他的厄运就注定了。

傍晚时分，一名看守出现在门口，说议员在下面，要把犯人带到他面前。奈德被这两个人带到了一楼的一间房间里。冯·阿尔特和他的两名同事坐在一张桌子旁，前者的职员站在他身后。

“这是我今天早上亲手俘获的囚犯，”冯·阿尔特对他的同伴们说道。 “我在阿克塞尔这边两英里处追上了他，并询问了他。他承认自己来自荷兰；他的回答非常不令人满意，我严格命令他到安特卫普来见我，当时没有时间进一步询问他。他没有服从，而是离开了道路，穿过根特。如果不是今天早上我在街上偶然遇见他，我就不会再听到他的消息了。他被搜查了吗？”他问看守。

“不，阁下。你没有下令对他进行检查。”

“蠢货！”议员愤怒地说； “这就是你履行职责的方式。如果他是重要信件的携带者，他现在可能已经把它毁掉了。”

“我们没有离开他，阁下。他从来没有一刻孤独过，也没有任何机会去破坏任何东西。”

“好吧，先搜查那个包裹，”议员说。

经检查，该包裹内没有任何可疑物品。

“现在，脱下他的上衣和靴子，仔细检查。不要让任何接缝或角落漏掉。”

习惯了这项工作，一名看守刚拿起上衣，就宣布里面缝着一个包裹。

“我是这么想的！”冯·阿尔特惊叹道，对自己的洞察力感到满意。 “我觉得这家伙有什么可疑的地方。我相信我几乎能嗅出异教徒或叛徒的气味。”

议员的同事们纷纷对他的敏锐表示钦佩。

“我们这里有什么？”冯·阿尔特一边检查着包裹，一边继续说道。 “一个密封的包裹，地址是‘布鲁塞尔市场广场南角的蓝帽’。”我的朋友们，对于神秘和叛国，你怎么看？现在，让我们来看看内容吧。啊，十封没有地址的信！但我看到角落里有彼此不同的标记。啊！”当他撕开其中一张并浏览内容时，他的兴奋程度越来越高，“从大叛徒本人到布鲁塞尔的阴谋者。这确实是一个重要的捕获。现在，先生，您对此有何评论？这些信是写给谁的？”

“我对信中的内容一无所知，尊敬的先生，”内德跪倒在地，一副极度恐惧的样子说道。 “它们是在哈勒姆交给我的，有人告诉我，如果我把它们带到布鲁塞尔并安全地交给一个在布鲁塞尔集市广场南角与我会面的人，我应该得到五位贵族。我要把包裹拿在手里，把包裹挂在手杖上，这样他就能认识我了。他要戴上一顶蓝色帽子，摸摸我的肩膀，问我“荷兰的风怎么样？”尊敬的先生，我所知道的就是这些。我看不出这件事有任何叛国行为，否则我不会为了五十个贵族而做这件事。”

“你撒谎，你这个小坏蛋！”议员喊道。 “你是否试图说服我，奥兰治亲王会将如此重要的文件托付给他在街上遇到的第一个男孩？首先，你一定是个异教徒。”

“我不了解异教徒，”内德站起来，固执地说道。 “我信奉我父亲教给我的宗教，我不会假装自己是天主教徒，除非是为了拯救我的生命。”

“你瞧，你瞧，”议员得意洋洋地对他的同事们说。 “看看这些荷兰人的固执和傲慢。就连这个小男孩也敢告诉我们他不是天主教徒。把他带走，”他对看守说，“并确保他被安全地看管起来。我们可能想再次询问他；但无论如何，他明天或后天就会上绞刑架。”

奈德立刻被带走了。

“你觉得怎么样？”当囚犯身后的门关上时，冯·阿尔特问他的同事。 “是否值得立即对他施加酷刑，以从他那里获取这些信件的收件人姓名？对我们来说，了解这一点是最重要的。看看这封信；这是王子亲自发出的，指的是为全面起义做准备。”

“我简直不认为这个男孩会被托付如此重要的秘密，”另一位议员说道。 “众所周知，如果在他身上发现这些信件，他将被迫通过酷刑说出真相。我认为他告诉我们的故事是真实的，而且他更有可能将这些故事交给他，让他转交给某个拥有打开信件上这些标记的钥匙的人。”

“好吧，无论如何，使用螺丝不会造成任何伤害，”议员说。 “如果他知道他们会让他说话，我向你保证。”

另外两人同意了。

“大人，如果您允许我建议的话，”热内谦虚地说，“如果有像蓝帽这样的东西存在，那么先尝试一下可能是更好的方法。如果男孩能证明这个故事是真实的，他可能会得到生命的保证。毫无疑问，他会在某个固定的时间去见这位蓝帽子。我们可能会让他去见他，当然还要严格看管他。然后，如果任何这样的人出现并与他交谈，我们就可以立即扑向他，并从他那里拧出打开这些标记的钥匙。如果没有这样的人出现，我们就应该知道这个故事只是一个欺骗的手段，然后可以通过某种方式从他那里得知真相。”

这个建议得到了批准。

“这是一个非常好的计划，应该执行。再派人去把俘虏叫来。”

奈德再次被打倒。

“我们看到你很年轻，”冯·阿尔特说，“你无疑在这件事上被误导了，而且不知道你携带着叛国信件。因此，我们愿意宽大对待你。你什么时候在市场上遇见这只蓝帽的？”

“日落后一小时内，”内德回答道。 “我要在日落时到那里并等待一个小时；并被告知他到时候一定会来，但如果他来了，我第二天就会再来。”

“希望他不会让你失望，”冯·阿尔特冷酷地说，“因为我们不会等待他的喜悦。明天晚上，您将带着一个包裹前往，并在那个人来找您时将其交给他。请注意，不要试图欺骗我们，因为你会受到密切监视，如果你试图背叛，对你来说会更糟。如果这个人来了，那里的人就会知道如何对付他。”

“那么我可以自由离开吗？”奈德疑惑地问道。

“当然会，”冯·艾特回答道。 “那么我们就没有再需要你了，你就会向我们证明你的故事是真实的，而且你真的不知道把包裹带到这里有什么害处。”

内德清楚地知道议员在撒谎，即使他见到了那个戴蓝帽子的人，他也会被拖回监狱并被处死，而这个承诺毫无意义——西班牙人毫不犹豫地违背了诺言。对异教徒作出的最庄严的誓言。事实上，他之所以问这个问题，只是因为他认为过于欣然同意这个提议可能会引起怀疑。这正是他一直希望的事情，也是他逃离酷刑致死的唯一希望，因为这至少会给他一个争取自由的机会。

他之所以选择日落后一个小时，部分原因是那些希望会议在无人监视的情况下进行的人可能会选择这个时间，但更重要的是，如果在天黑后进行尝试，他逃跑的机会会大得多。内德被免职后，三位议员就此事坐下来讨论了一段时间。信都已读完。它们写得很仔细，以免落入坏人之手时提供任何信息，而且它们都没有提及过去的信件或之前的谈判。

冯·阿尔特说：“很明显，这是一个阴谋，收到这些信件的人对此深感关切，但这些信件并不能证明这一点。假设我们要么夺取这顶蓝色帽子，要么从男孩那里得到这些信件的收件人姓名，他们可以另一方面发誓，他们对他们一无所知，并被错误地指控。毫无疑问，这些人中的许多人都是贵族和有地位的公民，如果这仅仅是他们的言论与一个男孩的言论相反，而这个男孩是通过酷刑从他那里榨取的，那么我们的案子就不会是一个有力的案件。

“我们的理由并不总是很充分，”另一位议员说。 “但这通常并没有多大区别。”

“这与下层人民没有任何关系，”冯·阿尔特表示同意。 “但是，当我们必须与拥有有影响力的朋友的人打交道时，最好能够完全证明案件。我认为，如果我们得到了这些字母所代表的人的名字，我们就可以再次利用这个男孩。我们将派他亲自递送这些信件，我相信他是有意这样做的。他可能会收到答案并带回荷兰；但即使他不知道这些人收到这些信件而没有立即谴责持信人并将内容传达给我们这一事实，也足以证明他们有罪。”

“既然如此，”另外一个人说道，“这个男孩就不能因为酷刑而致残。”

“没必要这么做。”冯·阿尔特轻蔑地说。 “用指旋螺钉旋转几圈就足以让那个年龄的男孩得到他所知道的一切。好吧，我的朋友们，我们明天晚上在这里见面。我将和热内一起去集市广场看看这件事的结果，我承认我对此很感兴趣。不仅因为它是最重要的，而且因为我自己对这个男孩产生了怀疑，所以这个阴谋才被发现。我将负责处理这些信件，这些信件暂时对我们来说毫无用处，但很可能会导致十个人的死亡。”

第二天，奈德独自坐在牢房里，等待着自己的命运得到解决的那一天。他下定决心，如果它在他身边，他就不会被活捉。如果他看不到逃跑的办法，他会爬到房子的顶层，从窗户跳下去，或者从一名守卫手中夺过一把匕首，刺伤自己。与其在遭受残酷的折磨后被绞死在绞刑架上，不如死掉一千倍，他知道，这会从他嘴里榨出这些信的对象的名字。

他和其他人一样能忍受痛苦。但血肉之躯无法抗拒酷刑所带来的可怕痛苦，迟早，即使是最不情愿的人也会说出真相。但他仍然认为自己有很大的机会逃脱。显然，他不能被守卫紧紧包围，因为那样的话，蓝帽就不会冒险靠近他。因此，必须给予他相当大的自由；而且，无论有多少人在不远的地方戒备，他都应该能够突然冲过去穿过他们。那时街上会有很多人，这会增加他躲避追捕者的机会。

他吃得很饱，中午送来的饭菜，日落时分，看守走进牢房，叫他跟着他，他感觉自己可以承受任何劳累。当他来到院子里时，那里聚集了十几个人，还有冯·阿尔特和他的职员。

“现在，”议员严厉地说，“你看到这些人了。他们会从四面八方包围着你，我警告你，如果你试图逃跑，或者向这个蓝帽子发出任何警告信号，或者尝试与我们进行任何形式的诡计，你将被这样的酷刑处死正如你从未梦想过的。另一方面，如果你忠实地执行我的命令，将这个包裹交给迎接你的人，你就可以立即离开，并不受骚扰地回家。”

“我明白，”奈德回答道。 “既然我情不自禁，就听从你的吩咐。我的棍子和包裹在哪里？除非我拥有它们，否则他不会认识我。我要把它们扛在肩上。”

“啊！我忘了。”议员说道，然后向一名看守下达了命令，奈德的包袱和棍子就被拿来了。

“你会悠闲地漫步，”冯·阿尔特说，“而且显得自然而不在乎。我们会靠近你，一旦发现你的动作有任何可疑之处，就会立刻抓住你。”冯·阿尔特随后从他的上衣中拿出一个小包，递给内德，内德将它放在腰带上。监狱的门被打开了；三四个人出去了，奈德也跟着出去。当他走在街上时，他有一种奇怪的感觉。他周围有很多人边走边谈笑风生，而他虽然表面上和他们一样自由，但实际上却是一个被十几双眼睛注视着的囚犯，他的生命处于致命的危险之中。

步行五分钟后，内德到达了集市广场，平稳地朝南角走去。集市早已结束，集市的人也都回到了自己的农田和村庄，但走来走去的人却不少。天已经黑了，再过半个小时，天就黑了。奈德快到拐角处时转过身来，又往回走了一小段距离，然后又转过身来。他小心翼翼地避免显得四处张望。议员和他的职员与他保持着不远的距离，前者裹着一件高领斗篷，几乎遮住了他的脸。

至于其他人看着他，奈德只能猜测。他注意到有四个人，只要他一转身，他们就会转身。他猜其他人都离得稍远一些，或者可能驻扎在广场外的街道上，以便在他逃离附近的人时将他挡住。广场各处以及通往广场的街道尽头的柱子上悬挂着几盏油灯。他到达广场后不久，这些灯就被点燃了。他决定不去南角的那条街道，因为这会被怀疑是他的目标。此外，肯定会派人在那里阻止蓝帽的进入。因此，他决定走一条稍微狭窄的街道，大约在南角和西角之间的中间。

他在进入布鲁塞尔的那天就遵循了这一点，因为这些信的收信人之一就住在布鲁塞尔。他知道有许多小巷通向它，而在低端，有几条街道向各个方向分叉，在它终止的小广场上交汇。半个小时过去了。现在天已经黑了，他觉得最好不要再耽搁了。他沿着节奏向南角走了一半，然后突然一跃而去。走在他身边的两个人相距十步左右，他径直向他们跑去。令他们大吃一惊的是，在他们有时间抛开斗篷并拔出剑之前，他已经扑到了他们身上。

他用铅棍全力一击，将一个人打倒在地，然后转向另一个正在拔剑的人的手腕。那人发出一声痛苦而愤怒的大叫，奈德以最快的速度朝街道跑去。他知道自己不用担心遇到的两个人的追击，另一边的人都在后面有一段距离，这么多人介入，追赶者恐怕很快就会失去他的踪影。他从人群中穿过，他们因为突然的大声喊叫而停下了脚步，走到了街道的尽头。

借着灯光，他看见两个人拿着拔出的剑站着。他突然朝街边的房子走去，然后转身，从侧面遇见了那些人，而不是从前面，他们正等着他。离他最近的那个人突然发出一声惊呼。但在他发现他之前，内德已经离他不到两码了，在他有所警惕之前，内德的手臂全力扫过他的脚踝，装满子弹的棍子掉了下来，瞬间他就倒下了，内德全速冲下山去。街上有另一个人在追赶他，就在他身后几步远的地方。

还没跑出多远，内德就发现自己追捕追赶者的能力微乎其微，如果他想有机会逃跑，就必须摆脱他。他放慢了速度，让那人稍微超过了他。狱卒以为逃犯就在自己的掌握之中，便使出浑身解数。突然，内德跳进门口。那人无法控制自己，冲了过去。不一会儿，奈德又出来了，那家伙还没来得及停下脚步转身，就猛烈地从后面推了他一把，把他摔得面朝下，发出一声巨大的撞击声，奈德继续赶路。传来一声巨大的喊叫，但距离足有五十码远，他感到自己的希望升起。追赶他的人现在都在他身后，他确信在黑暗和狭窄的街道上他应该能够避开他们。

他在遇到的第一个转弯处拐了个弯，转了又转，不久就放慢了脚步，开始步行，一度确信追赶他的人肯定是有错的。他现在身处贫民窟居住的狭窄街道之中。这里没有点灯，他开始考虑该走哪条路，在哪里过夜。绝对有必要进行一些其他的伪装，因为他确信早上大门会受到如此仔细的监视，他穿着现在的服装不可能安全地出去。不一会儿，透过一楼的窗户，他听到了女人低沉的歌声。他立刻停下来听。这是他在荷兰经常听到的路德教赞美诗的气氛。他毫不犹豫地敲了敲门，拉开门闩走了进去。一个女人和一个女孩正坐在里面工作。他们惊讶地抬起头，看到一个陌生人。

“请原谅，”他说，“但我是一名新教徒，并且被阿尔瓦的猎犬追捕。我已经躲过了他们，目前我是安全的；但我不知道该去哪里，也不知道去哪里获得伪装。当我经过窗户时，我听到了路德教会赞美诗的空气，并且知道里面有人如果可以的话会帮助我。”

女人责备地看着女孩。

“你真是太不谨慎了，格特鲁德！”她说。 “这并不是说你的错比我的错更多。我本应该阻止你的，但我没想到隔着厚厚的窗帘能听到你的声音。先生，您是谁，从哪里来？”她转向奈德问道。

“我来自荷兰，”他说，“是奥兰治亲王的重要信件的持有者。”

女人犹豫了。 “我不会怀疑你，”她说。 “但现在人们不得不对自己的影子产生怀疑。然而，既然你听说我们的生命掌握在你手中，我就愿意相信你；尽管在我看来，一项重要的使命被委托给你这个年龄和地位的人似乎很奇怪。”

“我的年龄对我有利，”内德回答道。 “至于我的立场，它并不完全是看起来的那样；因为我是王子家里的一名绅士志愿者，他接受了我的服务，认为当一个人受到怀疑时我可能会成功。”

“我会给你庇护的。”女人轻声说道。 “尽管我知道这样做是冒着我和我女儿的生命危险的。但主将我们握在他的手中，除非他愿意，否则我们不会灭亡。”说着，她起身将门反锁。

“现在，告诉我更多关于你是如何陷入这种危险的，”她说。

内德讲述了他的冒险经历，以及他是如何从绑架者手中逃脱的。

“你确实逃脱了，”女人说道。 “冯·阿尔特议员下手后，很少有人能逃脱它。在释放自己的过程中，你确实表现出了技巧和勇气。”

“当你知道如果你留下来，酷刑和死亡就在你面前时，逃跑就没有多大的勇气了，”内德回答道。

“那么现在，你有什么计划吗？”女人问道。

“我唯一的计划就是获得一种伪装来逃离这座城市。不幸的是，我的任务因文件丢失而结束，如果我成功返回荷兰，我只能向王子讲述一个遗憾的故事，我对他所执行的任务彻底失败了。足以信任我。”

他从腰带上取出冯·阿尔特给他的包裹，正准备把它扔进火里，这时他的目光落在了上面。他连忙打开，高兴地喊道：“哎呀，这是信！那个恶棍一定是把它们放在了他的上衣里，还有给我准备的包裹，他无意中给了我错误的包裹。看，女士，这些是我告诉过您的字母，这些是角落里的标记，冯·阿尔特急于发现其含义。现在，如果我能做好伪装，我会在回去之前把这些信送出去。”

十四岁左右的女孩，低声对母亲说了几句话。后者看了一眼奈德。

“我女儿建议你把自己伪装成女人，”她说。 “事实上，就身高而言，你可能会过得很好，因为你只比我高一点点。但我担心你的肩膀太宽，穿不了我的衣服。”

“是的，确实如此。”内德微笑着表示同意。 “但是你又高又瘦。我可以很好地通过这些佛兰德农家女孩中的一个，因为她们的宽度有时几乎与长度一样。是的，确实如此，如果我能买到像这些女孩穿的那样的衣服，我就很容易通过了。我有很多钱，但不幸的是它藏在门外一英里的地下。我只随身携带一小笔日常使用的钱，当然，这些钱都被我的狱卒拿走了。”

“不要因为钱而感到不安，”女人说。 “就像你一样，我们并不完全是我们看起来的样子。我是冯·哈普伯爵夫人。”

奈德做了个惊讶的动作。他对这个名字非常熟悉，因为他是弗里斯兰省的一位贵族，几个月前，他根据血腥委员会的命令在布鲁塞尔被处决。

“当我的丈夫被谋杀时，”冯·哈普伯爵夫人继续说道，“我收到一位朋友的警告，称我和我的女儿因是归正会成员而被逮捕。对于我自己来说，我并不关心；但为了女儿，我决定想方设法逃跑。我知道我在荷兰没有任何安全的地方，而且妇女和女孩几乎没有机会逃离这个国家，因为我们在每条路上都会遇到无序的士兵，我们经过的每个城镇都挤满了人。与阿尔瓦的特工。因此，我决定留在这里。一位老仆人为我买了这座房子，从那时起我就以你所看到的伪装住在这里。我的仆人仍然和我们住在一起，并出国为我们采购东西。我们的邻居都是工匠，各忙各的。他们之中，我是一个在苦难中被毁掉的人，现在靠刺绣养活自己；但事实上我很有钱。当我来到这里时，我带着我所有的珠宝；此外，我有几个好朋友，他们知道我的秘密，通过他们，我在弗里斯兰的管家时不时就会把钱转给我。我们在布拉班特省的地产当然被没收了，弗里斯兰省的地产也一度被没收。但当人们在四个月前奋起反抗时，他们发现了抓捕他们的人，而由于他是鲜血议会的成员，他很幸运地逃脱了生命。所以，你看，农妇衣服的价格是一个不用你担心的问题。”

这时有人敲门。重复了一遍。

“这是我的仆人，”伯爵夫人说。奈德立刻解开了门闩，打开了门。老妇人看到一个陌生人，惊讶地惊呼起来。

“进来吧，抹大拉，”伯爵夫人说道。 “是朋友。”你比我预计的要晚。”

“这不是我的错，夫人。”老仆人说道。 “我曾被驻守在街道尽头的德国士兵拦住四五次，审问并捉弄他们；这个季度到处都是这样的人。我正在穿过市场时，突然发生了骚乱，他们说有一个重要的囚犯越狱了。冯·阿尔特议员也在场，像个疯子一样大喊大叫。但他最好保持沉默。因为人们一认出他，就开始殴打他，几乎要杀了他，这时一些拔出剑的人把他从他们手中救了出来，费了很大劲才把他送到了市政厅。他在布鲁塞尔受到憎恨，天黑后冒险出去实在是太鲁莽了。”

“这是逃犯，抹大拉。”老妇人惊讶地看着奈德。

“您很高兴跟我开玩笑，女士。这只是一个男孩。”

“确实如此，玛格达琳；但无论如何，他就是那个越狱的囚犯，他的逃跑激怒了议员，而你所说的看守现在正在寻找他。”

老仆人摇摇头。 “啊，女士，如果不增加隐藏逃犯的风险，您在这里还没有承担足够的被发现风险吗？”

“你说得对，”内德说。 “我闯入这里是自私且错误的。”

“上帝愿意如此，”伯爵夫人说。 “我女儿的声音是指引你来到这里的脚步的工具。奇怪的是，她应该在你经过的时候唱起那首赞美诗，而我应该在没有检查她的情况下听到她的声音。神的手在这一切事上；因此，请不要因为我们而感到不安。抹大拉，我们已经决定让他乔装打扮成一个年轻的农家姑娘，明天你就去买必要的衣服。”

“是的，他可能会冒充女孩。”老仆人同意道。 “但是，我请求你，不要让他在这身衣服上停留片刻。我不认为他们会搜查房屋，因为布鲁塞尔的工匠们坚持自己的权利，只要一尝试，他们就会像一群蜜蜂一样被赶出来。不过，最好不要让他保持这个样子一个小时。跟我来吧，年轻的先生；我马上给你提供衣服。我没有以前那么高了，但弗里斯兰很少有比我当伯爵夫人的护士时更高的女人了。”

内德完全可以想象到这一点；玛格达琳虽然已经六十多岁了，却是一位身材高大、体格魁梧的女人。他跟着她来到楼上的一间房间，她为他准备了所有必要的衣服。当她在桌子上放上一盏油灯后，他就开始穿好衣服，很快就下了楼梯，穿着这身新衣服感到非常奇怪和尴尬。格特鲁德·冯·哈普爆发出一阵欢快的笑声，就连伯爵夫人也笑了。

“确实，当你戴上佛兰德头饰，遮住头发时，效果会很好。”

“我这里有，女士，”玛格达琳说。 “但是把它留在那里对他来说是没有用的，因为他不知道如何正确地折叠它。现在请坐在那个凳子上，先生，我来给您放上。”

当这一切完成后，变形就完成了，内德可以去任何地方，而不会令人怀疑他与表面上的不同。

“目前来说，这一切都很好，”玛格达琳说。 “但是明天我要做的第一件事就是出去到服装市场给他买一件礼服。他的脸对于那件衣服来说太年轻了。此外，头饰与服装不相配；他还需要一长辫子垂在身后。我也可以给他买一两串鲜艳的珠子项链。不过，只要有机会进来，他就可以冒充我的侄女。现在我要上楼把他的衣服拿下来烧掉。如果进行搜查，如果在只有女性居住的房子里发现它们，肯定会引起怀疑。”

“你最好不要这么做，抹大拉。将它们藏在床上或一个烟囱上。当他离开这里并进入这个国家时，他会再次想要它们。在这个时代，一个没有保护的年轻女子无法独自走在路上，穿成女人的样子去购买男装会很奇怪。”

“确实如此，女士；正如你所说，最好将它们藏起来，直到他离开，我希望他很快就会离开。”

“我希望我们也能离开，”伯爵夫人叹了口气。 “我厌倦了在这里长时间的监禁，格特鲁德除了在天黑后和你一起散步外，从来不出去，这对我来说是很糟糕的。”

“尝试这种事是不行的，”老妇人说。 “西班牙士兵正在根特周围进行掠夺；德国人在安特卫普也好不了多少。你知道关于他们的行为有哪些报道。”

“不，我们不能朝那个方向走，”伯爵夫人同意道。 “但我经常想，玛格达琳，我们可能会前往奥斯坦德。那条线上的事情要安静得多。”

“我很乐意为您提供力所能及的护送，女士，”奈德说。 “但是，确实，现在的情况不适合旅行，而且目前看来你在这里很安全，我不会说一句话来诱使你离开，以免遇到你可能遇到的危险。我相信，在很短的时间内，大部分西班牙人和德国人将向荷兰进军，布拉班特将暂时摆脱流氓的侵害，旅途可能会更加安全。”

“你说得对，”伯爵夫人说。 “这只是一闪而过的念头，现在我们已经在这里等了这么久，我们可能还要再等一会儿。现在，请告诉我们更多关于您自己的信息。你的荷兰语说得很好，但在我看来，你的语气有时带有轻微的口音。”

“我只有一​​半荷兰血统，”内德回答道。 “我父亲是英国人。”然后，他讲述了他的出身的全部历史，以及导致他为奥兰治亲王服务的事件。当他结束时，伯爵夫人说道：

“你的故事解释了你第一次告诉我的事情让我有些惊讶。我们低地国家的人民很有耐心，但行动有些迟缓，从他们长期屈服于西班牙人残酷暴政的方式就可以看出这一点。现在，他们一旦拿起武器，我毫不怀疑，他们会保卫自己，并会战斗至死，无论机会看起来多么渺茫。但他们行动不迅速。因此，我觉得你从那些监视你的人手中逃脱的方式很奇妙。但现在我知道你是英国人，而且还是一名水手，我更能理解这一点，因为我听说你的同胞决策迅速，行动迅速。

“他们说他们中的许多人要来荷兰打仗；他们满足于无偿服务，并为我们的事业冒着生命危险，仅仅是因为我们的宗教相同，而且他们憎恨压迫，长期以来没有受到主权者的勒索。我们的许多人都在那里避难，我不止一次地想过，如果西班牙人继续在荷兰称霸，我会和格特鲁德一起漂洋过海。我的珠宝可以卖得足够让我们在那里安静地生活。”

“夫人，如果您要去英国，”奈德诚恳地说，“我请您首先去靠近城市的罗瑟海斯打探一下马丁小姐的情况。我可以向你保证，她将竭尽全力帮助你，她的房子将供你使用，直到你找到更合适的住处。她会从我这里知道，如果我逃脱了这些危险，你救了我多大的危险，如果我不回家，当她从你嘴里得知你带走了她时，她也会同样欢迎你。当我被鲜血议会的爪牙追赶的时候，你就让我在这里，而你为我提供了伪装，使我能够逃离他们。”

“我应该去英国吗？”伯爵夫人回答道，“我一定会去看望你的母亲，只是为了了解你是否摆脱了旅途中的所有危险；但事实上，我很乐意为了自己的利益而这样做，因为作为陌生人来到一个陌生的国家，与自己的国家的人会面并为我们提供建议和帮助，这并不是一点安慰。”

接下来的两个小时里，他们坐着谈论英国，伯爵夫人很高兴，这一次，她想到了另一个话题，而不是她国家的悲惨状况。然后，当时钟敲响九点时，他们就退了，玛格达琳坚持让奈德占据她的房间，而她则躺在他们所坐房间的长凳上。奈德睡得又长又沉。前两个晚上他几乎没有休息，醒来时太阳已经很高了。他刚开始走动，就有人敲门，老仆人走了进来。

“我不用问你睡得好不好，”她说，“钟已经敲九点了，我从市场回来一小时了。这是你所有的东西，我向我保证，当你穿上这些衣服时，你无论去哪里都会像一个丰满的农家姑娘。”

事实上，当奈德穿着短衬裙、修剪过的紧身胸衣、胸前别着鲜艳的头巾、脖子上挂着两排蓝色大珠子下楼时，除了头部以外，他的伪装是完美的。这位玛格达琳又为他安排了。 “是的，你现在会做得很好，”她说，批判地打量着他。 “我也买了一篮子，里面装满了鸡蛋；有了它，你就可以大胆地出去，不怕被发现，可以直进城门。”

“我希望我看起来不像我感觉的那么尴尬？”奈德微笑着问道。

“不，你看起来一点也不尴尬。外出时最好加入聚会，一旦走出墙外就与他们分开。”

“抹大拉，他今晚必须回到这里，”伯爵夫人说道。 “他有任务要执行，不执行之前不能离开。”

“我会立即着手处理，伯爵夫人，并会在大门关闭之前完成它。我绝对不会让你冒在这里再住一晚的风险。”

“我认为这不会有任何风险。”伯爵夫人坚定地说。 “至少今天，门口肯定有人保持警惕。你最好在中午之前离开，因为那时周围村庄的大多数人都已经回来了。如果您在街上不被认出，那么您在这里就没有任何风险；此外，我们很想知道你这一天过得怎么样。最好过夜的另一个原因是，早上出发，你就可以提前一天离开，而如果你晚上去，你很可能会迷路，尤其是在没有月亮的情况下，而且你不了解这个国家。因此，我恳求您今晚尽快回到这里。我们很高兴有一位访客来到这里，这对我们有一个新的思考主题有好处。自从格特鲁德醒来以来，她除了谈论英格兰之外什么也没做。”

虽然奈德看出老仆人很不情愿，正如她所考虑的那样，他会因长期停留而危及她的孩子的安全，但他无法拒绝如此热情的邀请。早餐此时已经摆在了桌子上。饭一吃完，他就准备开始，从玛格达琳那里得到了许多指示，以确保不要迈出大步，或过度摆动手臂，或盯着周围，但要谨慎行事，就像成为一个年轻人一样一个女人在一个充满粗鲁外国男人的小镇里。

“你想见见你写信的人是什么意思？”伯爵夫人问道。 “你告诉我，他们中有些是贵族，一个农家女孩想要接近他们可不容易。”

“伯爵夫人，我被告知要传达一条消息，比尔霍尔特村的一个人想与他们交谈，”奈德回答道。 “我相信不存在这样的村庄，但它是一种密码；我还有另一个，当他们看到我时可以用它来称呼他们。”

“我会从你开始，”仆人说，“陪你走，直到你越过守卫。今天早上，这个地区有很多士兵，我听说他们在盘问每个人是否见过乡下小伙子。”

“谢谢你，”内德回答道，“但我宁愿一个人去。如果我被发现，伤害的只会是我自己，但如果你和我在一起，你们肯定都会被卷入我的不幸之中。我宁愿一个人去。我不觉得我有被怀疑的危险；如果我独自一人，如果士兵们跟我说话，我就可以和他们开玩笑。不用担心西班牙人或德国人会注意到我说荷兰语而不是佛兰芒语。我应该以多少价格提供鸡蛋？”

玛格达琳告诉他她一般向市场妇女支付的价格。 “当然，你的要求必须比这个多一点，然后让人们把你压到这个数字。”

“那么，我走了，”他拿起篮子说道。

“愿上帝保佑你！”伯爵夫人严肃地说。 “这不仅关系到你自己的生命，也关系到我们国家的利益。”

“转过身来，让我最后看你一眼，”玛格达琳说，“确保一切正常。是的，你会通过；但请记住我告诉过你的关于你走路的事情。”

奈德快步走着，直到他看到两名士兵站在街道的分支处。他现在走得更慢了，时不时地停下来，把鸡蛋送给站在门口或进出的女人们。由于他认为这样更好地进行销售，因此他提出的价格比玛格达琳给他的价格要低得多，并在到达士兵面前之前卖掉了三四打。当他经过时，他们没有发表任何评论。他现在感到更有信心了，并开始投入到自己的角色中。当一群士兵中的一个在一家酒馆前对他说了一些笑话时，他礼貌地回答了他，并把那人的战友们的笑声转向了他。

快到市中心时，他开始了送信的任务，首先选择那些居住在相对安静的街道上的人，以便在进入更拥挤的大街之前尽可能多地处理掉这些人，因为在那里他可能会面临被感染的风险。检测会更大。他唯一真正害怕见到的人是冯·艾特和他的职员。前者可能没有发现他，但他确信，如果后者的目光落在他身上，他一定会认出他。他与各种各样的市民相处时没有遇到什么麻烦。如果他们在商店里，他就大胆地走进来，对他们说：“我就是你们期待见到的来自比尔霍尔特村的年轻女子；”每一次，市民都会立刻说：“是我的妻子跟你有事。”然后带路走进了屋子的内部。内德的下一个问题是：“荷兰的风怎么样？”回应他的是他被带进一间安静的房间。然后，这封信就出炉了，并且每一次都给出了或多或少令人满意的答复。

内德发现布鲁塞尔有很多人准备起义，但在奥兰治亲王取得一些显着的成功之前，起义的可能性不大，比如会激发人们对这场斗争可能会发生的希望。最终获得成功。在三到四个案例中，对资金的呼吁得到了有利的答复，一位市民说，他和他的朋友们已经认购了十万荷兰盾，他们将一有机会就把这笔钱转给莱顿的一位银行家。有人说，他发现王子宣布对所有宗教绝对宽容，这对他的许多朋友产生了不良影响，因为在布拉班特，他们一如既往地依恋天主教，不愿看到路德教和加尔文教教堂打开。

“我知道王子不想伤害任何人的良心，”内德说。 “但是，如果荷兰和泽兰的新教徒不容许他们的宗教信徒在布拉班特以他们的方式进行礼拜，那么怎么能指望荷兰和西兰的新教徒会允许天主教徒在他们中间拥有教堂、有牧师和游行呢？王子已经宣布，每个省都可以像现在一样制定自己的规则。毫无疑问，在天主教占主导地位的省份，情况仍将如此。只有他声称，任何人都不应因其宗教而受到迫害。”

“可惜我们不能同心。”男子疑惑的说道。 “如果各省之间不存在宗教问题，它们就会合而为一。”

“也许是这样，”奈德回答道。 “但在宗教方面，就像在其他所有事情上一样，人们也会有所不同，就像他们对吃的肉和喝的酒的看法不同一样。”

“好吧，我会尽力的，”市民说。 “但我担心这些宗教差异将永远阻碍各省采取联合行动。”

“我担心它会发生，”内德同意道，“只要人们认为强化邻居的良心比为自己获得自由更重要。”

内德必须递送的最后两封信是写给贵族的，他们的宅邸位于大广场。想要进入这里并不容易。如果他让走狗把他的信息传达给他们的主人，他们可能会当面嘲笑他。事实上，他现在所穿的伪装虽然可以很好地防止危险，但就他获得采访的机会而言却是最糟糕的。这时，他已经卖掉了大部分鸡蛋，他在离一处宅邸不远的门阶上坐下，似乎很疲惫，等待着，希望很快就能见到和他在一起的贵族。不得不做问题出来。

半个小时后，两个骑马的仆人骑到了门口，其中一个牵着一匹马。不久之后，一位绅士出来并上马。他听到一个旁观者对另一个人说：“那是斯鲁伊斯伯爵。”内德站起来，拿起他的篮子，当伯爵走过来时，他就在他的马前面匆匆穿过马路。当他这样做时，他绊倒了，一些鸡蛋滚落在地上。旁观者发出一阵笑声，伯爵策马而行。

“是什么让你跑到我的马脚下，我可怜的女孩？” “怎么了？”他问道，奈德站了起来，开始放声大哭。内德抬头看着他的脸，迅速说道：“我就是你所期待的比尔霍尔特那样的人。”

伯爵惊讶地低声惊呼，奈德继续说道：“荷兰的风怎么样？”伯爵故意在袋子里摸了摸，掏出了一枚硬币，递给了奈德。

“一个小时后到我的后门。对打开门的仆人说：“我就是所期待的人。”他会带你到我身边。”

然后他骑马向前走，内德滔滔不绝地感谢送给他的硬币。

“你真是个聪明的丫头。”站在旁边的一名士兵笑着对奈德说道。 “这做得非常巧妙，我向我保证这不是你第一次尝试。”

“我不会把鸡蛋一路带回来。”奈德低声回答道。 “我想你的行业和我的行业一样都有技巧。”

士兵又笑了，奈德快步混入人群中，很快就离开了房子相当远的距离。一个小时后，他走上了一条小街，那是伯爵的仆人和商人使用的门。一个仆人正站在那里。 “我就是你所期待的那个人。”奈德轻声对他说道。他立即领着人走上后楼梯和通道，沿着一条宽阔的走廊进入房子，然后打开一扇门，示意奈德进去。

斯鲁伊斯伯爵坐在一张摆满文件的桌子旁。

“你选择了一种奇怪的伪装。”他微笑着说道。

“这不是我的选择，”内德回答道。 “我穿着农民男孩的衣服进入城市，但被议员冯·阿尔特逮捕，如果我没有逃脱，此时可能已经被绞死了。”

“你就是被如此搜查的那个小伙子吗？”伯爵惊讶地问道。 “冯·阿尔特非常愤怒，他无话可说，全世​​界都在嘲笑他被一个男孩欺骗了。如果我知道那是王子的使者，我就不会想笑。我认为这些文件可能是在他身上发现的，如果被发现的话，我就会遭遇不幸。”

“他们是在我身上发现的，”奈德回答道。 “但很高兴我找到了它们。由于这些问题没有得到解决，所以没有人知道这一点。这是为您准备的，先生。”

伯爵打开并阅读了文件，然后交给内德一条长长的信息，让他转达给王子。它包含了他与其他几位贵族会面的细节，以及他们可以投入战场的人数以及他们可以处置的资金来援助起义的详细信息。内德在一张纸条上记下了所有数字，就像他在其他几次例子中所做的那样。伯爵随后询问他被捕和逃跑的方式，当他发现冯·阿尔特错误地归还了在奈德身上发现的信件时，伯爵哈哈大笑。

“除了一件以外，我已经交付了所有的东西，”内德说。 “而且我不知道如何处理，因为再次玩同样的把戏是危险的。事实上，如果可能的话，我想明天出城；倒不是为了我自己，而是因为如果我被发现的话，可能会给那些庇护我的人带来毁灭。”

“这封信是写给谁的？”伯爵问道。内德犹豫了。与王子的许多其他秘密追随者一样，这封信的收件人是公开的阿尔瓦公爵的坚定支持者。事实上，当时许多人都在玩双重游戏，以便从长远来看，无论哪一方获胜，都能从中获利。

“也许最好不要告诉我，”伯爵看到奈德犹豫不决，说道，“我很高兴看到你如此谨慎。但可以这样管理：拿一支笔到另一张桌子上，在信上写下地址。我会叫来我的仆人，让他从你这里拿走并立即交付，并请比尔霍尔特的人给你答复。也就是说，如果这也是他的密码。他会把回信转达给你，我也向你保证，以后我再也不会问他这封信是给谁了。”

内德觉得这将是他能采取的最佳做法，并立即写了这封信。伯爵按了一下门铃，仆人又进来了。

“立刻把那封信拿走，”伯爵指着奈德手里的信说道。 “你自己去送，并请比尔霍尔特的人给你答复。等待答案，然后将其带回这里。”

仆人走后，伯爵与内德聊起了荷兰的情况，并问了他许多关于自己的问题。等了一个半小时，仆人才回来。他正把信递给伯爵，伯爵示意他把信交给内德。

“我还能为你做点什么吗？”他问。 “你打算如何穿越这个国家回来？肯定不是穿那件衣服吧？”

“不，先生;我正在考虑购买另一个。”

“你可能很难得到一个，”伯爵说。 “我会为你处理的；”他又按了按门铃。 “菲利普，”他对仆人说，“我需要一套你的衣服；一套安静朴素的西装，就像你为我出差时会穿的那样。立即把它们带到这里，并为自己订购一套新西装。

“他只比你高一点点，”等那人退休后，他继续说道，“我怀疑他的衣服适合你。我想你没有马吧？”

“不，先生。”

“你要走哪条路回去？”

“我要走安特卫普路。”

“沿着那条路大约三英里有一片树林，”伯爵说。 “菲利普将在您指定的任何时间为您提供一匹马。”

“我非常感谢你，伯爵。我早上九点会到那里。我会穿着我现在的衣服出去，离开距离城镇一英里左右的道路，找一个安静的地方，在那里我可以穿上你为我提供的衣服，然后走到树林里。”

“很好;那个时候你一定会在那里找到那匹马的。你是一个勇敢的小伙子，并且非常谨慎地完成了你的任务。我希望有一天能再次在奥兰治王子身边见到你。”

一分钟后，仆人带着一捆衣服回来了。奈德把它放进篮子里。

“再见，祝你旅途愉快，”伯爵说道。奈德跟着仆人走下楼梯，伯爵告诉他，他是在他的庄园里出生的，可以绝对信任，然后一路不间断地前往他的住处。

“欢迎回来，”当他进来时，伯爵夫人大声说道。 “今天我们为你祈祷了很多，但我开始担心你会受到伤害；因为天已经黑了，我以为你已经在这里两三个小时了。你跑得怎么样了？”

“非常好，女士。我已经送达了所有信件，并得到了答复，除了一封之外，所有信件都是通过口头方式传达的。那是书面的；但我会把它记在心里，并立即销毁它。那么，如果我再次被搜查，我就不会像以前那样处于危险的境地了。”

他打开信读了一遍。正如他所料，这封信是极其谨慎地写的，而且显然是出自假手之手。没有提及任何地名或人名。作者只是向“他的好表弟”保证了他的善意，并说由于他在乱世中生意上遭受了损失，他目前还不能说他能在新生意上为他提供多少帮助。他已经上船了。

奈德读完后，把纸扔进了火里。

“他不确定自己在写给谁，”他说，“并且担心遭到背叛。不过，既然我已经得到了九个答案，我也不必介意这只是一个糟糕的答案。现在，女士，我准备早上七点半出发。我已经准备好了另一种伪装，当我走出围墙时就可以穿上；一匹马会在三英里外的地方等着我。所以我希望我能够毫无困难地回去。”

因此，早上，内德对冯·哈普伯爵夫人的好意深表谢意，并表达了他最诚挚的希望，希望他们能在英国或荷兰再次见面，之后，内德开始上路。到达通往大门的一条街道时，他跟在一群乡下人后面，他们早早处理完带到市场的农产品，正在回家的路上。其中有一个与他年龄相仿的小伙子。到达大门后，两名士兵立刻上前抓住了他，这让他和他的朋友们感到惊讶和惊愕。士兵们没有理睬抗议，而是向看守室里的某个人喊叫，立刻就有一个人走了出来，奈德认出他是监狱里看守他的看守之一。

“那不是那个家伙，”他简短地看了一眼俘虏后说道。 “他和我们年纪相仿，但比我们同伴白皙得多，而且脸色一点也不像他。”

奈德没等听到检查结果，就立即和那些与俘虏无关的乡下人一起出了门。一两分钟后，后者和他的朋友们出发了。内德一直保持在两方之间的中间位置，直到他到达一条从大路分出的小巷，朝着他想去的方向。沿着这条路走了一英里，他进入了根特公路，毫不费力地找到了他藏钱的地方。他走到不远处的一堆玉米后面换了衣服。他把女装塞进一堆，再次上路，很高兴再次穿上男装。

这些衣服很合身，而且颜色朴素，就像贵族家庭值得信赖的家臣在旅途中穿的那样。他原路返回，直到再次踏上去安特卫普的路上，顺着这条路一直走到树丛前。伯爵的仆人牵着两匹马正在这里等着他。当奈德走过来时，他微笑着。

“如果你穿的不是我自己的衣服，我就不会再认识你了，”他说。 “伯爵让我问你需要钱吗？如果是的话，我就把这个钱包交给你。”

“代我向伯爵致谢，”奈德回答道，“并说我的装备很齐全。”

“我认为并非在所有方面，”该男子说。

内德想了一会儿。

“不，”他说。 “我没有手臂。”

那人从自己马的枪套里取出一对手枪，插在奈德的马鞍上，然后解开剑带，递给了奈德。

“目前在荷兰不带武器旅行是很糟糕的，”他说。 “对于西班牙人和德国人，以及那些被迫过上强盗生活的农民来说，任何人都不应该在没有武器的情况下旅行。伯爵吩咐我把这些给你，并说他确信如果需要的话你会好好利用它们。”

奈德跳上马鞍，向这个人致以诚挚的谢意，向安特卫普疾驰而去。除非厄运再次让他成为冯·阿尔特的绊脚石，否则他现在感到安全了。他并不担心情况会是这样，因为他们会全力以赴地在布鲁塞尔寻找他。想到这位议员回到家后发现自己送错了一包信，一定会大发雷霆，他一边骑着马，一边哈哈大笑起来。如果他亲眼目睹的俘虏越狱，他就因此失去了查明信件所有权的手段，从而扩大了受害者的名单，这让他之前就已经够生气的了。尽管如此，他无疑还是安慰自己，因为他确信在几个小时之内他就能再次控制住他的囚犯，毕竟，尽管这很烦人，但延迟确实是短暂的。但当他从口袋里掏出那包东西，发现自己已经放弃了所有重要的文件，只保留了一包白纸时，他一定立刻发现自己被挫败了。他可能会抓回囚犯，折磨他，甚至处死他；但他的第一步当然是销毁这些珍贵的信件，而且不会有任何证据来指控这些信件的对象，这些人无疑是具有相当地位和地位的人，不会因为仅仅承认而受到攻击。是通过酷刑从一名男孩身上提取出来的，并且没有任何书面证据支持。

“他那个长相邪恶的职员也会来分担他的不满。”奈德心里想。 “我相信他比他的师父还要坏，被一个小子欺骗了，他一定会耿耿于怀。如果我再次落入他们手中，我应该不会心慈手软。”

奈德没有勒缰绳，骑马穿过梅赫林市。仅仅一个月后，这里就成为了最可怕的屠杀现场，仅仅因为它向奥兰治亲王敞开了大门，他正试图解救蒙斯。王子的一些德国雇佣兵被留在那里作为驻军。当西班牙军队逼近时，他们开了几枪，然后在夜间逃跑，把小镇留给了西班牙人的复仇。早上，一队牧师和公民出去乞求赦免，但西班牙人冲进城镇，开始了持续三天的洗劫和屠杀。

各种教堂、修道院和宗教场所以及普通公民的教堂、修道院和宗教场所都被洗劫一空；安特卫普的狂热分子对教堂的亵渎，数百名异端分子被烧死，现在腓力的罗马天主教士兵又重复了一千倍。祭坛的装饰品、圣杯、窗帘、地毯、祭司的金绣长袍、圣体的储藏室、用于临终涂油的珍贵器皿、圣母和圣徒的肖像的华丽衣服和珠宝都被掠夺一空。 。天主教公民的财产与新教徒的财产一样被随意夺取。事实上，城里这样的人很少。男人、女人和儿童在街上被大规模杀害。

就连大议会成员、极端天主教徒让·理查多(Jean Richardot)在报道这一事件时，也以这样的方式结束他的叙述：“他再也不能再说了，因为他不仅在叙述时，甚至在回忆当时的场景时，都毛骨悚然。 ”当奈德骑马穿过这座废墟城市的街道时，劫掠的幸存者们无精打采地走来走去。掠夺结束后，许多人死于饥饿。因为在西班牙和德国军队离开之前，没有人能够获得食物，也没有人敢离开自己的家。聚特芬遭受的报复比梅赫林还要可怕。阿尔瓦命令他的儿子腓特烈（腓特烈）指挥进攻该城的军队，不准城内留下任何人活着，并烧毁所有房屋。这些命令确实得到了遵守。驻军首先遭到刀剑攻击，然后公民遭到大规模攻击和屠杀。有些人被剥光衣服，结果冻死在田里。五百人被背靠背绑在河里淹死。有些人的脚被吊起来，忍受了好几个小时的痛苦，直到死亡才使他们解脱。

奈德在安特卫普过夜。聚特芬被毁以及那里发生的恐怖事件的消息是在几个小时前传来的，居民们心中充满了最强烈的恐惧和愤慨。但没有人敢表达大家的感受。梅赫林和聚特芬的命运正如阿尔瓦所想的那样，这是一个如此可怕的教训，以至于除了荷兰和泽兰之外，整个荷兰的居民都因恐惧而瘫痪。如果有一座伟大的城市树立榜样并奋起反抗西班牙人，那么其他城市也会效仿。但没有人敢第一个挑起如此可怕的报复。那些愿意冒着生命危险的男人却不敢让自己的妻子和孩子遭受暴行和死亡。看来冲突是没有用的。奥兰治亲王的妹夫、被亲王任命为格尔德兰和奥弗里塞尔总督的范德伯格连夜逃走，所有举起奥兰治旗号的城市都立即放弃了行动。 。弗里斯兰也再次屈服于西班牙的统治。

内德把马停在安特卫普的一家旅馆后，漫步到街上。当时的安特卫普是欧洲最美丽、最富有的城镇之一。它的公共建筑宏伟壮观，市政厅更是建筑之美的奇迹。他站在大广场上，欣赏着广场和大教堂的美丽，这时他意识到有人在盯着他看，当他看到冯·阿尔特议员的职员热内那张恶毒的脸时，他几乎忍不住吃了一惊。他的第一冲动是飞走，但广场上挤满了市民，还有许多群西班牙士兵在闲逛；他不可能逃脱。

他从热内脸上的表情看出，他还不确定自己的身份。以前他只见过他一个乡下孩子，现在的打扮，他的容貌自然发生了很大的变化。不过，这个男人的凝视表明他已经强烈地起了疑心，奈德确信用不了多久他就会完全认出他来。没有什么比这个他本以为在布鲁塞尔孜孜不倦地寻找他的人竟然在安特卫普的街道上遇见他更不幸的了。他在脑子里飞快地思考着这件事，只看到了一丝逃脱的希望。他悄悄走到一群士兵面前。

“我的朋友们，”他说，“你们想赚几个克朗吗？”

“我们很高兴，”其中一个回答道，“因为仁慈的陛下忘记支付我们近一年的工资了。”

“有一个斜视的恶棍，穿着黄褐色斗篷和上衣，就在我身后。”内德说。 “我和他打过交道，知道他和他的师父都是坏人。他声称我欠他主人的情，这可能是真的；但我有特别的理由反对现在就这样被人踩在脚后跟上。”

“这很自然，”士兵说。 “我也经历过同样的不愉快，我能感同身受。”

“那么看这里，”奈德说。 “这里有十块钱，你每人两块。现在，我要你去对付那个家伙，跟他吵架，指控他袭击你，然后把他拖到警卫室去。如果他喊叫，就打他的嘴，然后把他扔进牢房，让他在那里凉到早上。这将使我有时间完成我的工作并再次前往该国。”

“这很容易做到。”士兵笑着说道。 “他是一个看起来不受欢迎的仆人；我毫不怀疑，他是一个邪恶的异端分子。即使没有阁下的王冠，我也很乐意给他戴上手铐。”

“那么，这是钱，”奈德说。 “但是，最重要的是，正如我所说，不要让他说话、哭泣或喧闹。紧紧掐住他的脖子。”

“我们知道我们的事，”士兵说。 “您可以信赖我们来处理您的事务。”

内德静静地走着。一两分钟后，他突然听到一阵大声的争吵，然后是殴打的声音，他环顾四周，看到两个士兵正在猛烈地摇晃热内。那人竭力向人群喊叫，但没有成功。但其中一名士兵重重地打了他的嘴，然后把他团团围住，把他拖走了。 “这件事做得非常令人满意，”内德自言自语道，“热内少爷在明天早上之前不可能得到听证会。他将以斗殴和无礼的罪名被关进警卫室的牢房，直到早上都不可能有人靠近他。我当然想进去看看他。看到他的愤怒是件好事。他在将数百人送进监狱方面发挥了重要作用，以至于人们想看看现在轮到他的时候他有何感想。不过，我还是不能太肯定地指望有时间。他可能会找到一些军官来听他的故事，尽管我认为他不太可能这样做；但冒这个险仍然是愚蠢的，我会马上骑上马。”

当奈德告诉马夫他改变了主意，他不应该在安特卫普过夜，而是应该立即骑马向前走时，马夫有些惊讶。奈德付给他丰厚的饲料，他没有多说什么，于是奈德骑上马，从他进来的那扇门穿过城镇。然后他绕了一大圈镇子，沿着河岸骑行，直到来到一个渡口。他在这里穿过马路，然后继续骑行，直到到达一个村庄，他决定在那里过夜，因为现在已经远离主干道，因此相当安全，不会被追赶，即使热内能够让逮捕他的人相信他犯了一个错误。那些抓捕他的人实际上是在帮助一名逃亡者逃避正义。

小客栈的老板以士兵的勒索为由，为摆在他面前的糟糕的饭菜道歉。 “一个人几乎不能称自己的生命为自己的，”他抱怨道。 “昨天，他们中的一伙人骑马进入村庄，把村子里的一切都洗劫一空，虐待所有敢于抗议的人。我相信他们来自安特卫普；但没办法，就算知道了，抱怨也没用。”

内德向他的主人保证，他对食物的问题非常漠不关心。

“如今，”他说，“如果一个人能得到一块面包，人们可能会认为自己很幸运。但我希望你有足够的饲料给我的马。”

“是的，”房东回答道。 “他们的马尽可能多地吃东西，但他们无法带走我供应的玉米。事实上，马匹驮着很多鸭子和鹅。我让他们喝尽可能多的酒，而且是最好的酒，这样他们就不用麻烦去地窖了。如果他们有的话，他们很可能会把所有的木桶都撬开，让酒流出来。没有什么是这些家伙做不到的；他们似乎纯粹出于邪恶而恶作剧。”

奈德刚吃完饭，外面就传来马蹄声。

“圣人保护我们！” ” 房东惊呼道。 “要么是这些家伙再次回来，要么是另一群无疑同样糟糕的人。”

一分钟后，门打开，十几名士兵走了进来。

“楼主，酒来了！和你最好的！”一名中士说道。 “昨天有同志打电话来告诉我们，你的水龙头很好，所以我们骑过去给你转一转。”

楼主惨叫一声。

“天哪，先生们，”他说，“我只是一个穷人，你们的战友临别时忘了喝酒。再去两三次，我就毁了。”

一连串不耐烦的咒骂声立刻爆发出来，惊慌失措的地主毫不犹豫地匆匆离去，带着几瓶酒回来了，士兵们很快就投入了战斗。

“那么您是谁，年轻的先生？”其中一个人问奈德，奈德坐在一张小桌子旁，与其他人分开。

“我只是一个旅行者，”内德回答道，“忙于我主人的事情。”

“你看起来也很年轻，”士兵说，“如果有机会的话，你会成为一名优秀的士兵，而不是慢跑着执行主的命令；但我向我保证，你们并不比你们的其他同胞强，而且分不清剑的一端和另一端。”

“我不擅长武器，”奈德回答道，“虽然我的经验比你说的要远一些；但是，当你们先生们保护荷兰时，我们没有自己的军队，即使我愿意，我也没有机会成为一名士兵。”

“到这里来，”士兵说，“和我们一起干杯，以维护菲利普的荣誉，并为奥兰治亲王和所有叛徒带来混乱。”

“我将和你们一起为菲利普干杯，因为事实上他是一位伟大的君主和强大的人，我也会为所有叛徒而感到困惑，无论他们是谁。”

“你们本质上都是叛徒，”一位之前没有发言的西班牙人插话道，“没有一个荷兰人明天会起来反对我们。”

“我认为这话是对的。”奈德平静地说。 “我承认荷兰有很多叛徒，但也有其他人很难用你的话来形容。”

“他们都一样。”士兵愤怒地说。 “他们每个人都是无赖。然而，在处理完它们之前，我们将减少它们的数量。”

奈德没有回答。但喝完酒后，他回到了自己的座位上，不久之后，当士兵们开始互相争吵时，他就溜出了房间。房东在外面焦急地来回踱步。

“村里还有他们吗？”内德问道。

“据我所知，”他回答道。 “对我来说这没有什么区别。他们会整夜留在这里喝我的酒，到了早上他们就会在骑马离开之前放火烧毁我的房子。我刚刚把我的妻子和女儿打发走，让他们远离我。至于我自己，我也懒得把毒药掺在他们的酒里，跟他们了结。”

“那只会给你自己带来报复，”内德说。 “有些人可能会逃跑并讲述这个故事。无论如何，人数如此之多，一旦被发现失踪，肯定会被询问，毫无疑问，他们在出发之前就向一些朋友提到了他们要去的地方，肯定会被询问。 。你永远无法摆脱他们所有的身体。此外，毫无疑问，村里的其他人也听到了他们骑马过来的声音，知道他们来过这里。所以你无法逃脱检测。最好还是忍受他们。”

“是的，如果只有这些家伙就好了；但你会看到另一批人会来，又一批，直到我彻底毁掉。”

“如果你这么认为，我早上就会关门离开，直到这些麻烦结束才回来。”

“然后回来发现我的房子被烧毁了，”旅店老板抱怨道。

“这比看着自己逐渐被毁，甚至失去生命要好，”内德说。

“没地方可去。”店主摇摇头说道。

“你可以像其他许多人那样做，”内德回答道，“去荷兰，那里至少你会安全。”

“但不会太久，”那人说。 “军队很快就会向那个方向进军，我在那里的命运会比这里更糟糕。在这里我只是一个被敲诈的客栈老板；在那里我应该被视为异教徒而被烧死。听他们说。他们现在正在战斗。你听到我的杯子摔碎了吗？我只希望他们能互相残杀到底。先生，我建议您立即出发。他们可能会认为你是他们应该杀死的人，无论是谁，都不重要。如果你留下来，今晚肯定睡不着觉。”

“确实如此，”内德同意道。 “也许这对我来说是再次骑马的最佳方式，但我不认识那条路，很可能完全错过它，然后淹死在你们的一条沟渠里。”

“我会派我的孩子和你一起送你上路，”房东说。 “我把他送到马厩里去睡觉，这样就可以避开这些亡命之徒。他会走在你的马旁边，直到你进入主干道。”

奈德欣然接受了这个提议，因为他确实觉得和这些醉酒的士兵一起留在屋子里可能会有危险。于是，他算了账，很快又骑上马，地主的儿子，一个十几岁的男孩，走在他身边。半个小时后，他们来到了一条宽阔的马路上。

“这个，”小伙子说，“会带你去圣尼古拉斯。”

奈德给了这个男孩一顶王冠，以表彰他的麻烦，然后慢慢地骑着马走。他不知道要进入圣尼古拉斯，因为现在已经是晚上十一点了，在这样的时刻到来的旅行者肯定会引起人们的注意。夜色也很黑，他几乎看不清自己所走的路。想了想，他下马，牵马离路一段距离，把缰绳系在灌木丛上，伏在地上等待天亮。夜很冷，还下着细雨。奈德时不时地站起来走动取暖，当他看到东方的第一缕阳光时，他感到由衷的高兴。

等了半个小时，他上马，骑了几里路，就进了一个大村子。想着这里比圣尼古拉斯更安全，他就在这里停了下来。雨还在下，他的衣服湿透了，所以除了主人的一句：“你一定是起得很早，才被淋成这样？”

“是的，”他说，“天亮之前我就起床了。我的马鞍包里有一套换洗的衣服，我很乐意穿上它们。你能命令你的人给我的马好好揉搓一下，然后让他喝点热麦芽浆吗？我现在离根特有多远？”

“如果您是从安特卫普来的，先生，那么您就已经来了一半了。”

奈德换了衣服，吃了点早餐，然后当他坐在火边时，漫长而寒冷的一夜之后的温暖和舒适感征服了他，他很快就睡着了。

奈德睡了几个小时。当他醒来时，他听到房东在外面的过道里大声说话。 “我告诉你，妻子，这是一种极大的耻辱。迈尼尔·冯·博斯特一生中从未伤害过灵魂。他总是准备好在遇到困难时打开钱包。他是一个不以任何方式干涉政治的人。确实，他不去参加弥撒，但这不会伤害任何人。村里有很多游手好闲的人，他们从不把教堂的门弄黑。如果他更喜欢在自己的家里以自己的方式祈祷，那对任何人来说又有什么关系呢？他的布厂为半个村庄提供了就业机会。如果它被关闭我们该怎么办我确信我不知道。但他们关心这个村庄什么呢？迈恩希尔·冯·博斯特 (Mynheer Von Bost) 是一名新教徒，也是一名富人——这对于血液委员会来说已经足够了；所以他和他年轻漂亮的妻子将被拖走并处决。”

“那是什么？”奈德一边问道，一边打开门。 “鲜血议会就不能放过你们安静的村庄吗？”

“他们不能放过任何东西，”房东苦涩地说。 “一小时前，他们的四名官员骑马过来，在议会的一名特工——一个斜眼恶棍的带领下。他们在门口停下来，询问了敏希尔·冯·博斯特的家，然后骑马离开了，半小时后，一名仆人跑进村子，带来了她的主人和情妇被捕的消息，他们被逮捕了。被带到安特卫普处决；为此，他们似乎已经在不知情的情况下接受过审判。”

当内德听到房东描述聚会领袖时，他吃了一惊。这就是热内出现在安特卫普的原因。他是从布鲁塞尔派来逮捕这家布料制造商的。显然，他在深夜或清晨成功地确定了自己的身份，并猜测奈德在让士兵攻击他后会立即骑马离开，并继续执行他所承担的任务。

“村民们要是敢的话，会把这个恶棍撕成碎片。”房东接着说道。

“他们为什么不敢？”内德问道。

“为什么？为什么，因为我们应该在二十四小时内派出一队士兵来到这里，村庄就会被烧毁，里面的每个男人，包括女人，都会被处死。不，不，先生；这里的人们愿意为 Mynheer Von Bost 和他的妻子做很多事情，但他们不会冒一切风险。”

“你认为他们会冒任何风险吗？”内德问道。 “你认为，村里有六个人愿意为他们的主人出击吗？如果他们能做到这一点，而不冒你所说的风险的话？”

房东目光锐利地看着他。 “年轻的先生，现在不是男人在陌生人面前谈论可能使他们的脖子处于危险之中的事情的时候。”

“你说得对，”内德说。 “我不怪你谨慎。我认识你所说的这个斗鸡眼的人，也知道他是议会中最残忍、最血腥的人之一的秘书；就在昨天，我几乎奇迹般地从他手中逃脱了。如果可以的话，我现在想再次迷惑那个恶棍。我想他们还在他家里吧？”

“他们是。他们已经订了早餐给他们准备了，可能还要一个小时才能出发。”

“那么我的计划是这样的，”内德说。 “如果我能找到六个坚定的人加入我，我们就会沿着通往安特卫普的道路返回三英里左右，埋伏等待他们到来，​​然后从他们手中救出他们的囚犯。如果我们能为那个男人弄一匹马，让他的妻子跟在他后面骑，那就更好了。我们可以假装是强盗；有很多饥饿的农民被迫这样做，如果我们在三英里外攻击他们，他们不会怀疑村里的人插手了。”

“我去看看。”房东热情地说。 “去年冬天，当我女婿的小房子被烧毁时，Mynheer Von Bost 预付了他一笔钱来重建它，而且不收取任何利息。他住在离村子只有四分之一英里的地方，我想他会成为你的人，并且能够对其他人下手。我会跑到他身边，一刻钟后回来。”

与此同时，内德命令给他的马配上马鞍，等房东回来后，他就准备出发了。

“我的女婿会和你一起去，”他说。 “他有两个兄弟，他会带来他们。他们都在冯·博斯特的工厂工作。他要我告诉你继续前行两英里，然后在右手边第一条路的入口处停下来。他们将在那里与您会合，然后将与您一起继续您认为合适的距离。他们有枪，所以你可以埋伏。他会带一匹带后座的马。他本来可以派更多人来，但他认为知道这个秘密的人越少越好，因为这里可能会有人询问；如今，没有人能够信任自己的邻居。现在再见了，年轻的先生。我不知道你是谁，但你一定有一颗善良的心，为了一个你一无所知的人而冒着生命危险。”

“房东，我本人就是一名新教徒，我的叔叔和其他亲戚也曾被血统委员会谋杀过。而且我和这些恶棍的首领还有特殊的仇怨。”

说完，奈德握了握房东的手，就骑马走了。当他到达指示的地方时，他停了下来。不到半个小时，他就看到三个人从另一个方向走了过来。其中一人牵着一匹马，他立即策马前去迎接他们。

“我们绕道穿过田野了。”牵马的年轻人说道。 “如果村里的任何人看到我们走这条路，都不会好受的。”

“完全正确。”内德同意道。 “到处都是胡言乱语的人，这种事知道的人越少越好。现在，我们最好埋伏在哪里？”

“半英里外的路边有一片小树林，我们最好立即搬到那里，因为他们现在随时都可能出现。”

其中两人手持步枪，三人均携带连枷。他们快步前行，直到来到了树林里。

“你最好把马拴在树林里，”内德说，“然后把你的站停在靠近路的地方。当我上来的时候，我会骑马从树上出来，和他们交谈，这样你和你的兄弟就能瞄准稳定的目标。在确定每个人都能击倒一个人之前不要开火，然后冲出去用连枷与他们交战。我会亲自为他们的领袖负责。”

“我们不会想念他们，别害怕，年轻的先生。冬天我们在鸭子场进行了太多的练习，不可能错过这样的分数。”

看到马被拴起来，人们在树后站好后，内德又向前走了几码，等待囚犯们的到来。对于这些官员即将面临的命运，他没有一丝悔恨之意。他们把数百人拖上了绞刑架，两党之间的仇恨如此强烈，如果他们落入他们手中，谁都不会放过对方。至于吉内特，奈德觉得只要这个人活着，自己的生命就不会安全。他知道，他可能还有其他与他刚刚完成的性质相同的任务，而且他确信，无论他采取何种伪装，这个人都会在他们相遇时发现他，在这种情况下，不仅是他自己的生活，而且是他的生活。许多其他人可能会被牺牲。

大约十分钟后，就听见马蹄声。奈德等到他们走近几步后，突然策马从树林里冲了出来。走在前面的热内突然勒住了马。

“你在做什么，伙计？”他愤怒地说道：“突然骑马冲向我们？”当他认出内德时，他的声音变了。 “怎么，又是你吗？”他惊呼道。 “至少这一次，你不会再逃避我了。”

他拔出手枪并开火。奈德的速度同样快，两声枪响同时响起。内德的帽子从头上飞落，子弹擦过他的皮肤，吉内向前倒在马鞍上，滚到地上，射穿了心脏。几乎同时，两支枪从树林中射出，两名官员倒下。另外两个人身后绑着囚犯，他们策动马匹。但内德骑在他们前面，从树上冲下来的人们抓住了缰绳。

“投降！”奈德喊道：“不然你们就死定了。”

两名军官大声喊着投降，但奈德费了好大劲才阻止袭击者用连枷敲出他们的大脑。

“同志们，我们无法从他们那里夺取任何战利品，”他大声说道。 “他们只是骑在主人身后的可怜的无赖。让他们下马，用自己的皮带绑住他们的手，然后把他们扔到树林里；但你可以在这样做之前搜查他们的口袋。我倒要看看他们的首领对他有什么本事。”

两名囚犯一被拖走，内德就向迈恩希尔·冯·博斯特讲话，后者和他的妻子站在那里，对释放他们的突然事件几乎感到困惑。

“这不是抢劫，明海尔，而是一次营救。我们在树林里备有马匹和后座，为您做好准备，我建议您与您的妻子立即骑马前往斯勒伊斯或其他一些海港，然后乘船前往荷兰或英国。如果你留在这里，你的性命肯定会被没收。”

“但是，先生，您是谁，为我们做出了如此伟大的贡献？”

“我在奥兰治亲王手下服役，”奈德回答道。 “并一直在布鲁塞尔为他做生意。我曾两次从该党领导人手中侥幸逃脱，当他们到达并抓住你时，我正在村子里。得知如此仁慈的主人被如此带去处决是多么深切的遗憾，我决定尽可能地救你，并在这三个人的帮助下，其中两个是你的工人，另一个是你的农民。去年他的房子被烧毁时，我们结识了朋友，我们成功地做到了这一点。”

这三个人现在从树林里出来了。

“我勇敢的伙伴们，”制造商说，“我和我妻子的生命归功于你们和这位先生。”

“先生，我们衷心欢迎您，”年轻的农夫说道。 “你把我从毁灭中拯救出来，一次好的转机值得另一次转机。当我们听说这位先生决心要释放你时，我和我的兄弟们非常高兴加入。如果没有他，这件事永远不会进入我们的脑海，直到为时已晚。”

“请问您的名字吗，先生？”冯·博斯特对奈德说道。 “我和我的妻子想知道我们一生都欠谁一份感激之情。我会听取你的建议并立即前往斯鲁伊斯。我在那里有很多朋友，他们会把我们藏起来并带我们上船。我早已安排出发，首都迁往英国；但我认为我应该充分意识到危险才能逃跑。先生，我在哪里可以听到您的消息？”

“我的名字是爱德华·马丁。我的父亲是一位英国船长，住在伦敦附近的罗瑟海斯。目前，正如我所说，我为奥兰治亲王服务；但我的家仍在英国。现在，先生，我想你最好立即骑马。我认为在前往斯勒伊斯的路上有一些小路可以避免经过任何城镇。最好一分钟都不要耽搁，因为随时都有可能有小队或其他士兵过来。”

这时，人们已经把马牵了出来。冯·博斯特上车，他的妻子被扶上他身后的后座。

“再见，好朋友们，”他说。 “愿上帝保佑你的这种善举不会对你造成任何伤害。”

他一骑下奈德，他的同伴就抬起了倒下的三个人的尸体，把他们抬进了树林。

“我们最好把他们的口袋翻过来，”内德说，“拿走他们身上所有值钱的东西。”

“这家伙的钱包很厚实，”年轻的农夫一边检查热内的口袋一边说道。 “这是他紧身衣里的一捆文件。”

“把文件给我，”内德说，“它们可能对我有用，而且毫无疑问，它们包含其他受害者的名单，我可以及时向他们发出警告，让他们逃跑。”

“我们该怎么办那些马呢？”

“我会把马鞍、缰绳和其他装备脱下来，和人的手臂一起扔进沟里，在上面堆上几丛灌木，然后赶着马穿过田野，直到到达河边的某个牧场；那里的农民无疑会及时使用它们。现在，对于这两个囚犯来说，他们就是唯一的麻烦了。”

“你不用为他们担心，”农夫说，“我们已经让他们安全了。我们不会冒着自己以及妻子和家人的生命危险，如果我们让这些人活着来识别我们的身份，我们就应该这样做。迟早肯定会进行搜查，这两个人会带领大家搜查方圆几英里内的每一所房子，并且肯定会认出我们中的一个或另一个。我们准备冒着生命危险来拯救 Mynheer Von Bost，但我们不愿意不必要地丢弃它们。”

奈德很难责怪这些人，他们确实在他们把俘虏拖到树林里的那一刻就刺伤了他们，因为毫无疑问，如果他们允许他们活着，他们被发现的风险会很大。他们现在只需在无人监视的情况下夺回自己的村庄，并保守自己的秘密，就可以免受任何风险。内德把热内的文件放进上衣，再次跨上马，策马而去。

两个小时后，他到达了圣尼古拉斯。他现在可以直接骑马前往卑尔根奥普佐姆，他希望能够在那里找到一艘船，但他认为热内的文件可能包含他可能需要立即采取行动的事项。现在他不再担心被发现，因为随着热内的死，所有对他本人的搜寻都将结束。他把马停在一家客栈里，叫人立即准备一顿饭，同时要了一瓶酒，在大客厅角落的一张桌子旁坐下来，检查文件。

首先是一份十二个名字的名单，其中就有冯·博斯特。其中一项以及制造商的一项已被删除。他们身上还附有命令逮捕被点名者的正式文件，大多数情况下还包括他们的妻子和一名或多名家庭成员。除此之外，还有一份盖有议会印章的文件，命令所有治安法官和其他人提供持有人在履行其职责时所需的一切协助。

然后还有一长串居住在圣尼古拉斯、斯鲁伊斯和阿克塞尔的人的名单，他们被谴责为异端或涉嫌对腓力不忠。这份名单的底部有一条注释：“调查这些嫌疑人的生活状况和可能的手段。”

“对于所有这些人来说，这有点幸运，”奈德自言自语道，“我碰巧和迈恩希尔·吉内特在一起。现在的问题是如何警告他们。我看到这里有三份逮捕令，嫌疑人名单上有十个人。无论如何，我可以亲自警告他们。”

内德一吃完饭，就询问了被命令逮捕的三人的地址。正如他所料，他们都是这里的领导者。因为，大部分逮捕和处决的根源在于没收受害者的财产，这与任何宗教或忠诚问题一样。内德第一个拜访的人和冯·博斯特一样，都是一位布料制造商。他是一个相当自负的人，当内德被带进来时说：

“现在，年轻人，我的时间很宝贵，所以我们不要再废话了。你想要什么？

“你的时间也许比你想象的更有价值，”内德平静地说，“因为你所剩的时间不多了。”

“您是什么意思，先生？”厂家愤怒的说道。

“我的意思很简单，”奈德回答道。 “我是议会逮捕你、你的妻子、你的儿子欧内斯特和你的女儿玛丽的命令的持有者，罪名是在场并参加了该镇人民的一次会议说出了具有叛国性质的言论。此外，该命令的底部有一条注释，说明这些指控已得到议会的满意证明，因此您将在抵达安特卫普后被处决，必要的命令已转交给安特卫普总督。那里的监狱。”

制造商把这张恐怖的照片坐到了椅子上。

“我没有造成任何伤害，”他结结巴巴地说。 “当我去参加会议时，我不知道那里会说什么。”

“那有什么关系呢？”内德问道。 “你已经受到审判和谴责，毫无疑问，议会的一位或另一位已经获得了你的财产的授予。好吧，先生，我不会再吓你了。这就是有问题的文件，但幸运的是我不是负责这次执行的人。我在路上遇见了他，我们之间产生了分歧，结果他不再执行命令，他的证件也落到了我手里。可能要过几天他才会被思念，然后毫无疑问会有其他人被要求执行他所下达的命令。这将使您有时间准备飞行，我建议您在八到四十小时结束之前启程前往德国边境，或在某个港口登上一艘船。我将这份文件交给你，是为了让你的妻子和家人相信，你们都在奔跑，是危险的，而且迫切需要抓紧时间。”

奈德立即离开了，那个几乎被自己遭遇的不幸弄得目瞪口呆的人还没来得及表达谢意。然后，他传唤了他下令逮捕的另外两名男子。由于两人都比他第一次拜访时更加礼貌地接待了他，所以他更加温和地向他们通报了这个消息，并与他们讨论了逃跑的最佳方式。他发现其中一个人在斯勒伊斯有朋友和商业关系，并且毫不怀疑他能获得前往荷兰或英国的通道，而另一个人在阿克塞尔也有类似的关系。

内德向他们递交了逮捕这些城镇市民的命令，他们也向他承诺将这些命令交付给他，并承诺会见或寄信警告嫌疑人名单中提到的所有人员。由于他急于尽快上船，他还向他们提供了圣尼古拉斯的嫌疑人名单，他们承诺也会警告这些人；两人都非常感激他将他们从死亡线上拯救了出来。结束了他的工作后，内德再次骑马前往佐姆卑尔根，如果可能的话，他打算从那里登船前往泽兰。

佐姆卑尔根 (Bergen op Zoom) 是一座重要城镇，距斯海尔德河半英里，通过一条由两座堡垒守卫的河道与斯海尔德河相连。这里曾有一支强大的西班牙驻军，但最近由于一支大型分遣队撤出，参加了在贝韦兰岛救援特尔戈斯的成功行动，该部队被法拉盛军队围困，从而削弱了西班牙驻军。内德经常在好冒险号中来到卑尔根奥普佐姆，他知道，虽然地方法官和富裕的公民都致力于西班牙事业，但大部分居民，尤其是航海阶层，都是爱国者。

于是，他就到了水边的一家小客栈，在船停在河边的时候，他曾几次与父亲一起在那里吃饭。看到他的马停在马厩里，他走进了水龙头室。在那里喝酒的水手们看到一个外表与这里的普通顾客大不相同的人进来，显得有些惊讶。店主靠在柜台上，没有上前迎接。因为陌生人绝不受欢迎，如果怀疑新来者是间谍，他的房子很快就会被清空。当内德走近他时，他突然吃了一惊，正要说话，小伙子迅速将手指放在他的嘴唇上。他担心房东会说出他的名字，据他所知，那里可能会有人举报。

“楼主你怎么样？”他说。 “自从我上次来这里已经有一段时间了，我想你已经快把我忘了。”楼主明白了。

“是的，确实如此，”他说。 “那你父亲怎么样了？我最近没见到他，听说他身体不太好。”

“不;他已经卧床一段时间了，但正在康复。你看我已经接受服务了。”

“啊，我明白了。”房东说道。 “好吧，我的好妻子会很高兴见到你并听到你家人的消息。”说着，他就带路走进了一间包间。

“为什么，这是什么意思，马丁少爷？”他问。 “我们在这里听说，大约两个月后，你父亲的船在须德海与一名西班牙人进行了英勇的战斗，他受了重伤。但这种伪装意味着什么？你肯定还没有放弃大海吧？”

“只是目前，”奈德回答道。 “你知道我母亲是荷兰人。她的全家都被西班牙人杀害了，再加上我的父亲遭到袭击和受伤，我决定暂时放弃大海，并尽我所能帮助这一正义事业。我一直在向布鲁塞尔传达信息，现在想返回鹿特丹或其他一些海港城镇。我最好怎样做呢？

房东回答说：“这并不容易。” “我们的贸易现在在这里停止了。河流里挤满了船只，有人操纵，有些是海上的乞丐，有些是渔民。西班牙船只除非有强大的力量，否则无法上来。我们这里有两三艘他们的战舰，它们出去和我们的人发生小规模冲突，但并不总是能占上风。

“前几天晚上，我们的人民表现得很糟糕，他们让西班牙人涉水到达特尔戈斯。那是一笔糟糕的生意。但关于你的离开。让我看看如何管理它。”

“我这里有一匹马。”

房东说：“这很糟糕。” “你可以穿上水手的衣服，早上当我把客人名单寄给地方法官时，我可以记下你已经走了，但马会背叛我。是好兽吗？”

“是的，这是一匹非常好的马。这是给我的礼物，我不想离开它。但我当然不能把它夺走。”

“我会转告一个我认识的做马匹生意的人。他是一个会守口如瓶的人，尤其是当他看到其中有利的时候。我会告诉他，这东西属于一个曾来过这里又突然离开的人，并问他愿意出多少钱买它，天黑后悄悄地把它带到他自己的马厩里，不要问任何问题。他会猜测它属于某个秘密离开的人。当然，他不会给出超过动物价值一半的金额；但我想你不会对条款太挑剔。无论如何，我都会为你尽力而为。当他离开马厩时，他们可以随意询问，但他们不会从我这里得到任何信息，除了一个年轻人来到这里，安置他的马，过夜，然后离开了马厩。早晨。我想他们对你并没有什么特别的兴趣，所以才会引导他们去仔细询问吧？”

“一点也没有，”奈德回答道。

房东说：“那就这么定了。” “现在，至于你自己。你知道，我的两个儿子在海上，我可以给你穿上他们的一些衣服，这样你就可以在码头上漫步，没有人会怀疑你除了渔夫之外的任何身份。然后我会尝试与一些水手安排在晚上用船上带你下去，要么把你送上他们遇到的第一艘船，要么把你降落在法拉盛。现在我会带你去见我的妻子，她会照顾你吃饭，让你住得舒服。”

后来，房东进来说，他已经为这匹马讨价还价了。

“这头野兽值三十克朗，”他说，“但他不会给出超过十五克朗，而且需要大量的讨价还价才能把他提升到这个水平。当然，他怀疑这件事有什么不妥，并利用了它。”

“这确实会做得很好，”内德说。 “我没想到会得到任何东西。”

“我也一直在与码头上一艘小船上的一些水手进行交谈。他们最急着离开，因为他们闲着。他们一进来就下达了任何船只不得离开的命令。他们已经六天无所事事了，而且，无论他们看到什么，可能会再被留在这里六个月。他们一直不敢尝试逃跑；因为沿墙都有哨兵，防止有人试图扑灭，还有一些西班牙船只的警卫船在港口外来回划动，既防止船只离开，也防止有人上来伤害船只。 。不过，他们说，他们已经下定决心，与其冒着被西班牙人枪杀的风险，不如在这里挨饿。此外，他们是爱国者，知道他们的船只随时可能被需要来运送部队。因此，当我告诉他们，我毫不怀疑你会为你降落在法拉盛而付给他们丰厚的报酬时，他们同意尝试，并将在今晚尝试。吃完早餐后，你最好和他们一起去水龙头室，和他们一起穿过水门，登上他们的飞船，舒服地躺在那里直到晚上。”

“有多少男人？”内德问道。

“一共有六个人，但现在只有两个人会到这里来。这是给你的马的十五枚皇冠。这样就可以很好地支付你去法拉盛的旅费了。”

吃完早餐后，奈德打扮成一名年轻渔夫，和房东一起走进了酒吧。两个水手坐在那里。

“这就是我跟你说的那个年轻人。”房东说道。 “他是我们中的一员，全心全意地投入到这项事业中，尽管他看起来很年轻，但他却做出了很好的贡献。当你把他带到法拉盛时，他准备付给你十五克朗。”

“这很划算，”其中一个人说，“可以补偿我们在这里损失的一周。我应该把你当作水手，年轻的先生。”

“我是一名水手，”内德说，“如果需要的话可以在船上伸出援手。”

“你会游泳吗？因为如果我们被西班牙人彻底改造，我们都会下水，而不是落入他们的手中。”

“是的，我会游泳，”内德说。 “我同意你的观点，我宁愿游泳也不愿被捕获。但如果只是一船货物让我们大修，我会在放弃我参与的飞船之前尝试击败他们。”

水手们颇为疑惑地看着小伙子，从他们的表情来看，他们认为他是在吹牛。

“他言出必行，”房东插话道，“他是几周前在须德海击败了伟大的西班牙船只唐·佩德罗的英国船长的儿子。”

男人们脸色一变，双双站起身来，与奈德亲切地握手。 “这是一件勇敢的事，年轻的先生；在荷兰，没有一个城镇不以你父亲的名字来表示敬意。我们很了解这艘船，之前也曾帮助她装载过货物；现在我们知道你是谁，认出你的脸了。难怪你想离开贝亨奥普佐姆。为什么，如果我知道是你的话，我们会很高兴带你去法拉盛而不收你一分钱，而且现在就会这样做——我们不会吗，同志们——如果它以任何方式迫使你付钱给我们的话？ ”

“一点也不，”内德说。 “我的钱很充足；既然你拿你的船和你的生命冒险，那么我应该支付我的那部分，这是公平的。这十五克朗我完全买得起，事实上，这只是给我一匹马的钱。”

“好吧，如果这不会伤害你，我们就不会再说了。”水手回答道。 “看到我们最近过得很糟糕，而且我们之间没有足够的钱来维持我们回家之前的饮食。但如果不是这样的话，我们可能会挨饿一个星期，而不是说我们在勇敢的马丁船长的儿子试图逃离西班牙人手中时与他闹得很不好。”

“现在，小伙子们，你们最好立即出发，”房东打断道。 “现在是我向市政厅提交报告的时候了；很快就会有足够多的人来这里问问题，所以马丁大师最好立即登上你的飞船。再见，年轻的先生。告诉你可敬的父亲，我确实很高兴能为他的儿子提供一些小小的服务，我相信不久之后我们就会看到最后一个西班牙人，然后我们就会拥有他的船又到了码头边。”

奈德与房东热情地握手，房东拒绝接受他的任何付款，然后开始与两名水手交谈。他们一路下到内港，然后登上了停泊在旁边的一艘重约十吨的小船。码头的面貌奇特而荒凉。内德上次到那里时，约有五十或六十艘不同大小的船只停泊在旁边卸货或接收货物，而其他许多船只则停泊在溪流中。现在只剩下十几艘和他们出发的船大小差不多的船了，所有的船都像它一样，被突然发出的任何船只不得离开港口的命令所逮捕。

他们中间没有大型商船，因为贸易已经完全停止，除非一支由法国、西班牙或德国船只组成的强大船队抵达。由于法拉盛落入爱国者手中，大海上挤满了乞丐的船只，开往西班牙人手中港口的外国船只不敢单独靠近斯海尔德河口。当内德从他们的船长和他的同伴那里得知他是谁时，他们受到了其他水手的热烈欢迎，在他上船十分钟之前，他们要求他向他们提供恩克赫伊森附近战斗的全部细节以及情况如何。西班牙人因此干扰了一艘英国船只。

内德给他们讲了这个故事，当他讲完后，水手们每人都讲述了西班牙人对朋友或亲戚的压迫和残酷的故事。当他们吃完午饭时，这是水手们几天以来最丰盛的一顿饭，因为房东在讨价还价时已经预先付给了他们五克朗，空的食品储藏室也相应地得到了​​补充，船长对内德说： “我认为你最好做点什么，以防地方法官想到派人沿着码头搜查船只。房东说他们可能会打听一下昨晚住在他客栈的那个人的情况。你可能确信他没有在他的客人名单中写下对他们寻找你有很大帮助的描述，如果他们做了一个，他们仍然对我们保持着非常敏锐的监视，如果他们搜索的话很可能就先来这里试试吧。”

“我已经准备好去做你让我做的任何事情，”内德说。

“然后我们就把船开出来，划船，上钩，试鱼；自从我们来到这里以来，我们每天都抓到一些。事实上，如果没有鱼，这里大多数船上的人都会挨饿。”

“这样就很有效了，”内德说。 “无论如何，这对我来说都是一种乐趣。”

船被停在旁边，内德和四个人上了船，沿着港口划入旧港，划到守卫斯海尔德河入口的两个堡垒之间，然后放下抓钩，挂上鱼饵，开始划船。鱼。由于岸边所有其他船只的船只都在从事同样的工作，无论是用线还是用网，这是很自然的，直到傍晚时分，他们才返回，此时他们已经捕获了相当数量的鱼。

“我们的运气比整个星期都要好，”其中一名男子在划回船时说道。 “有时候我们只够自己吃，今天当我们不需要它们时，我们就抓到足够的钱卖两到三个荷兰盾；因为现在镇上的鱼很稀缺，价格也不错。不过，它们会对我们的航行派上用场。”

当他们靠岸时，船长告诉他们，三小时前，有两名城市警察来了，并询问他是否看到过一个三十岁左右的高个子男子，穿着朴素的衣服，面带微笑。某个好家庭里的家臣的样子。他向他们保证，他没有看到任何人符合这一描述，事实上，那天除了他和他的船员之外，没有人在码头上。尽管如此，他们还是登上了船并搜查了船舱，但没有发现任何可疑之处，并听说其余船员（四名男子和一名男孩）正在捕鱼，他们没有再询问就离开了。

“警戒船在哪里航行？”奈德立刻问道。

“要塞上方一两英里，下方同样多；因为，你看，船只可以从海上通过任何一条航道。这是瓦尔赫伦 (Walcheren) 设计的最长一轮比赛，但难度更大，也更不受沙洲的影响。来自西方的船只通常走瓦尔赫伦航道；但来自东部的人以及熟悉河流每一英尺的沿海旅行者则从斯海尔德东部而来。”

“你想走哪条路？”

“如果我们有选择的话，就去法拉盛吧。我们经过了西班牙人占领的几个城镇，如果乞丐上来，他们可能会走另一条通道。我注意到河里总是有两艘划艇在东边，而只有一艘在西边。我们最大的困难是在要塞的炮火下通过停泊在港口口的两艘军舰。一旦进入斯海尔德河，我们可能会认为自己很安全，因为这条河太宽了，除非有严重的不幸，否则我们不太可能在漆黑的夜晚被划艇看到，就像今天这样。我们真正的危险在于穿过两个堡垒和港口口的船只。

“堡垒里有戒备森严的哨兵；但在这个内部避难所入口处的墙上，或者沿着旧避难所一直延伸到堡垒的墙上，不太可能有任何哨兵。潮水一转，我们就出发，随波逐流。我们会拿出一两根杆子，让我们的航向保持在中心，直到我们接近堡垒，然后必须让她随心所欲地漂流，因为水中的溅水声或最轻微的声音都会引起那里哨兵的注意，如果发出警报，外面两艘船的船只就会确定我们的情况。我认为晚上是最有利的。云层很低，我感觉到一两点薄雾；现在它会来得更快，当夜幕降临时，它会需要敏锐的眼睛来看到五码外的东西。幸运的是，现在没有一丝风；我希望在我们完全出海之前不会出现这种情况，否则当我们顺着海峡走下去时，我们一定会在一侧或另一侧漂流上岸。”

在把经线从岸上扔下来之前，船长给每个人下达了命令。两人要站在挡泥板上，以防船漂到另一艘船或撞到墙上。两个人拿着用来划船的长竿。一张旧帆被撕成条状，包裹在它们周围，末端有一块旧绳垫，这样它们就可以毫无噪音地从墙上推出。如果他们被拦住，一言不发，船上也不许有任何动静，除非需要使用护舷或杆子。最后，大家都脱掉了靴子。

当经线被甩掉的时候，已经是退潮后的半小时了。内港的潮水非常缓慢，绝对有必要撑着船前进，直到她驶入所谓的旧港，这是从城镇通向河流的切口。

工作进行得悄无声息。奈德站在船头，站在船长身边，几乎听不到一丝声音。幸好夜色很黑，仔细看去几乎看不清两边海岸的轮廓。一刻钟后，他们就从内港出来了。在他们的左手边，连接城镇和避风港口的北堡的防御工事墙高高地耸立在他们上方，但在天空的衬托下仍能看到它的轮廓。船长告诉那些撑杆的人，让她急速拐过拐角，并让她尽可能靠近墙脚，因为她不太可能被任何可能在那里的哨兵发现。如果保留在切口的中心。

船非常缓慢地沿着航线漂流，有时有人用竿子推着离他们几英尺高的墙脚来帮忙，而那些带着护舷的人则随时准备在船接近时将其放置到位。靠近墙壁，以便可能发生接触。船长现在在舵柄处，桅杆为她提供的路线足以让他保持她靠近墙壁的航向。又过了一刻钟，他们就到了城墙的尽头，因为入口处的堡垒已经分开了。他们现在已经接近通道中最危险的部分了。他们不再躲在阴影里，而必须光明正大地前行。然而，堡垒正面不太可能有哨兵面向城镇，奈德习惯于夜间在甲板上值班，几乎看不到几码外的低岸，而且我非常有信心，昏昏欲睡的哨兵的眼睛无法穿透黑暗。

男人们现在已经停止拉竿了，只是偶尔推一下她的头，让她保持头部挺直，防止她转过身来。不久，站在奈德旁边的一个水手碰了碰他的手臂，指着右边，他睁大眼睛，隐约看到那个方向有一个黑团若隐若现。

与他们留下的城墙不同，这些堡垒距离水面有一段距离，内德确信，由于他几乎看不清离它们最近的堡垒的轮廓，所以墙上的任何人都无法分辨出堡垒的窗饰。船的桅杆和索具。自从他们出发以来，雾气就变得更浓了，就在此时，堡垒完全被遮蔽了。

又过了二十分钟。奈德知道，他们现在一定是在河道里了。他开始以为危险已经过去了，这时，一个黑色的物体突然从雾气中出现，就在他近在咫尺的地方。过了一会儿，一阵震动，然后是一阵漫长的磨擦声，小船从一艘大船的舷侧掠过。震惊之后，上方的黑暗传来尖锐的挑战声，接着是其他的叫喊声。按照他们收到的命令，没有听到任何声音。每个人都在舷墙下弯下腰。船上响起两三声枪响，还夹杂着荷兰语的冰雹——“停下来，不然我们就把你弄沉了。”

Ned knew that this was an idle threat. The vessel was lying head to the tide, and only a small gun or two in the stern could be brought to bear, and already the ship was lost to sight in the mist. There was much shouting and noise heard astern, and then the creaking of blocks. Ned made his way aft.

“The game is up,” the skipper said. “They will be alongside in a few minutes. Dark as it is they cannot miss us. They will know that we must have drifted straight down. We must take to the boats and row for it.”

“I should say, captain,” Ned said, “we had best take to the boat and row off for a short distance, and then wait. As likely as not they may think when they board her that she has simply drifted out from the town, having been carelessly moored. In that case they may let drop her anchor and return to their ship.”

“That is a happy thought,” the captain said; and running forward he told the crew to take the boat at once.

“I have another idea, captain,” Ned said, just as they were about to push off. “As we saw when we were passing the ship we are drifting stern foremost. If we can fasten a long line to her stern we can hang on to it. They will not be able to see us if we are twenty fathoms astern. Then, if they anchor, and, as is likely enough, leave two or three men on board, we can haul ourselves noiselessly up with the rope and board her.”

“Capital!” the captain replied. “I was wondering how we should find her again in the dark. That would be the very thing.”

He sprang on board again, fastened a light line to the rudder, and dropped down into the boat again.

“Now, back her astern, lads, very gently. I can hear their oars.”

In a minute the captain gave orders to cease rowing, for the line had tightened. The Spanish ship was showing a bright light in her stern. This acted as a guide to the boats, and in two or three minutes after the crew had left the smack two large boats full of soldiers came alongside. Those in the little boat, lying but fifty or sixty yards away, could hear every word that was spoken. First came a volley of angry exclamations of disappointment as the Spaniards found that they had been called from their beds only to capture an empty little coaster. As Ned had expected, they speedily came to the conclusion that having been carelessly fastened up alongside the wharves, without any one being left in charge, she had drifted out with the tide.

“It would serve them right if we were to set her alight,” one of the officers said.

“We had best not to do that,” another replied. “It might cause an alarm in the town; and, besides, boats are wanted. We had better drop her anchor, and leave four men on board to take care of her. In the morning the knaves to whom she belongs will come out to claim her; and I warrant you the captain will punish them sharply for the trouble they have given us.”

This opinion prevailed. A minute latter a splash was heard in the water, and in a very short time the line connecting the boat with the smack tightened, and those on board knew that she had been brought up by her anchor. There was a good deal of noise and trampling of feet as the Spaniards took their place in the boats again, and then the heavy splashing of many oars as they started to row back against the tide to their own vessel.

The captain wrung Ned’s hand.

“You have saved the boat for us, young sir, for we should never have found her again; and if we had, those on board would have heard us rowing up to them, and would have given the alarm. Now we have only to wait for a bit, and then haul ourselves up and overpower the Spaniards.”

“I doubt if we could do that without noise,” Ned replied. “At any rate it would be very dangerous while their ship is lying so close. I should say the best plan will be to wait, as you say, till the Spaniards have settled themselves comfortably, then to haul up to her and push the boat along by her side, fending her off carefully so as to make no noise until we reach the bow, then we can cut the cable and let her drift. The tide is running strong now, and in half an hour she will be over a mile down the river, and there will be no fear of a shout being heard on board the ship, and we can then board her and tackle the Spaniards.”

“That will certainly be the best way,” the captain agreed. “Nothing could be better. Well, we will give them half an hour to settle themselves in the cabin. They will not stay on deck many minutes in the wet.”

The sound of voices on board the smack soon ceased. After waiting half an hour to give the Spaniards time if not to go to sleep to become drowsy, the captain and one of his men began to pull upon the line. Presently the dark mass could be seen ahead, and they were soon up to her.

Very carefully they passed the boat alongside, taking pains to prevent her touching. When they reached the bow the captain grasped the cable, and with two or three cuts with the knife severed it. Then the boat was pushed off from the ship and gently paddled away to the full length of the line. Another half hour and they again drew alongside, and noiselessly climbed on to the deck. The men armed themselves with belaying pins, and Ned took his pistols from the belt beneath his jacket. Then they quietly approached the door. There was a light burning within.

The cabin was astern, and built upon the deck, and was used by the skipper himself and by any passengers he might be carrying, the crew living in the forecastle. The doors, which opened outwards, were noiselessly closed, for two of the Spaniards were sitting up playing cards, and there was no chance of taking the party so much by surprise as to capture them without noise. The instant the doors were closed a heavy coil of rope was thrown against them. There was a loud exclamation in the cabin, and a moment later a rush to the door. This, however, did not yield. Then a window in the side was thrown open and a head was thrust out, and there was a loud shout of “Treachery! Help!”

A moment later a heavy belaying pin fell on the head, and it disappeared. Then there was a loud explosion as an arquebus was fired, the bullet crashing through the door.

“It is a good thing we are well on our way,” the skipper said. “We must be two miles from the Spanish ship now; and even if they hear the report they will not think it has anything to do with us. Besides, if they did, they could never find us.”

Some more ropes had now been piled against the door, and there was no fear of its being burst open. Two men were posted at the windows on each side of the cabin with swords, for weapons had now been fetched from the forecastle.

“Now,” the captain said, “let us get up the sails. There is but little wind, but I think there is enough to give us steerage way and prevent us from drifting on to the sandbanks.”

“I suppose we are well beyond the guard boats now, captain?” Ned asked.

“Oh, yes; they are not more than half a mile below the forts. Besides, I should think they have not been out; for they would know that when the tide once turned no craft could come up from below. Yes, we are quite safe as far as they are concerned.”

Sail was soon made; and though there was scarce wind enough to belly out the canvas, the boat began to move slowly through the water, as was shown by her answering her helm. The discharge of the arquebus in the cabin was continued from time to time.

“You may as well cease that noise,” the captain shouted to them. “Your ship is miles away; and unless you want your throats cut you had better keep yourselves quiet. You know the beggars are not to be trifled with.”

The soldiers ceased firing. They had, indeed, already concluded, from the fact that the boats did not come to their rescue, that the vessel must somehow have got far from their ship. The name of the terrible beggars filled them with alarm, for they knew that they showed no mercy. They had not the least idea as to the number of their captors, and gave themselves up for lost. An hour later the captain dropped the second anchor, and brought up in the stream.

“We must wait till morning,” he said. “It is no use getting away from the Spaniards to be cast ashore; and there is no saying in what part of the river we may be at present, though we must certainly be six or seven miles below Bergen.”

Towards morning the mist cleared off, and the wind began to freshen.

“I think it will blow hard before long,” the captain said; “and as it is from the southwest it will soon carry us out of the river. Now, what had we better do with those fellows in the cabin?”

“I should say the best plan, captain, would be to bring the boat alongside, and tell them that if they will leave their arms behind them, and come out one by one, they may take to it and row ashore. That if they refuse, we shall open the door and give them no quarter.”

“That would be the best plan,” the captain agreed, and going to one of the windows offered these terms to the Spaniards. The men had prepared for the worst, and had determined to sell their lives as dearly as possible. So convinced were they that the beggars would show no quarter that they were at first incredulous.

“It is a trick to get us to give up our arms,” one said.

“It is not,” the captain replied. “I swear to you on the word of a sailor that we will respect the terms and allow you to depart unarmed. We don’t want to throw away three or four lives merely for the pleasure of cutting your throats.”

After a consultation between themselves the soldiers accepted the terms. Ned placed himself at one of the windows to see that the arms were laid aside before the men issued out. Then the coils of rope were removed, and the door opened, the sailors taking their place there in case the Spaniards at the last moment should catch up their arms. This, however, they had no idea of doing, and were indeed far more afraid of treachery than were their captors. One by one they issued out, passed between the line of the sailors to the bulwark, and got into the boat. It was still dark, and they could not tell that the group of men at the cabin door were all those on board. As soon as the last was in, the rope was thrown off and the boat dropped astern.

“It will be light enough to see the shore in half an hour,” the captain said as they drifted away, “and then you can land where you like.”

“It would be awkward if they happen to light upon some town,” Ned said, “and so bring out boats to cut us off.”

“There is no fear of that,” the captain replied. “Tergoes is the only place down here in which they have a garrison, and that lies some miles away yet. Besides, we shall get under way as soon as we can make out the shore. They have only two oars on board, and are not likely to know very much about rowing; besides, we shall make out the shore from deck before they will from the boat.”

“Of course you will not go round by Flushing now? It will be shorter for you to go straight out to sea through the islands.”

“Yes, and less dangerous. There may be ships at Tergoes and on the east side of Walcheren, as they still hold Middleburg.”

“The sooner we are out to sea the better, and it will of course suit you also,” Ned replied. “I only wanted to put ashore at Flushing in order to take another boat there for Rotterdam, so that I shall save one day, if not two, if you sail direct.”

In another half hour it was light enough to make out the shore. The anchor was again weighed in and the boat got under way. They were now off the end of the Island of St. Anna, and leaving South Beveland behind them turned up the channel called the Kype, between the Islands of North Beveland and Duveland. Here they passed many fishing smacks and coasting vessels, for they were now in the heart of Zeeland, and far beyond reach of the Spaniards. They were frequently hailed, and were greeted with shouts of applause when they told how they had given the Spaniards the slip and made their escape from Bergen. Two hours later they were out at sea, and before sunset entered the port of Rotterdam. Finding, when he landed, that the Prince of Orange had that day returned from a trip to Haarlem and some other towns, where he had been engaged in raising the spirits of the citizens, inciting them to resistance, and urging them that it was necessary to make a common effort against the enemy, and not to allow the town to be taken piecemeal, Ned at once made his way to the house he occupied. As he entered one of the pages hurried up to him.

“What do you want?” he asked. “The prince is ready to give audience to all who have important business, but it is too much that he should be intruded upon by sailor lads.”

“You do not remember me!” Ned laughed. “Your memory is a short one, Master Hans.”

“I did not, indeed!” the page exclaimed. “Who would have thought of seeing you dressed as a sailor boy? The prince will be glad to see you; for the first question he asked when he crossed the threshold this afternoon was whether you had returned.”

He hurried away, and returned a minute later with word that the prince would see Ned at once.

“Well, my brave lad, so you have returned,” the prince said as Ned entered. “I have blamed myself many times for letting you go upon so dangerous a mission, and I am glad indeed to see that you have safely returned, even if you have failed altogether touching the matter on which you went.”

“I thought more of the honour than of the danger of the mission you intrusted to me, your excellency,” Ned replied, “and am happy to say that I have fulfilled it successfully, and have brought you back messages by word of mouth from all, save one, of those to whom your letters were addressed.”

“Say you so!” the prince exclaimed in tones of satisfaction. “Then you have indeed done well. And how fared it with you on your journey? Did you deliver the letters and return here without suspicion falling upon you?”

“No, sir. I have run some slight risk and danger owing to an unfortunate meeting with Councillor Von Aert, who was of a more suspicious nature than his countrymen in general; but I will not occupy your excellency’s time by talking about myself, but will deliver the various messages with which I am charged.”

He then went through the particulars of his interviews with each of the nine persons he had visited, and gave the contents of the letter, word for word, he had received from the tenth, excusing himself for not having brought the message by word of mouth, owing to the difficulty of obtaining a private audience with him. He also produced the paper upon which he had jotted down all the particulars of the men and money that had been confided to him.

“Your news might be better, and worse,” the prince said when he had concluded. “Some of these men doubtless are, as they say, zealous in the cause, others are not to be largely trusted in extremities. The money they promise is less than I had hoped. Promises are cheaper than gold, and even here in Holland, where all is at stake, the burghers are loath to put their hands in their pockets, and haggle over their contributions as if they were to be spent for my pleasure instead of their own safety. It is pitiful to see men so fond of their moneybags. The numbers of men who can be relied upon to rise are satisfactory, and more even than I had hoped for; for in matters like this a man must proceed cautiously, and only sound those upon whom he feels sure beforehand he can rely. The worst of it is, they are all waiting for each other. One will move if another will move, but none will be first. They will move if I get a victory. But how can I win a victory when I have no army nor money to raise one, and when each city will fight only in its own defence, and will not put a man under arms for the common cause?”

As the prince was evidently speaking to himself rather than to him, Ned remained silent. “Please to write all the particulars down that you have given me,” the prince went on, “that I may think it over at my leisure. And so you could not see the Count of Coeverden? Was he more difficult of access than he of Sluys?”

“I do not know that he was, sir,” Ned replied; “but my attire was not such as to gain me an entrance into antechambers.”

“No, I did not think of that,” the prince said. “You should have taken with you a suit of higher quality. I forgot when I agreed that you should, for safety, travel as a country lad, that in such dress you could hardly gain an entrance into the palaces of nobles; and of course it would have excited surprise for one so attired to try to purchase such clothes as would have enabled you to boldly enter.”

“I might possibly have managed as a peasant lad,” Ned replied with a smile; “but having been detected in that attire, and being eagerly sought for by Von Aert’s agents, I was at the time dressed as a peasant woman, and could think of no possible excuse upon which I might obtain an audience with the count.”

“No, indeed,” the prince said smiling. “I must hear your story with all its details; but as it is doubtless somewhat long, I must put it off until later. After the evening meal you shall tell us your adventures before I betake myself to my work.”

Ned retired to his own room and resumed the attire he usually wore. After supper he was sent for by the prince, with whom he found the chamberlain and three or four of his principal officers.

“Now, young sir, tell us your story,” the prince said. “Do not fear of its being long. It is a rest to have one’s mind taken off the affairs of state. I have already told these gentlemen what valuable services you have rendered to the cause we all have at heart, and they, like myself, wish to know how you fared, and how you escaped the danger you referred to at the hands of Von Aert.”

Thus requested, Ned gave a full account of his journey, and of the adventures he had met with in Brussels and on his way back.

“What think you, sirs,” the prince asked when Ned had concluded his story. “It seems to me that this lad has shown a courage, a presence of mind, and a quickness of decision that would be an honour to older men. The manner in which he escaped from the hands of Von Aert, one of the craftiest as well as of the most cruel of the Council of Blood, was excellent; and had he then, after obtaining his disguise, escaped at once from the city, I for one should assuredly not have blamed him, and I consider he showed a rare devotion in continuing to risk his life to deliver my letters. Then, again, the quickness with which he contrives to carry out his scheme for saying a word to the Count of Sluys was excellent; and though he takes no credit to himself, I doubt not that the escape of the boat, after falling foul of the Spanish ship, was greatly due to him. I think, sirs, you will agree with me that he has the makings of a very able man in him, and that henceforth we can safely intrust him with the most delicate as well as the most perilous missions.”

There was a general cordial agreement.

“I am free to aver that you are right and that I am wrong, prince,” the chamberlain said. “I know that you seldom fail in your judgment of character, and yet it seemed to me, if you will not mind my saying so, that it was not only rash but wrong to risk the lives of our friends in Brussels upon the chances of the discretion of the lad. I now see you were right, for there are few indeed who, placed as he was, would have carried out his mission as skilfully and well as he has done.”

“By the way,” the prince said, “I would beg you to seek out the captain of the boat in which you came here, and bid him come to me this time tomorrow evening. I would fain hear from him somewhat further details as to how you escaped from the Spaniards, for I observed that in this matter you were a little reticent as to your share in it. He may be able to tell me, too, more about the strength of the Spanish garrisons in Bergen and its neighbourhood than you can do.”

For the next fortnight Ned was employed carrying messages from the prince to various towns and ports. Alva was at Amsterdam, and the army under his son, Don Frederick, was marching in that direction on their way from Zutphen. They came down upon the little town of Naarden on the coast of the Zuider Zee. A troop of a hundred men was sent forward to demand its surrender. The burghers answered that they held the town for the king and the Prince of Orange, and a shot was fired at the troopers. Having thus committed themselves, the burghers sent for reinforcements and aid to the Dutch towns, but none were sent them, and when the Spaniards approached on the 1st of December they sent out envoys to make terms. The army marched forward and encamped a mile and a half from the town.

A large deputation was sent out and was met by General Romero, who informed them that he was commissioned on the part of Don Frederick to treat with them. He demanded the keys, and gave them a solemn pledge that the lives and properties of all the inhabitants should be respected. The gates were thrown open, and Romero with five hundred soldiers entered. A sumptuous feast was prepared for them by the inhabitants. After this was over the citizens were summoned by the great bell to assemble in the church that was used as a town hall. As soon as they assembled the soldiers attacked them and killed them all. The town was then set on fire, and almost every man, woman, and child killed. Don Frederick forbade that the dead should be buried, and issued orders forbidding anyone, on pain of death, to give shelter to the few fugitives who had got away. The few houses which had escaped the flames were levelled to the ground, and Naarden ceased to exist.

Great as the horrors perpetrated at Zutphen had been, they were surpassed by the atrocities committed at Naarden. The news of the horrible massacre, so far from frightening the Hollanders into submission, nerved them to even more strenuous resistance. Better death in whatsoever form it came than to live under the rule of these foul murderers. With the fall of Naarden there remained only the long strip of land facing the sea, and connected at but a few points with the mainland, that remained faithful to the cause of freedom. The rest of the Netherlands lay cowed beneath the heel of the Spaniards. Holland alone and a few of the islands of Zeeland remained to be conquered.

The inhabitants of Holland felt the terrible danger; and Bossu, Alva’s stadtholder, formally announced that the system pursued at Mechlin, Zutphen, and Naarden was the deliberate policy of the government, and that man, woman, and child would be exterminated in every city which opposed the Spanish authority. The day after the news arrived of the fall of Naarden Ned received a letter from his father, saying that the Good Venture was again at Enkhuizen, and that she would in two days start for Haarlem with a fleet of Dutch vessels; that he himself had made great progress in the last six weeks, and should return to England in her; and that if Ned found that he could get away for a day or two he should be glad to see him.

The prince at once gave Ned permission to leave, and as he had an excellent horse at his service he started the next morning at daybreak and arrived at Enkhuizen before nightfall. He was received with great joy by his family, and was delighted to find his father looking quite himself again.

“Yes, thanks to good nursing and good food, my boy, I feel almost strong and well enough to take my post at the helm of the Good Venture again. The doctor tells me that in another couple of months I shall be able to have a wooden leg strapped on, and to stump about again. That was a rare adventure you had at Brussels, Ned; and you must give us a full account of it presently. In the morning you must come on board the vessel, Peters and the crew will be all glad to see you again.”

Ned stayed two days with his family. On the evening of the second day he said to his father: “I should like to make the trip to Haarlem and back, father, in the Good Venture. It may be that the Spaniards will sally out from Amsterdam and attack it. Last time we had to run away, you know; but if there is a sea fight I should like to take my part in it.”

“Very well, Ned, I have no objection; but I hardly think that there will be a fight. The Spaniards are too strong, and the fleet will start so as to pass through the strait by night.”

“Well, at any rate I should like to be on board the Good Venture again if only for the sail down and back again,” Ned said. “They are to sail at three o’clock tomorrow, so that if the wind is fair they will pass the strait at night and anchor under the walls of Haarlem in the morning. I suppose they will be two days discharging their cargo of food and grain, and one reason why I want to go is that I may if possible persuade my aunt and the two girls to return with me and to sail for England with you. All think that Haarlem will be the next place besieged, and after what has taken place in the other towns it would be madness for my aunt to stop there.”

“I quite agree with you, Ned. The duke is sure to attack Haarlem next. If he captures it he will cut Holland in two and strike a terrible blow at the cause. Your mother shall write a letter tonight to her sister-in-law urging her to come with us, and take up her abode in England till these troubles are over. She can either dwell with us, or, if she would rather, we can find her a cottage hard by. She will be well provided with money, for I have at home a copy of your grandfather’s will signed by him leaving all his property to such of his relatives as may survive him.

“His three sons are dead; your mother and Elizabeth are therefore his heirs, and the money he transmitted to England is in itself sufficient to keep two families in comfort. What proportion of it was his and what belonged to his sons now matters not, seeing that your mother and aunt are the sole survivors of the family. As you say, it is madness for her to remain in Holland with her two girls. Were I a burgher of that town I would send my family away to Leyden or Dort and stay myself to defend the walls to the last, but I do not believe that many will do so. Your countrymen are obstinate people, Sophie, and I fear that few will send their families away.”

Upon the following afternoon Ned started with the little fleet. The wind was fair and light, and they reached the mouth of the strait leading from the Zuider Zee to Haarlem. Then suddenly the wind dropped and the vessels cast anchor. For the two or three days previous the weather had been exceedingly cold, and with the fall of the wind the frost seemed to increase in severity, and Ned, who had been pacing the deck with Peters chatting over what had happened since they last met, was glad to go into the cabin, where the new first mate and supercargo had retired as soon as the anchor was let go. They sat talking for a couple of hours until a sailor came in, and said that they were hailed by the nearest ship. They all went on deck. Ned shouted to know what was the matter.

“Do you not see the water is freezing? By morning we shall be all frozen up hard and fast.”

This was startling news indeed, for they were now in full sight of Amsterdam, and would, if detained thus, be open to an attack across the ice.

There was much shouting in the little fleet as the news spread that the sea was freezing. Boats were lowered and rowed from the ship to ship, for the ice was as yet no thicker than window glass. Ned went from the Good Venture to the craft round which most of the boats were assembling to hear what was decided. He returned in a few minutes.

“They are all of opinion that it is hopeless for us to get out of this. We could tow the vessels a short distance, but every hour the ice will thicken. They concluded that anchors shall be got up, and that the ships all lie together as close as they can pack.”

“What will be the use of that?” Peters asked. “If we are to be frozen up it makes no difference that I can see, whether we are together or scattered as at present.”

“The idea is,” Ned said, “if we are packed together we can defend ourselves better than if scattered about, and what is more important still, we can cut through the ice and keep a channel of open water round us.”

“So we could,” Peters agreed. “Let us to work then. Which ship are we to gather round?”

“The one I have just left, Peters; she is lying nearly in the center.”

For the next two hours there was much bustle and hard work. Thin as the ice was it yet greatly hindered the operation of moving the ships. At last they were all packed closely together; much more closely indeed than would be possible in these days, for the bowsprits, instead of running out nearly parallel with the waterline stood up at a sharp angle, and the vessels could therefore be laid with the bow of one touching the stern of that in advance. As there was now no motive for concealment, lamps were shown and torches burned. There were thirty craft in all, and they were arranged in five lines closely touching each other. When all was done the crews retired to rest. There was no occasion to keep watch, for the ice had thickened so fast that boats could not now force their way through it, while it would not before morning be strong enough to bear the weight of armed men walking across it.

“This is a curious position,” Ned said, as he went on deck next morning. “How long do you think we are likely to be kept here, Peters?”

“Maybe twenty-four hours, maybe three weeks, lad. These frosts when they set in like this seldom last less than a fortnight or three weeks. What do you think of our chances of being attacked?”

“I should say they are sure to attack us. The whole Spanish army is lying over there in Amsterdam, and as soon as the ice is strong enough to bear them you will see them coming out. How strong a force can we muster?”

“There are thirty craft,” Peters replied; “and I should think they average fully fifteen men each–perhaps twenty. They carry strong crews at all times, and stronger than usual now.”

“That would give from five to six hundred men. I suppose all carry arms?”

“Oh, yes. I do not suppose that there is a man here who has not weapons of some kind, and most of them have arquebuses. It will take a strong force to carry this wooden fort.”

It was still freezing intensely, and the ice was strong enough to bear men scattered here and there, although it would not have sustained them gathered together. Towards the afternoon the captain judged that it had thickened sufficiently to begin work, and fifty or sixty men provided with hatchets got upon the ice and proceeded to break it away round the vessels. After a couple of hours a fresh party took their places, and by nightfall the ships were surrounded by a belt of open water, some fifteen yards wide.

A meeting of the captains had been held during the day, and the most experienced had been chosen as leader, with five lieutenants under him. Each lieutenant was to command the crews of six ships. When it became dark five boats were lowered. These were to row round and round the ships all night so as to keep the water from freezing again. The crews were to be relieved once an hour, so that each ship would furnish a set of rowers once in six hours. Numerous anchors had been lowered when the ships were first packed together, so as to prevent the mass from drifting when the tide flowed or ebbed, as this would have brought them in contact with one side or the other of the ice around them. The next morning the ice was found to be five inches thick, and the captains were of opinion that the Spaniards might now attempt an attack upon them.

“Their first attack will certainly fail,” Ned said, as they sat at breakfast. “They will be baffled by this water belt round us. However, they will come next time with rafts ready to push across it, and then we shall have fighting in earnest.”

The lieutenant under whom the crew of the Good Venture were placed, came down while they were at breakfast to inquire how many arquebuses there were on board.

“We have ten,” the captain said.

“As I suppose you have no men who skate on board, I should be glad if you will hand them over to me.”

“What does he say?” the first mate asked in surprise upon this being translated to him. “What does he mean by asking if we have any men who skate, and why should we give up our guns if we can use them ourselves?” Ned put the question to the lieutenant.

“We are going to attack them on the ice as they come out,” he replied. “Of course all our vessels have skates on board; in winter we always carry them, as we may be frozen up at any time. And we shall send out as many men as can be armed with arquebuses; those who remain on board will fight the guns.”

“That is a capital plan,” Ned said; “and the Spanish, who are unaccustomed to ice, will be completely puzzled. It is lucky there was not a breath of wind when it froze, and the surface is as smooth as glass. Well, there will be nine arquebuses for you, sir; for I have been out here two winters and have learnt to skate, so I will accompany the party, the other nine arquebuses with ammunition we will hand over to you.”

A lookout at one of the mastheads now shouted that he could make out a black mass on the ice near Amsterdam, and believed that it was a large body of troops. Every preparation had already been made on board the ships for the fight. The Good Venture lay on the outside tier facing Amsterdam, having been placed there because she carried more guns than any of the other vessels, which were for the most part small, and few carried more than four guns, while the armament of the Good Venture had, after her fight with the Don Pedro, been increased to ten guns. The guns from the vessels in the inner tiers had all been shifted on to those lying outside, and the wooden fort literally bristled with cannon.

A quarter of an hour after the news that the Spaniards were on their way had been given, three hundred men with arquebuses were ferried across the channel, and were disembarked on to the ice. They were divided into five companies of sixty men each, under the lieutenants; the captain remained to superintend the defence of the ships. The Dutch sailors were as much at home on their skates as upon dry land, and in high spirits started to meet the enemy. It was a singular sight to see the five bodies of men gliding away across the ice. There was no attempt at formation or order; all understood their business, for in winter it was one of their favourite sports to fire at a mark while skating at a rapid pace.

It was two miles from the spot where the ships lay frozen up to Amsterdam. The Spaniards, a thousand strong, had traversed about a third of the distance when the skaters approached them. Keeping their feet with the utmost difficulty upon the slippery ice, they were astonished at the rapid approach of the Dutchmen. Breaking up as they approached, their assailants came dashing along at a rapid pace, discharged their arquebuses into the close mass of the Spaniards, and then wheeled away at the top of their speed, reloaded and again swept down to fire.

Against these tactics the Spaniards could do little. Unsteady as they were on their feet the recoil of their heavy arquebuses frequently threw them over, and it was impossible to take anything like an accurate aim at the flying figures that passed them at the speed of a galloping horse. Nevertheless they doggedly kept on their way, leaving the ice behind them dotted with killed and wounded. Not a gun was discharged from on board the ships until the head of the Spanish column reached the edge of the water, and discovered the impassable obstacle that lay between them and the vessels. Then the order was give to fire, and the head of the column was literally swept away by the discharge.

The commander of the Spaniards now gave the order for a retreat. As they fell back the guns of the ships swept their ranks, the musketeers harassed them on each flank, the ice, cracked and broken by the artillery fire, gave way under their feet, and many fell through and were drowned, and of the thousand men who left Amsterdam less than half regained that city. The Spaniards were astonished at this novel mode of fighting, and the despatches of their officers gave elaborate descriptions of the strange appendages that had enabled the Hollanders to glide so rapidly over the ice. The Spaniards were, however, always ready to learn from a foe. Alva immediately ordered eight thousand pairs of skates, and the soldiers were kept hard at work practicing until they were able to make their way with fair rapidity over the ice. The evening after the fight a strong wind suddenly sprang up from the southwest, and the rain descended in torrents. By morning the ice was already broken up, the guns were hastily shifted to the vessels to which they belonged, the ships on the outside tiers cast off from the others, and before noon the whole were on their way back towards Enkhuizen, which they reached without pursuit by the Spanish vessels; for at nine in the morning the wind changed suddenly again, the frost set in as severely as before, and the Spaniards in the port of Amsterdam were unable to get out. This event caused great rejoicing in Holland, and was regarded as a happy omen for the coming contest.

After remaining another day with his family, Ned mounted his horse and rode to Haarlem. The city lay at the narrowest point of the narrow strip of land facing the German Ocean, and upon the shore of the shallow lake of the same name. Upon the opposite side of this lake, ten miles distant, stood the town of Amsterdam. The Lake of Haarlem was separated from the long inlet of the Zuider Zee called the Y by a narrow strip of land, along which ran the causeway connecting the two cities. Halfway along this neck of land there was a cut, with sluice works, by which the surrounding country could be inundated. The port of Haarlem on the Y was at the village of Sparendam, where there was a fort for the protection of the shipping.

Haarlem was one of the largest cities of the Netherlands; but it was also one of the weakest. The walls were old, and had never been formidable. The extent of the defences made a large garrison necessary; but the force available for the defence was small indeed. Upon his way towards Haarlem Ned learnt that on the night before, the 10th of December, Sparendam had been captured by the Spaniards. A secret passage across the flooded and frozen meadows had been shown to them by a peasant, and they had stormed the fort, killed three hundred men, and taken possession of the works and village. Thus Haarlem was at once cut off from all aid coming from the Zuider Zee.

Much disquieted by the news, Ned rode on rapidly and entered the town by the gate upon the southern side; for, as he approached, he learned that the Spaniards had already appeared in great force before the city. He rode at once to his aunt’s house, hoping to find that she had already left the town with the girls. Leaping from his horse he entered the door hurriedly, and was dismayed to find his aunt seated before the fire knitting.

“My dear aunt!” he exclaimed, “do you know that the Spaniards are in front of the town? Surely to remain here with the two girls is madness!”

“Every one else is remaining, why should not I, Ned?” his aunt asked calmly.

“Other people have their houses and their businesses, aunt, but you have nothing to keep you here. You know what has happened at Zutphen and Naarden. How can you expose the girls, even if you are so obstinate yourself, to such horrors?”

“The burghers are determined to hold out until relief comes, nephew.”

“Ay, if they can,” Ned replied. “But who knows whether they can. This is madness, aunt. I beseech you come with me to your father, and let us talk over the matter with him; and in the morning, if you will not go, I will get two horses and mount the girls on them, and ride with them to Leyden–that is, if by the morning it is not already too late. It would be best to proceed at once.”

Dame Plomaert reluctantly yielded to the energy of her nephew, and accompanied him to the house of her father; but the weaver was absent on the walls, and did not return until late in the evening. Upon Ned’s putting the case to him, he at once agreed that it would be best both for her and the girls to leave.

“I have told her so twenty times already,” he said; “but Elizabeth was always as obstinate as a mule. Over and over again she has said she would go; and having said that, has done nothing. She can do no good by stopping here; and there are only three more mouths to feed. By all means, lad, get them away the first thing in the morning. If it be possible I would say start tonight, dark as it is; but the Spanish horse may be all round the city, and you might ride into their arms without seeing them.”

Ned at once sallied out, and without much difficulty succeeded in bargaining for three horses; for few of the inhabitants had left, and horses would not only be of no use during the siege, but it would be impossible to feed them. Therefore their owners were glad to part with them for far less than their real value. When he reached the house he found that his aunt had made up three bundles with clothes and what jewelry she had, and that she was ready to start with the girls in the morning.

Before daybreak Ned went out to the walls on the south side, but as the light broadened out discovered that it was too late. During the night heavy reinforcements had arrived to Don Frederick from Amsterdam, and a large force was already facing the west side of the city.

With a heavy heart he returned to his aunt’s with the news that it was too late, for that all means of exit was closed. Dame Plomaert took the news philosophically. She was a woman of phlegmatic disposition, and objected to sudden movement and changes, and to her it seemed far less terrible to await quietly the fortunes of the siege than to undergo the fatigues of a journey on horseback and the uncertainty of an unknown future.

“Well, nephew,” she said placidly, “if we cannot get away, we cannot; and it really saves a world of trouble. But what are you going to do yourself? for I suppose if we cannot get away, you cannot.”

“The way is open across the lake,” Ned replied, “and I shall travel along the ice to the upper end and then over to Leyden, and obtain permission from the prince to return here by the same way; or if not, to accompany the force he is raising there, for this will doubtless march at once to the relief of the town. Even now, aunt, you might make your escape across the ice.”

“I have not skated since I was fifteen years old,” the good woman said placidly; “and at my age and weight I am certainly not going to try now, Ned. Just imagine me upon skates!”

Ned could not help smiling, vexed as he was. His aunt was stout and portly, and he certainly could not imagine her exerting herself sufficiently to undertake a journey on skates.

“But the girls can skate,” he urged.

“The girls are girls,” she said decidedly; “and I am not going to let them run about the world by themselves. You say yourself that reinforcements will soon start. You do not know our people, nephew. They will beat off the Spaniards. Whatever they do, the city will never be taken. My father says so, and every one says so. Surely they must know better than a lad like you!”

Ned shrugged his shoulders in despair, and went out to see what were the preparations for defence. The garrison consisted only of some fifteen hundred German mercenaries and the burgher force. Ripperda, the commandant of the garrison, was an able and energetic officer. The townspeople were animated by a determination to resist to the end. A portion of the magistracy had, in the first place, been anxious to treat, and had entered into secret negotiations with Alva, sending three of their number to treat with the duke at Amsterdam. One had remained there; the other two on their return were seized, tried, and executed, and Sainte Aldegonde, one of the prince’s ministers, had been dispatched by him to make a complete change in the magistracy.

The total force available for the defence of the town was not, at the commencement of the siege, more than 3000 men, while over 30,000 Spaniards were gathering round its walls, a number equal to the entire population of the city.

The Germans, under Count Overstein, finally took up their encampment in the extensive grove of trees that spread between the southern walls and the shore of the lake.

The Spaniards, under Don Frederick, faced the north walls, while the Walloons and other regiments closed it in on the east and west. But these arrangements occupied some days; and the mists which favoured their movements were not without advantage to the besieged. Under cover of the fog supplies of provisions and ammunition were brought by men and women and even children, on their heads or in sledges down the frozen lake, and in spite of the efforts of the besiegers introduced into the city. Ned was away only two days. The prince approved of his desire to take part in the siege, and furnished him with letters to the magistrates promising reinforcements, and to Ripperda recommending Ned as a young gentleman volunteer of great courage and quickness, who had already performed valuable service for the cause. His cousins were delighted to see him back. Naturally they did not share in their mother’s confidence as to the result of the siege, and felt in Ned’s presence a certain sense of security and comfort. The garrison, increased by arrivals from without and by the enrollment of every man capable of bearing arms, now numbered a thousand pioneers, three thousand fighting men, and three hundred fighting women.

The last were not the least efficient portion of the garrison. All were armed with sword, musket, and dagger, and were led by Kanau Hasselaer, a widow of distinguished family, who at the head of her female band took part in many of the fiercest fights of the siege, both upon and without the walls.

The siege commenced badly. In the middle of December the force of some 3500 men assembled at Leyden set out under the command of De la Marck, the former admiral of the sea beggars. The troops were attacked on their march by the Spaniards, and a thousand were killed, a number taken prisoners, and the rest routed.

Among the captains was a brave officer named Van Trier, for whom De la Marck offered two thousand crowns and nineteen Spanish prisoners. The offer was refused. Van Trier was hanged by one leg until he was dead, upon one of the numerous gibbets erected in sight of the town; in return for which De la Marck at once executed the nineteen Spaniards. On the 18th of December Don Frederick’s batteries opened fire upon the northern side, and the fire was kept up without intermission for three days. As soon as the first shot was fired, a crier going round the town summoned all to assist in repairing the damages as fast as they were made.

The whole population responded to the summons. Men, women, and children brought baskets of stones and earth, bags of sand and beams of wood, and these they threw into the gaps as fast as they were made. The churches were stripped of all their stone statues, and these too were piled in the breaches. The besiegers were greatly horrified at what they declared to be profanation; a complaint that came well from men who had been occupied in the wholesale murder of men, women, and children, and in the sacking of the churches of their own religion. Don Frederick anticipated a quick and easy success. He deemed that this weakly fortified town might well be captured in a week by an army of 30,000 men, and that after spending a few days slaughtering its inhabitants, and pillaging and burning the houses, the army would march on against the next town, until ere long the rebellion would be stamped out, and Holland transformed into a desert.

At the end of three days’ cannonade the breach, in spite of the efforts of the besieged, was practicable, and a strong storming party led by General Romero advanced against it. As the column was seen approaching the church bells rang out the alarm, the citizens caught up their arms, and men and women hurried to the threatened point. As they approached the Spaniards were received with a heavy fire of musketry; but with their usual gallantry the veterans of Spain pressed forward and began to mount the breach. Now they were exposed not only to the fire of the garrison, but to the missiles thrown by the burghers and women. Heavy stones, boiling oil, and live coals were hurled down upon them; small hoops smeared with pitch and set on fire were dexterously thrown over their heads, and after a vain struggle, in which many officers were killed and wounded, Romero, who had himself lost an eye in the fight, called off his troops and fell back from the breach, leaving from three to four hundred dead behind him, while but a half dozen of the townsmen lost their lives.

Upon the retreat of the Spaniards the delight in the city was immense; they had met the pikemen of Spain and hurled them back discomfited, and they felt that they could now trust themselves to meet further assaults without flinching.

To Ned’s surprise his aunt, when the alarm bells rung, had sallied out from her house accompanied by the two girls. She carried with her half a dozen balls of flax, each the size of her head. These had been soaked in oil and turpentine, and to each a stout cord about two feet long was attached. The girls had taken part in the work of the preceding day, but when she reached the breach she told them to remain in shelter while she herself joined the crowd on the walls flanking the breach, while Ned took part in the front row of its defenders. Frau Plomaert was slow, but she was strong when she chose to exert herself, and when the conflict was at its thickest she lighted the balls at the fires over which caldrons of oil were seething, and whirling them round her head sent them one by one into the midst of the Spanish column.

“Three of them hit men fairly in the face,” she said to one of her neighbours, “so I think I have done: my share of today’s work.”

She then calmly descended the wall, joined her daughters and returned home, paying no attention to the din of the conflict at the breach, and contended that she had done all that could be expected of her. On reaching home she bade the girls take to their knitting as usual, while she set herself to work to prepare the midday meal.

A few days later the Prince of Orange sent from Sassenheim, a place on the southern extremity of the lake, where he had now taken up his headquarters, a force of 2000 men, with seven guns and a convoy of wagons with ammunition and food towards the town, under General Batenburgh. This officer had replaced De la Marck, whose brutal and ferocious conduct had long disgraced the Dutch cause, and whom the prince, finding that he was deaf alike to his orders and to the dictates of humanity, had now deprived of his commission. Batenburgh’s expedition was no more fortunate than that of De la Marck had been.

On his approach to the city by night a thick mist set in, and the column completely lost its way. The citizens had received news of its coming, and the church bells were rung and cannon fired to guide it as to its direction; but the column was so helplessly lost, that it at last wandered in among the Spaniards, who fell upon them, slew many and scattered the rest–a very few only succeeding in entering the town. Batenburgh brought off, under cover of the mist, a remnant of his troops, but all the provisions and ammunition were lost.

The second in command, De Koning, was among those captured. The Spaniards cut off his head and threw it over the wall into the city, with a paper fastened on it bearing the words: “This is the head of Captain De Koning, who is on his way with reinforcements for the good city of Haarlem.” But the people of Haarlem were now strung up, both by their own peril and the knowledge of the atrocities committed by the Spaniards in other cities, to a point of hatred and fury equal to that of the foes, and they retorted by chopping off the heads of eleven prisoners and throwing them into the Spanish camp. There was a label on the barrel with these words, “Deliver these heads to Duke Alva in payment of his ten penny tax, with one additional head for interest.”

The besieged were not content to remain shut up in the walls, but frequently sallied out and engaged in skirmishes with the enemy. Prisoners were therefore often captured by one side or the other, and the gibbets on the walls and in the camp were constantly occupied.

Ned as a volunteer was not attached to any special body of troops, Ripperda telling him to act for himself and join in whatever was going on as he chose. Consequently he took part in many of the skirmishes outside the walls, and was surprised to find how fearlessly the burghers met the tried soldiers of Spain, and especially at the valour with which the corps of women battled with the enemy.

In strength and stature most of the women were fully a match for the Walloon troops, and indeed for the majority of the Spaniards; and they never feared to engage any body of troops of equal numerical strength.

“Look here, aunt,” Ned said to Frau Plomaert upon the day after the failure of Batenburg’s force to relieve the town, “you must see for yourself now that the chances are that sooner or later the town will be captured. We may beat off all the assaults of the Spaniards, but we shall ere long have to fight with an even more formidable foe within the town. You know that our stock of provisions is small, and that in the end unless help comes we must yield to famine. The prince may possibly throw five thousand armed men into the town, but it is absolutely impossible that he can throw in any great store of provision, unless he entirely defeats the Spaniards; and nowhere in Holland can he raise an army sufficient for that.

“I think, aunt, that while there is time we ought to set to work to construct a hiding place, where you and the girls can remain while the sack and atrocities that will assuredly follow the surrender of the town are taking place.”

“I shall certainly not hide myself from the Spaniards,” Frau Plomaert said stoutly.

“Very well, aunt, if you choose to be killed on your own hearthstone of course I cannot prevent it; but I do say that you ought to save the girls from these horrors if you can.”

“That I am ready to do,” she said. “But how is it to be managed?”

“Well, aunt, there is your wood cellar below. We can surely construct some place of concealment there. Of course I will do the work, though the girls might help by bringing up baskets of earth and scattering them in the streets.” Having received a tacit permission from his aunt, Ned went down into the wood cellar, which was some five feet wide by eight feet long. Like every place about a Dutch house it was whitewashed, and was half full of wood. Ned climbed over the wood to the further end.

“This is where it must be,” he said to the girls, who had followed him. “Now, the first thing to do is to pile the wood so as to leave a passage by which we can pass along. I will get a pick and get out the bricks at this corner.”

“We need only make a hole a foot wide, and it need not be more than a foot high,” Lucette, the elder, said. “That will be sufficient for us to squeeze through.”

“It would, Lucette; but we shall want more space for working, so to begin with we will take away the bricks up to the top. We can close it up as much as we like afterwards. There is plenty of time, for it will be weeks before the city is starved out. If we work for an hour a day we can get it done in a week.”

Accordingly the work began, the bricks were removed, and with a pick and shovel Ned dug into the ground beyond, while the girls carried away the earth and scattered it in the road. In a fortnight a chamber five feet high, three feet wide, and six feet long had been excavated. Slats of wood, supported by props along the sides, held up the roof. A quantity of straw was thrown in for the girls to lie on. Frau Plomaert came down from time to time to inspect the progress of the work, and expressed herself well pleased with it.

“How are you going to close the entrance, Ned?” she asked.

“I propose to brick it up again three feet high, aunt. Then when the girls and you have gone in–for I hope that you will change your mind at the last–I will brick up the rest of it, but using mud instead of mortar, so that the bricks can be easily removed when the time comes, or one or two can be taken out to pass in food, and then replaced as before. After you are in I will whitewash the whole cellar, and no one would then guess the wall had ever been disturbed. I shall leave two bricks out in the bottom row of all to give air. They will be covered over by the wood. However hard up we get for fuel we can leave enough to cover the floor at that end a few inches deep. If I can I will pierce a hole up under the board in the room above this, so as to give a free passage of air.”

“If the Spaniards take away the wood, as they may well do, they will notice that the two bricks are gone,” Mrs. Plomaert objected.

“We can provide for that, aunt, by leaving two bricks inside, whitewashed like the rest, to push into the holes if you hear anyone removing the wood. There is only the light that comes in at the door, and it would never be noticed that the two bricks were loose.”

“That will do very well,” Mrs. Plomaert said. “I thought at first that your idea was foolish, but I see that it will save the girls if the place is taken. I suppose there will be plenty of time to brick them up after they have taken refuge in it.”

“Plenty of time, aunt. We shall know days before if the city surrenders to hunger. I shall certainly fight much more comfortably now that I know that whatever comes Lucette and Annie are safe from the horrors of the sack.”

After the terrible repulse inflicted upon the storming party, Don Frederick perceived that the task before him was not to be accomplished with the ease and rapidity he had anticipated, and that these hitherto despised Dutch heretics had at last been driven by despair to fight with desperate determination that was altogether new to the Spaniards. He therefore abandoned the idea of carrying the place by assault, and determined to take it by the slower and surer process of a regular siege. In a week his pioneers would be able to drive mines beneath the walls; an explosion would then open a way for his troops. Accordingly the work began, but the besieged no sooner perceived what was being done than the thousand men who had devoted themselves to this work at once began to drive counter mines.

Both parties worked with energy, and it was not long before the galleries met, and a desperate struggle commenced under ground. Here the drill and discipline of the Spaniards availed them but little. It was a conflict of man to man in narrow passages, with such light only as a few torches could give. Here the strength and fearlessness of death of the sturdy Dutch burghers and fishermen more than compensated for any superiority of the Spaniards in the management of their weapons. The air was so heavy and thick with powder that the torches gave but a feeble light, and the combatants were well nigh stifled by the fumes of sulphur, yet in the galleries which met men fought night and day without intermission. The places of those who retired exhausted, or fell dead, were filled by others impatiently waiting their turn to take part in the struggle. While the fighting continued the work went on also. Fresh galleries were continually being driven on both sides, and occasionally tremendous explosions took place as one party or the other sprung their mines; the shock sometimes bringing down the earth in passages far removed from the explosions, and burying the combatants beneath them; while yawning pits were formed where the explosions took place, and fragments of bodies cast high in the air. Many of the galleries were so narrow and low that no arms save daggers could be used, and men fought like wild beasts, grappling and rolling on the ground, while comrades with lanterns or torches stood behind waiting to spring upon each other as soon as the struggle terminated one way or the other.

For a fortnight this underground struggle continued, and then Don Frederick–finding that no ground was gained, and that the loss was so great that even his bravest soldiers were beginning to dread their turn to enter upon a conflict in which their military training went for nothing, and where so many hundreds of their comrades had perished–abandoned all hopes of springing a mine under the walls, and drew off his troops. A month had already elapsed since the repulse of the attack on the breach; and while the fight had been going on underground a steady fire had been kept up against a work called a ravelin, protecting the gate of the Cross. During this time letters had from time to time been brought into the town by carrier pigeons, the prince urging the citizens to persevere, and holding out hope of relief.

These promises were to some extent fulfilled on the 28th of January, when 400 veteran soldiers, bringing with them 170 sledges laden with powder and bread, crossed the frozen lake and succeeded in making their way into the city. The time was now at hand when the besieged foresaw that the ravelin of the Cross gate could not much longer be defended. But they had been making preparations for this contingency. All through the long nights of January the noncombatants, old men, women, and children, aided by such of the fighting men as were not worn out by their work on the walls or underground, laboured to construct a wall in the form of a half moon on the inside of the threatened point. None who were able to work were exempt, and none wished to be exempted, for the heroic spirit burned brightly in every heart in Haarlem.

Nightly Ned went down with his aunt and cousins and worked side by side with them. The houses near the new work were all levelled in order that the materials should be utilized for the construction of the wall, which was built of solid masonry. The small stones were carried by the children and younger girls in baskets, the heavier ones dragged on hand sledges by the men and women. Although constitutionally adverse to exertion, Frau Plomaert worked sturdily, and Ned was often surprised at her strength; for she dragged along without difficulty loaded sledges, which he was unable to move, throwing her weight on to the ropes that passed over her shoulders, and toiling backwards and forwards to and from the wall for hours, slowly but unflinchingly.

It seemed to Ned that under these exertions she visibly decreased in weight from day to day, and indeed the scanty supply of food upon which the work had to be done was ill calculated to support the strength of those engaged upon such fatiguing labour. For from the commencement of the siege the whole population had been rationed, all the provisions in the town had been handed over to the authorities for equal division, and every house, rich and poor, had been rigorously searched to see that none were holding back supplies for their private consumption. Many of the cattle and horses had been killed and salted down, and a daily distribution of food was made to each household according to the number of mouths it contained.

Furious at the successful manner in which the party had entered the town on the 28th of January, Don Frederick kept up for the next few days a terrible cannonade against the gates of the Cross and of St. John, and the wall connecting them. At the end of that time the wall was greatly shattered, part of St. John’s gate was in ruins, and an assault was ordered to take place at midnight. So certain was he of success that Don Frederick ordered the whole of his forces to be under arms opposite all the gates of the city, to prevent the population making their escape. A chosen body of troops were to lead the assault, and at midnight these advanced silently against the breach. The besieged had no suspicion that an attack was intended, and there were but some forty men, posted rather as sentries than guards, at the breach.

These, however, when the Spaniards advanced, gave the alarm, the watchers in the churches sounded the tocsins, and the sleeping citizens sprang from their beds, seized their arms, and ran towards the threatened point. Unawed by the overwhelming force advancing against them the sentries took their places at the top of the breach, and defended it with such desperation that they kept their assailants at bay until assistance arrived, when the struggle assumed a more equal character. The citizens defended themselves by the same means that had before proved successful, boiling oil and pitch, stones, flaming hoops, torches, and missiles of all kinds were hurled down by them upon the Spaniards, while the garrison defended the breach with sword and pike.

Until daylight the struggle continued, and Philip then ordered the whole of his force to advance to the assistance of the storming party. A tremendous attack was made upon the ravelin in front of the gate of the Cross. It was successful, and the Spaniards rushed exulting into the work, believing that the city was now at their mercy. Then, to their astonishment, they saw that they were confronted by the new wall, whose existence they had not even suspected. While they were hesitating a tremendous explosion took place. The citizens had undermined the ravelin and placed a store of powder there; and this was now fired, and the work flew into the air, with all the soldiers who had entered.

The retreat was sounded at once, and the Spaniards fell back to their camp, and thus a second time the burghers of Haarlem repulsed an assault by an overwhelming force under the best generals of Spain. The effect of these failures was so great that Don Frederick resolved not to risk another defeat, but to abandon his efforts to capture the city by sap or assault, and to resort to the slow but sure process of famine. He was well aware that the stock of food in the city was but small and the inhabitants were already suffering severely, and he thought that they could not hold out much longer.

But greatly as the inhabitants suffered, the misery of the army besieging them more than equalled their own. The intense cold rendered it next to impossible to supply so large a force with food; and small as were the rations of the inhabitants, they were at least as large and more regularly delivered than those of the troops. Moreover, the citizens who were not on duty could retire to their comfortable houses; while the besiegers had but tents to shelter them from the severity of the frosts. Cold and insufficient food brought with them a train of diseases, and great numbers of the soldiers died.

The cessation of the assaults tried the besieged even more than their daily conflicts had done, for it is much harder to await death in a slow and tedious form than to face it fighting. They could not fully realize the almost hopeless prospect. Ere long the frost would break up, and with it the chance of obtaining supplies or reinforcements across the frozen lake would be at an end.

It was here alone that they could expect succour, for they knew well enough that the prince could raise no army capable of cutting its way through the great beleaguering force. In vain did they attempt to provoke or anger the Spaniards into renewing their attacks. Sorties were constantly made. The citizens gathered on the walls, and with shouts and taunts of cowardice challenged the Spaniards to come on; they even went to the length of dressing themselves in the vestments of the churches, and contemptuously carrying the sacred vessels in procession, in hopes of infuriating the Spaniards into an attack. But Don Frederick and his generals were not to be moved from their purpose.

The soldiers, suffering as much as the besiegers, would gladly have brought matters to an issue one way or the other by again assaulting the walls; but their officers restrained them, assuring them that the city could not hold out long, and that they would have an ample revenge when the time came. Life in the city was most monotonous now. There was no stir of life or business; no one bought or sold; and except the men who went to take their turn as sentries on the wall, or the women who fetched the daily ration for the family from the magazines, there was no occasion to go abroad. Fuel was getting very scarce, and families clubbed together and gathered at each others houses by turns, so that one fire did for all.

But at the end of February their sufferings from cold came to an end, for the frost suddenly broke up; in a few days the ice on the lake disappeared, and spring set in. The remaining cattle were now driven out into the fields under the walls to gather food for themselves. Strong guards went with them, and whenever the Spaniards endeavoured to come down and drive them off, the citizens flocked out and fought so desperately that the Spaniards ceased to molest them; for as one of those present wrote, each captured bullock cost the lives of at least a dozen soldiers.

Don Frederick himself had long since become heartily weary of the siege, in which there was no honour to be gained, and which had already cost the lives of so large a number of his best soldiers. It did not seem to him that the capture of a weak city was worth the price that had to be paid for it, and he wrote to his father urging his views, and asking permission to raise the siege. But the duke thought differently, and despatched an officer to his son with this message: “Tell Don Frederick that if he be not decided to continue the siege until the town be taken, I shall no longer consider him my son. Should he fall in the siege I will myself take the field to maintain it, and when we have both perished, the duchess, my wife, shall come from Spain to do the same.”

Inflamed by this reply Don Frederick recommenced active operations, to the great satisfaction of the besieged. The batteries were reopened, and daily contests took place. One night under cover of a fog, a party of the besieged marched up to the principal Spanish battery, and attempted to spike the guns. Every one of them was killed round the battery, not one turning to fly. “The citizens,” wrote Don Frederick, “do as much as the best soldiers in the world could do.”

As soon as the frost broke up Count Bossu, who had been building a fleet of small vessels in Amsterdam, cut a breach through the dyke and entered the lake, thus entirely cutting off communications. The Prince of Orange on his part was building ships at the other end of the lake, and was doing all in his power for the relief of the city. He was anxiously waiting the arrival of troops from Germany or France, and doing his best with such volunteers as he could raise. These, however, were not numerous; for the Dutch, although ready to fight to the death for the defence of their own cities and families, had not yet acquired a national spirit, and all the efforts of the prince failed to induce them to combine for any general object.

His principal aim now was to cut the road along the dyke which connected Amsterdam with the country round it. Could he succeed in doing this, Amsterdam would be as completely cut off as was Haarlem, and that city, as well as the Spanish army, would speedily be starved out. Alva himself was fully aware of this danger, and wrote to the king: “Since I came into this world I have never been in such anxiety. If they should succeed in cutting off communication along the dykes we should have to raise the siege of Haarlem, to surrender, hands crossed, or to starve.”

The prince, unable to gather sufficient men for this attempt, sent orders to Sonoy, who commanded the small army in the north of Holland, to attack the dyke between the Diemar Lake and the Y, to open the sluices, and break through the dyke, by which means much of the country round Haarlem would be flooded. Sonoy crossed the Y in boats, seized the dyke, opened the sluices, and began the work of cutting it through. Leaving his men so engaged, Sonoy went to Edam to fetch up reinforcements. While he was away a large force from Amsterdam came up, some marching along the causeway and some in boats.

A fierce contest took place, the contending parties fighting partly in boats, partly on the slippery causeway, that was wide enough but for two men to stand abreast, partly in the water. But the number of the assailants was too great, and the Dutch, after fighting gallantly, lost heart and retired just as Sonoy, whose volunteers from Edam had refused to follow him, arrived alone in a little boat. He tried in vain to rally them, but was swept away by the rush of fugitives, many of whom were, however, able to gain their boats and make their retreat, thanks to the valour of John Haring of Horn, who took his station on the dyke, and, armed with sword and shield, actually kept in check a thousand of the enemy for a time long enough to have enabled the Dutch to rally had they been disposed to do so. But it was too late; and they had enough of fighting. However, he held his post until many had made good their retreat, and then, plunging into the sea, swam off to the boats and effected his escape. A braver feat of arms was never accomplished.

Some hundreds of the Dutch were killed or captured. All the prisoners were taken to the gibbets in the front of Haarlem, and hung, some by the neck and some by the heels, in view of their countrymen, while the head of one of their officers was thrown into the city. As usual this act of ferocity excited the citizens to similar acts. Two of the old board of magistrates belonging to the Spanish party, with several other persons, were hung, and the wife and daughter of one of them hunted into the water and drowned.

In the words of an historian, “Every man within and without Haarlem seemed inspired by a spirit of special and personal vengeance.” Many, however, of the more gentle spirits were filled with horror at these barbarities and the perpetual carnage going on. Captain Curey, for example, one of the bravest officers of the garrison, who had been driven to take up arms by the sufferings of his countrymen, although he had naturally a horror of bloodshed, was subject to fits of melancholy at the contemplation of these horrors. Brave in the extreme, he led his men in every sortie, in every desperate struggle. Fighting without defensive armour he was always in the thick of the battle, and many of the Spaniards fell before his sword. On his return he invariably took to his bed, and lay ill from remorse and compunction till a fresh summons for action arrived, when, seized by a sort of frenzy, he rose and led his men to fresh conflicts.

On the 25th of March a sally was made by a thousand of the besieged. They drove in all the Spanish outposts, killed eight hundred of the enemy, burnt three hundred tents, and captured seven cannons, nine standards, and many wagon loads of provisions, all of which they succeeded in bringing into the city.

The Duke of Alva, who had gone through nearly sixty years of warfare, wrote to the king that “never was a place defended with such skill and bravery as Haarlem,” and that “it was a war such as never before was seen or heard of in any land on earth.” Three veteran Spanish regiments now reinforced the besiegers, having been sent from Italy to aid in overcoming the obstinate resistance of the city. But the interest of the inhabitants was now centred rather on the lake than upon the Spanish camp. It was from this alone that they could expect succour, and it now swarmed with the Dutch and Spanish vessels, between whom there were daily contests.

On the 28th of May the two fleets met in desperate fight. Admiral Bossu had a hundred ships, most of considerable size. Martin Brand, who commanded the Dutch, had a hundred and fifty, but of much smaller size. The ships grappled with each other, and for hours a furious contest raged. Several thousands of men were killed on both sides, but at length weight prevailed and the victory was decided in favour of the Spaniards. Twenty-two of the Dutch vessels were captured and the rest routed. The Spanish fleet now sailed towards Haarlem, landed their crews, and joined by a force from the army, captured the forts the Dutch had erected and had hitherto held on the shore of the lake, and through which their scanty supplies had hitherto been received.

From the walls of the city the inhabitants watched the conflict, and a wail of despair rose from them as they saw its issue. They were now entirely cut off from all hope of succour, and their fate appeared to be sealed. Nevertheless they managed to send a message to the prince that they would hold out for three weeks longer in hopes that he might devise some plan for their relief, and carrier pigeons brought back word that another effort should be made to save them. But by this time the magazines were empty. Hitherto one pound of bread had been served out daily to each man and half a pound to each woman, and on this alone they had for many weeks subsisted; but the flour was now exhausted, and henceforth it was a battle with starvation.

Every living creature that could be used as food was slain and eaten. Grass and herbage of all kinds were gathered and cooked for food, and under cover of darkness parties sallied out from the gates to gather grass in the fields. The sufferings of the besieged were terrible. So much were they reduced by weakness that they could scarce drag themselves along the streets, and numbers died from famine.

During the time that the supply of bread was served out Ned had persuaded his aunt and the girls to put by a morsel of their food each day.

“It will be the only resource when the city surrenders,” he said. “For four or five days at least the girls must remain concealed, and during that time they must be fed. If they take in with them a jar of water and a supply of those crusts which they can eat soaked in the water, they can maintain life.”

And so each day, as long as the bread lasted, a small piece was put aside until a sufficient store was accumulated to last the two girls for a week. Soon after the daily issue ceased. Frau Plomaert placed the bag of crusts into Ned’s hands.

“Take it away and hide it somewhere,” she said; “and do not let me know where you have put it, or we shall assuredly break into it and use it before the time comes. I do not think now that, however great the pressure, we would touch those crusts; but there is no saying what we may do when we are gnawed by hunger. It is better, anyhow, to put ourselves out of the way of temptation.”

During the long weeks of June Ned found it hard to keep the precious store untouched. His aunt’s figure had shrunk to a shadow of her former self, and she was scarce able to cross the room. The girls’ cheeks were hollow and bloodless with famine, and although none of them ever asked him to break in upon the store, their faces pleaded more powerfully than any words could have done; and yet they were better off than many, for every night Ned either went out from the gates or let himself down by a rope from the wall and returned with a supply of grass and herbage.

It was fortunate for the girls that there was no necessity to go out of doors, for the sights there would have shaken the strongest. Men, women, and children fell dead by scores in the streets, and the survivors had neither strength nor heart to carry them away and bury them. On the 1st of July the burghers hung out a flag of truce, and deputies went out to confer with Don Frederick. The latter, however, would grant no terms whatever, and they returned to the city. Two days later a tremendous cannonade was opened upon the town, and the walls broken down in several places, but the Spaniards did not advance to the assault, knowing that the town could not hold out many days longer.

Two more parleys were held, but without result, and the black flag was hoisted upon the cathedral tower as a signal of despair; but soon afterwards a pigeon flew into the town with a letter from the prince, begging them to hold out for two days longer, as succour was approaching. The prince had indeed done all that was possible. He assembled the citizens of Delft in the marketplace, and said that if any troops could be gathered he would march in person at their head to the relief of the city. There were no soldiers to be obtained; but 4000 armed volunteers from the various Dutch cities assembled, and 600 mounted troops. The prince placed himself at their head, but the magistrates and burghers of the towns would not allow him to hazard a life so indispensable to the existence of Holland, and the troops themselves refused to march unless he abandoned his intention. He at last reluctantly consented, and handed over the command of the expedition to Baron Batenburg.

On the 8th of July at dusk the expedition set out from Sassenheim, taking with them four hundred wagon loads of provisions and seven cannon. They halted in the woods, and remained till midnight. Then they again marched forward, hoping to be able to surprise the Spaniards and make their way through before these could assemble in force. The agreement had been made that signal fires should be lighted, and that the citizens should sally out to assist the relieving force as it approached. Unfortunately two pigeons with letters giving the details of the intended expedition had been shot while passing over the Spanish camp, and the besiegers were perfectly aware of what was going to be done. Opposite the point at which the besieged were to sally out the Spaniards collected a great mass of green branches, pitch, and straw. Five thousand troops were stationed behind it, while an overwhelming force was stationed to attack the relieving army.

When night fell the pile of combustibles was lighted, and gave out so dense a smoke that the signal fires lighted by Batenburg were hidden from the townspeople. As soon as the column advanced from the wood they were attacked by an overwhelming force of the enemy. Batenburg was killed and his troops utterly routed, with the loss, according to the Dutch accounts, of from five to six hundred, but of many more according to Spanish statements. The besieged, ranged under arms, heard the sound of the distant conflict, but as they had seen no signal fires believed that it was only a device of the Spaniards to tempt them into making a sally, and it was not until morning, when Don Frederick sent in a prisoner with his nose and ears cut off to announce the news, that they knew that the last effort to save them had failed.

The blow was a terrible one, and there was great commotion in the town. After consultation the garrison and the able bodied citizens resolved to issue out in a solid column, and to cut their way through the enemy or perish. It was thought that if the women, the helpless, and infirm alone remained in the city they would be treated with greater mercy after all the fighting men had been slain. But as soon as this resolution became known the women and children issued from the houses with loud cries and tears. The burghers were unable to withstand their entreaties that all should die together, and it was then resolved that the fighting men should be formed into a hollow square, in which the women, children, sick, and aged should be gathered, and so to sally out, and either win a way through the camp or die together.

But the news of this resolve reached the ears of Don Frederick. He knew now what the burghers of Haarlem were capable of, and thought that they would probably fire the city before they left, and thus leaving nothing but a heap of ashes as a trophy of his victory. He therefore sent a letter to the magistrates, in the name of Count Overstein, commander of the German forces in the besieging army, giving a solemn assurance that if they surrendered at discretion no punishment should be inflicted except upon those who, in the judgment of the citizens themselves, had deserved it.

At the moment of sending the letter Don Frederick was in possession of strict orders from his father not to leave a man alive of the garrison, with the exception of the Germans, and to execute a large number of the burghers. On the receipt of this letter the city formally surrendered on the 10th of July. The great bell was tolled, and orders were issued that all arms should be brought to the town hall, that the women should assemble in the cathedral and the men in the cloister of Zyl. Then Don Frederick with his staff rode into the city. The scene which met their eyes was a terrible one. Everywhere were ruins of houses which had been set on fire by the Spanish artillery, the pavement had been torn up to repair the gaps in the walls, unburied bodies of men and women were scattered about the streets, while those still alive were mere shadows scarcely able to maintain their feet.

No time was lost in commencing the massacre. All the officers were at once put to death. The garrison had been reduced during the siege from 4000 to 1800. Of these the Germans–600 in number–were allowed to depart. The remaining 1200 were immediately butchered, with at least as many of the citizens. Almost every citizen distinguished by service, station, or wealth was slaughtered, and from day to day five executioners were kept constantly at work. The city was not sacked, the inhabitants agreeing to raise a great sum of money as a ransom.

As soon as the surrender was determined upon, Ned helped his cousins into the refuge prepared for them, passed in the bread and water, walled up the hole and whitewashed it, his aunt being too weak to render any assistance. Before they entered he opened the bag and took out a few crusts.

“You must eat something now, aunt,” he said. “It may be a day or two before any food is distributed, and it is no use holding on so long to die of hunger when food is almost in sight. There is plenty in the bag to last the girls for a week. You must eat sparingly, girls,–not because there is not enough food, but because after fasting so long it is necessary for you at first to take food in very small quantities.”

The bread taken out was soaked, and it swelled so much in the water that it made much more than he had expected. He therefore divided it in half, and a portion made an excellent meal for Ned and his aunt, the remaining being carefully put by for the following day.

An hour or two after eating the meal Frau Plomaert felt so much stronger that she was able to obey the order to go up to the cathedral. Ned went with the able bodied men to the cloisters. The Spaniards soon came among them, and dragged off numbers of those whom they thought most likely to have taken a prominent part in the fighting, to execution. As they did not wish others from whom money could be wrung to escape from their hands, they presently issued some food to the remainder. The women, after remaining for some hours in the cathedral, were suffered to depart to their homes, for their starving condition excited the compassion even of the Spaniards; and the atrocities which had taken place at the sacks of Mechlin, Zutphen and Naarden, were not repeated in Haarlem.

The next day the men were also released; not from any ideas of mercy, but in order that when they returned to their homes the work of picking out the better class for execution could be the more easily carried on. For three days longer the girls remained in their hiding, and were then allowed to come out, as Ned felt now that the danger of general massacre was averted.

“Now, Ned,” his aunt said, “you must stay here no longer. Every day we hear proclamations read in the streets that all sheltering refugees and others not belonging to the town will be punished with death; and, as you know, every stranger caught has been murdered.”

This they had heard from some of the neighbours. Ned himself had not stirred out since he returned from the cloisters; for his aunt had implored him not to do so, as it would only be running useless risk.

“I hear,” she went on, “that they have searched many houses for fugitives, and it is probable the hunt may become even more strict; therefore I think, Ned, that for our sake as well as your own you had better try to escape.”

“I quite agree with you, aunt. Now that the worst is over, and I know that you and the girls are safe, no good purpose could be served by my staying; and being both a stranger and one who has fought here, I should certainly be killed if they laid hands on me. As to escaping, I do not think there can be any difficulty about that. I have often let myself down from the walls, and can do so again; and although there is a strict watch kept at the gates to prevent any leaving until the Spaniards’ thirst for blood is satisfied, there can be no longer any vigilant watch kept up by the troops encamped outside, and I ought certainly to be able to get through them at night. It will be dark in a couple of hours, and as soon as it is so I will be off.”

The girls burst into tears at the thought of Ned’s departure. During the seven long months the siege had lasted he had been as a brother to them–keeping up their spirits by his cheerfulness, looking after their safety, and as far as possible after their comfort, and acting as the adviser and almost as the head of the house. His aunt was almost equally affected, for she had come to lean entirely upon him and to regard him as a son.

“It is best that it should be so, Ned; but we shall all miss you sorely. It may be that I shall follow your advice and come over to England on a long visit. Now that I know you so well it will not seem like going among strangers, as it did before; for although I met your father and mother whenever they came over to Vordwyk, I had not got to know them as I know you. I shall talk the matter over with my father. Of course everything depends upon what is going to happen in Holland.”

Ned did not tell his aunt that her father had been one of the first dragged out from the cloisters for execution, and that her sister, who kept house for him, had died three days previous to the surrender. His going away was grief enough for her for one day, and he turned the conversation to other matters until night fell, when, after a sad parting, he made his way to the walls, having wound round his waist the rope by which he had been accustomed to lower himself.

The executions in Haarlem continued for two days after he had left, and then the five executioners were so weary of slaying that the three hundred prisoners who still remained for execution were tied back to back and thrown into the lake.

It was fortunate for Ned that the watch round the city had relaxed greatly when he started from it. The soldiers were discontented at the arrangement that had been made for the city to pay an immense sum of money to escape a general sack. They were all many months in arrear of their pay. They had suffered during the siege, and they now considered themselves to be cheated of their fair reward. The sum paid by the city would go into the hands of the duke; and although the soldiers were promised a share of the prize money, the duke’s necessities were so great that it was probable little of the money would find its way into the hands of the troops.

A sack upon the other hand was looked upon as a glorious lottery. Every one was sure to gain something. Many would obtain most valuable prizes of money or jewelry. No sooner, therefore, had Haarlem surrendered than a mutinous spirit began to show itself among the troops; they became slack in obeying the orders of their officers, refused to perform their duties, and either gathered in bodies to discuss their wrongs or sulked in their tents. Thus the work of keeping a vigilant watch round the walls by night, to prevent the escape of the victims selected to satiate the vengeance of Don Frederick, was greatly relaxed.

After lowering himself from the walls Ned proceeded with great caution. On reaching the spot where he expected to meet with a cordon of sentries, he was surprised at finding everything still and quiet. Unaware of the state of things in the camp, and suspecting that some device had perhaps been hit upon with the view of inducing men to try to escape from the city, he redoubled his precautions, stopping every few paces to listen for the calls of the sentries, or a heavy tread, or the clash of arms. All was silent, and he continued his course until close to the camps of some of the German regiments. Incredible as it seemed to him, it was now evident that no sentries had been posted. He saw great fires blazing in the camps, and a large number of men standing near one of them; they were being addressed by a soldier standing upon a barrel.

Keeping in the shadow of the tents, Ned made his way close up to the group, and the similarity of the German language to the Dutch enabled him to gather without difficulty the meaning of the speaker’s words. He was recounting to the soldiers the numberless toils and hardships through which they had passed in the service of Spain, and the ingratitude with which they were treated.

“They pretend they have no money!” he exclaimed, “it is not true. Spain has the wealth of the Indies at her back, and yet she grudges us our pay for the services we have faithfully rendered her. Why should we throw away our lives for Spain? What do we care whether she is mistress of this wretched country or not? Let us resolve, brethren, to be moved neither by entreaties or threats, but to remain fast to the oath we and our Spanish comrades have sworn, that we will neither march a foot nor lift an arm until we have received our pay; and not only our pay, but our share of the booty they have stolen from us.”

The shouts of approval that greeted the speech showed that the speaker’s audience was thoroughly in accord with him. Ned waited to hear no further orations, he understood now the withdrawal of the sentries. It was another of the mutinies that had so frequently broken out among the Spanish forces in the Netherlands. Making his way out through the other side of the camp he proceeded on his journey. The news was important, for if the mutiny continued it would give the Prince of Orange time to prepare for the forward march of the enemy. He passed several other camps, but observed everywhere the same slackness of discipline and the absence of military precaution.

All night he pushed forward without stopping, and as soon as the gates of Leyden were opened he entered. Upon inquiring he found that the prince was at Delft, and hiring a horse he at once rode there. The prince received him with real pleasure.

“And so you have escaped safe and sound from the siege, Master Martin? Truly your good fortune is wonderful. I am glad indeed to see you. Tell me how goes it in Haarlem. Rumours reached me that there, as at other towns, they have broken their oaths, and are massacring the whole population.”

“It is not so bad as that, sir,” Ned replied. “They have put to death numbers of the principal citizens and all refugees they could discover in the city, but there has been no regular sack. The women have not been ill treated, and although five executioners were kept busily at work there has been nothing like a general massacre.”

“Thank God for that,” the prince said piously. “That has eased my mind. I feared that the horrors of Zutphen and Naarden had been re-enacted.”

“I have another piece of good news to give you, sir. As I passed through their camps, I learned that all the troops, German as well as Spanish, are in open mutiny, and have sworn that they will neither march nor fight until they receive all arrears of pay.”

“That is good news indeed!” the prince exclaimed. “It will give us breathing time, of which we are sadly in need. Were the Spaniards to march forward now, they could sweep over Holland, for I could not put a thousand men in the field to withstand them. And now, Master Martin, what shall I do for you? You have received as yet no reward whatever for the great service you rendered us by the successful carrying out of your mission to Brussels, to say nothing of the part you have borne in the defence of Haarlem. I know that you joined us from pure love of our cause and hatred of Spanish tyranny, still that is no reason why I should not recognize your services. If you would like it, I would gladly appoint you to the command of a company of volunteers.”

“I thank you greatly, your highness,” replied Ned; “but I am far too young to command men, and pray that you will allow me to remain near your person, and to perform such service as you may think me capable of.”

“If that be your wish, it shall be so for the present,” the prince replied; “and it is pleasant to me in these days, when almost every noble in the Netherlands puts a price on his services, and when even the cities bargain for every crown piece they advance, to find one who wants nothing. But now you need rest. When I am more at leisure you shall furnish me with further details of what took place inside Haarlem during the siege.”

The long defence of Haarlem, the enormous expenditure which it had cost, both in money and life, for no less than 10,000 soldiers had fallen in the assault or by disease, induced Alva to make another attempt to win back the people of Holland, and three days after Ned’s return a proclamation was sent to every town.

He adopted an affectionate tone: “Ye are well aware,” began the address, “that the king has over and over again manifested his willingness to receive his children, in however forlorn a condition the prodigals might return. His majesty assures you once more that your sins, however black they may have been, shall be forgiven and forgotten in the plentitude of royal kindness, if you will repent and return in season to his majesty’s embrace. Notwithstanding your manifold crimes, his majesty still seeks, like a hen calling her chickens, to gather you all under the parental wing.”

This portion of the document, which was by the order of the magistrates affixed to the doors of the town halls, was received with shouts of laughter by the citizens, and many were the jokes as to the royal hen and the return of the prodigals. The conclusion of the document afforded a little further insight into the affectionate disposition of the royal bird. “If,” continued the proclamation, “ye disregard these offers of mercy, and receive them with closed ears as heretofore, then we warn you that there is no rigour or cruelty, however great, which you are not to expect, by laying waste, starvation, and the sword. In such manner that nowhere shall remain a relic of that which at present exists, but his majesty will strip bare and utterly depopulate the land, and cause it to be inhabited again by strangers, since otherwise his majesty would not believe that the will of God and of his majesty had been accomplished.”

This proclamation produced no effect whatever; for the people of Holland were well aware that Philip of Spain would never grant that religious toleration for which they were fighting, and they knew also that no reliance whatever could be placed in Spanish promises or oaths. For a month Alva was occupied in persuading the troops to return to their duty, and at last managed to raise a sufficient sum of money to pay each man a portion of the arrears due to him, and a few crowns on account of his share of the ransom paid by Haarlem. During this breathing time the Prince of Orange was indefatigable in his endeavours to raise a force capable of undertaking the relief of such towns as the Spanish might invest.

This, however, he found well nigh impossible. The cities were all ready to defend themselves, but in spite of the danger that threatened they were chary in the extreme in contributing money for the common cause, nor would the people enlist for service in the field. Nothing had occurred to shake the belief in the invincibility of the Spanish soldiery in fair fight in the open, and the disasters which had befallen the bodies of volunteers who had endeavoured to relieve Haarlem, effectually deterred others from following their example. The prince’s only hope, therefore, of being able to put a force into the field, rested upon his brother Louis, who was raising an army of mercenaries in Germany.

He had little assurance, however, that relief would come from this quarter, as the two armies he had himself raised in Germany had effected absolutely nothing. His efforts to raise a fleet were more successful. The hardy mariners of Zeeland were ready to fight on their own element, and asked nothing better than to meet the Spaniards at sea. Nevertheless the money had to be raised for the purchase of vessels, stores, artillery, and ammunition. Ned was frequently despatched by the prince with letters to magistrates of the chief towns, to nobles and men of influence, and always performed his duties greatly to the prince’s satisfaction.

As soon as the Duke of Alva had satisfied the troops, preparations began for a renewal of hostilities, and the prince soon learnt that it was intended that Don Frederick should invade Northern Holland with 16,000 men, and that the rest of the army, which had lately received further reinforcements, should lay siege to Leyden. The prince felt confident that Leyden could resist for a time, but he was very anxious as to the position of things in North Holland. In the courage and ability of Sonoy, the Lieutenant Governor of North Holland, the prince had entire confidence; but it was evident by the tone of his letters that he had lost all hope of being able to defend the province, and altogether despaired of the success of their cause. He had written in desponding tones at the utterly insufficient means at his disposal for meeting the storm that was about to burst upon the province, and had urged that unless the prince had a good prospect of help, either from France or England, it was better to give up the struggle, than to bring utter destruction upon the whole people.

The letter in which the prince answered him has been preserved, and well illustrates the lofty tones of his communications in this crisis of the fate of Holland. He reprimanded with gentle but earnest eloquence the despondency and want of faith of his lieutenant and other adherents. He had not expected, he said, that they would have so soon forgotten their manly courage. They seemed to consider the whole fate of the country attached to the city of Haarlem. He took God to witness that he had spared no pains, and would willingly have spared no drop of his blood to save that devoted city.

“But as, notwithstanding our efforts,” he continued, “it has pleased God Almighty to dispose of Haarlem according to His divine will, shall we, therefore, deny and deride His holy word? Has His church, therefore, come to nought? You ask if I have entered into a firm treaty with any great king or potentate, to which I answer that before I ever took up the cause of the oppressed Christians in these provinces I had entered into a close alliance with the King of kings; and I am firmly convinced that all who put their trust in Him shall be saved by His Almighty hand. The God of armies will raise up armies for us to do battle with our enemies and His own.”

In conclusion he detailed his preparations for attacking the enemy by sea as well as by land, and encouraged his lieutenant and the population of the northern province to maintain a bold front before the advancing foe. That Sonoy would do his best the prince was sure; but he knew how difficult it is for one who himself regards resistance as hopeless to inspire enthusiasm in others, and he determined to send a message to cheer the people of North Holland, and urge them to resist to the last, and to intrust it to one who could speak personally as to the efforts that were being made for their assistance, and who was animated by a real enthusiasm in the cause.

It was an important mission; but after considering the various persons of his household, he decided to intrust it to the lad who had showed such courage and discretion in his dangerous mission to Brussels. A keen observer of character, the prince felt that he could trust the young fellow absolutely to do his best at whatever risk to himself. He had believed when he first joined him that Ned was some eighteen years of age, and the year that had since elapsed with its dangers and responsibilities had added two or three years to his appearance.

It was the fashion in Holland to entirely shave the face, and Ned’s smooth cheeks were therefore no sign of youth. Standing over the average height of the natives of Holland, with broad shoulders and well set figure, he might readily pass as a man of three or four and twenty. The prince accordingly sent for the lad.

“I have another mission for you, Master Martin; and again a dangerous one. The Spaniards are on the point of marching to lay siege to Alkmaar, and I wish a message carried to the citizens, assuring them that they may rely absolutely upon my relieving them by breaking down the dykes. I wish you on this occasion to be more than a messenger. In these despatches I have spoken of you as one, Captain Martin, who possesses my fullest confidence. You would as you say be young to be a captain of a company of fighting men, but as an officer attached to my household you can bear that rank as well as another.

“It will be useful, and will add to your influence and authority, and I have therefore appointed you to the grade of captain, of which by your conduct you have proved yourself to be worthy. Your mission is to encourage the inhabitants to resist to the last, to rouse them to enthusiasm if you can, to give them my solemn promise that they shall not be deserted, and to assure them that if I cannot raise a force sufficient to relieve them I will myself come round and superintend the operation of cutting the dykes and laying the whole country under water. I do not know whether you will find the lieutenant governor in the city, but at any rate he will not remain there during the siege, as he has work outside. But I shall give you a letter recommending you to him, and ask him to give you his warmest support.”

The prince then took off the gold chain he wore round his neck, and placed it upon Ned. “I give you this in the first place, Captain Martin, in token of my esteem and of my gratitude for the perilous service you have already rendered; and secondly, as a visible mark of my confidence in you, and as a sign that I have intrusted you with authority to speak for me. Going as you now do, it will be best for you to assume somewhat more courtly garments in order to do credit to your mission. I have given orders that these shall be prepared for you, and that you shall be provided with a suit of armour, such as a young noble would wear. All will be prepared for you this afternoon. At six o’clock a ship will be in readiness to sail, and this will land you on the coast at the nearest point to Alkmaar. Should any further point occur to you before evening, speak to me freely about it.”

Ned retired depressed rather than elated at the confidence the prince reposed in him, and at the rank and dignity he had bestowed upon him. He questioned, too, whether he had not done wrong in not stating at once when the prince had, on his first joining him, set down his age at over eighteen, that he was two years under that age, and he hesitated whether he ought not even now to go to him and state the truth. He would have done so had he not known how great were the labours of the prince, and how incessantly he was occupied, and so feared to upset his plans and cause him fresh trouble.

“Anyhow,” he said to himself at last, “I will do my best; and I could do no more if I were nineteen instead of seventeen. The prince has chosen me for this business, not because of my age, but because he thought I could carry it out; and carry it out I will, if it be in my power.”

In the afternoon a clothier arrived with several suits of handsome material and make, out of sober colours, such as a young man of good family would wear, and an armourer brought him a morion and breast and back pieces of steel, handsomely inlaid with gold. When he was alone he attired himself in the quietest of his new suits, and looking at himself in the mirror burst into a fit of hearty laughter.

“What in the world would my father and mother and the girls say were they to see me pranked out in such attire as this? They would scarce know me, and I shall scarce know myself for some time. However, I think I shall be able to play my part as the prince’s representative better in these than I should have done in the dress I started in last time, or in that I wore on board the Good Venture.”

At five o’clock Ned paid another visit to the prince, and thanked him heartily for his kindness towards him, and then received a few last instructions. On his return to his room he found a corporal and four soldiers at the door. The former saluted.

“We have orders, Captain Martin, to place ourselves under your command for detached duty. Our kits are already on board the ship; the men will carry down your mails if they are packed.”

“I only take that trunk with me,” Ned said, pointing to the one that contained his new clothes; “and there is besides my armour, and that brace of pistols.”

Followed by the corporal and men, Ned now made his way down to the port, where the captain of the little vessel received him with profound respect. As soon as they were on board the sails were hoisted, and the vessel ran down the channel from Delft through the Hague to the sea. On the following morning they anchored soon after daybreak. A boat was lowered, and Ned and the soldiers landed on the sandy shore. Followed by them he made his way over the high range of sand hills facing the sea, and then across the low cultivated country extending to Alkmaar. He saw parties of men and women hurrying northward along the causeways laden with goods, and leading in most instances horses or donkeys, staggering under the weights placed upon them.

“I think we are but just in time, corporal. The population of the villages are evidently fleeing before the advance of the Spaniards. Another day and we should have been too late to get into the town.”

Alkmaar had been in sight from the time they had crossed the dunes, and after walking five miles they arrived at its gates.

“Is the lieutenant governor in the town?” Ned asked one of the citizens.

“Yes, he is still here,” the man said. “You will find him at the town hall.”

There was much excitement in the streets. Armed burghers were standing in groups, women were looking anxiously from doors and casements; but Ned was surprised to see no soldiers about, although he knew that the eight hundred whom the prince had despatched as a garrison must have arrived there some days before. On arriving at the town hall he found the general seated at table. In front of him were a group of elderly men whom he supposed to be the leading citizens, and it was evident by the raised voices and angry looks, both of the old officer and of the citizens, that there was some serious difference of opinion between them.

“Whom have we here?” Sonoy asked as Ned approached the table.

“I am a messenger, sir, from the prince. I bear these despatches to yourself, and have also letters and messages from him to the citizens of Alkmaar.”

“You come at a good season,” the governor said shortly, taking the despatches, “and if anything you can say will soften the obstinacy of these good people here, you will do them and me a service.”

There was silence for a few minutes as the governor read the letter Ned had brought him.

“My good friends,” he said at last to the citizens, “this is Captain Martin, an officer whom the prince tells me stands high in his confidence. He bore part in the siege of Haarlem, and has otherwise done great service to the state; the prince commends him most highly to me and to you. He has sent him here in the first place to assure you fully of the prince’s intentions on your behalf. He will especially represent the prince during the siege, and from his knowledge of the methods of defence at Haarlem, of the arrangements for portioning out the food and other matters, he will be able to give you valuable advice and assistance. As you are aware, I ride in an hour to Enkhuizen in order to superintend the general arrangement for the defence of the province, and especially for affording you aid, and I am glad to leave behind me an officer who is so completely in the confidence of the prince. He will first deliver the messages with which he is charged to you, and then we will hear what he says as to this matter which is in dispute between us.”

The passage of Ned with his escort through the street had attracted much attention, and the citizens had followed him into the hall in considerable numbers to hear the message of which he was no doubt the bearer. Ned took his place by the side of the old officer, and facing the crowd began to speak. At other times he would have been diffident in addressing a crowded audience, but he felt that he must justify the confidence imposed on him, and knowing the preparations that were being made by the prince, and his intense anxiety that Alkmaar should resist to the end, he began without hesitation, and speedily forgot himself in the importance of the subject.

“Citizens of Alkmaar,” he began, “the prince has sent me specially to tell you what there is in his mind concerning you, and how his thoughts, night and day, have been turned towards your city. Not only the prince, but all Holland are turning their eyes towards you, and none doubt that you will show yourselves as worthy, as faithful, and as steadfast as have the citizens of Haarlem. You fight not for glory, but for your liberty, for your religion, for the honour and the lives of those dear to you; and yet your glory and your honour will be great indeed if this little city of yours should prove the bulwark of Holland, and should beat back from its walls the power of Spain. The prince bids me tell you that he is doing all he can to collect an army and a fleet.

“In the latter respect he is succeeding well. The hardy seamen of Holland and Zeeland are gathering round him, have sworn that they will clear the Zuider Zee of the Spaniards or die in the attempt. As to the army, it is, as you know, next to impossible to gather one capable of coping with the host of Spain in the field; but happily you need not rely solely upon an army to save you in your need. Here you have an advantage over your brethren of Haarlem. There it was impossible to flood the land round the city; and the dykes by which the food supply of the Spaniards could have been cut off were too strongly guarded to be won, even when your noble governor himself led his forces against them.

“But it is not so here. The dykes are far away, and the Spaniards cannot protect them. Grievous as it is to the prince to contemplate the destruction of the rich country your fathers have won from the sea, he bids me tell you that he will not hesitate; but that, as a last resource, he pledges himself that he will lay the country under water and drown out the Spaniards to save you. They have sworn, as you know, to turn Holland into a desert–to leave none alive in her cities and villages. Well, then; better a thousand times that we should return it to the ocean from which we won it, and that then, having cast out the Spaniards, we should renew the labours of our fathers, and again recover it from the sea.”

A shout of applause rang through the hall.

“But this,” Ned went on, “is the last resource, and will not be taken until nought else can be done to save you. It is for you, first, to show the Spaniards how the men of Holland can fight for their freedom, their religion, their families, and their homes. Then, when you have done all that men can do, the prince will prove to the Spaniards that the men of Holland will lay their country under water rather than surrender.”

“Does this prince solemnly bind himself to do this?” one of the elder burghers asked.

“He does; and here is his promise in black and white, with his seal attached.”

“We will retire, and let you have our answer in half an hour.”

Ned glanced at the governor, who shook his head slightly.

“What! is there need of deliberation?” Ned asked in a voice that was heard all over the hall. “To you, citizens at large, I appeal. Of what use is it now to deliberate? Have you not already sent a defiant answer to Alva? Are not his troops within a day’s march of you? Think you that, even if you turn traitors to your country and to your prince, and throw open the gates, it would save you now? Did submission save Naarden? How many of you, think you, would survive the sack? and for those who did so, what would life be worth? They would live an object of reproach and scoffing among all true Hollanders, as the men of the city who threatened what they dared not perform, who were bold while Alva was four days’ march away, but who cowered like children when they saw the standards of Spain approaching their walls. I appeal to you, is this a time to hesitate or discuss? I ask you now, in the name of the prince, are you true men or false? Are you for Orange or Alva? What is your answer?”

A tremendous shout shook the hall.

“We will fight to the death! No surrender! Down with the council!” and there were loud and threatening shouts against some of the magistrates. The governor now rose:

“My friends,” he said, “I rejoice to hear your decision; and now there is no time for idle talk. Throw open the gates, and call in the troops whom the prince has sent to your aid, and whom your magistrates have hitherto refused to admit. Choose from among yourselves six men upon whom you can rely to confer with me and with the officer commanding the troops. Choose good and worshipful men, zealous in the cause. I will see before I leave today that your magistracy is strengthened. You need now men of heart and action at your head. Captain Martin, who has been through the siege of Haarlem, will deliberate with twelve citizens whom I will select as to the steps to be taken for gathering the food into magazines for the public use, for issuing daily rations, for organizing the women as well as the men for such work as they are fit. There is much to be done, and but little time to do it, for tomorrow the Spaniard will be in front of your walls.”

In an hour’s time the 800 troops marched in from Egmont Castle and Egmont Abbey, where they had been quartered while the citizens were wavering between resistance and submission. Four of the citizens, who had already been told off for the purpose, met them at the gate and allotted them quarters in the various houses. Governor Sonoy was already in deliberation with the six men chosen by the townspeople to represent them. He had at once removed from the magistracy an equal number of those who had been the chief opponents of resistance; for here, as in other towns, the magistrates had been appointed by the Spaniards.

Ned was busy conferring with the committee, and explaining to them the organization adopted at Haarlem. He pointed out that it was a first necessity that all the men capable of bearing arms should be divided into companies of fifty, each of which should select its own captain and lieutenant; that the names of the women should be inscribed, with their ages, that the active and able bodied should be divided into companies for carrying materials to the walls, and aiding in the defence when a breach was attacked; and that the old and feeble should be made useful in the hospitals and for such other work as their powers admitted. All children were to join the companies to which their mothers belonged, and to help as far as they could in their work. Having set these matters in train, Ned rejoined the governor.

“I congratulate you, Captain Martin, upon the service you have rendered today. Your youth and enthusiasm have succeeded where my experience failed. You believe in the possibility of success, and thus your words had a ring and fervour which were wanting in mine, fearing as I do, that the cause is a lost one. I wondered much when you first presented yourself that the prince should have given his confidence to one so young. I wonder no longer. The prince never makes a mistake in his instruments, and he has chosen well this time.

“I leave the city tonight, and shall write to the prince from Enkhuizen telling him how you have brought the citizens round to a sense of their duty; and that whereas, at the moment of your arrival I believed the magistrates would throw open the gates tomorrow, I am now convinced the city will resist till the last. In military matters the officer in command of the troops will of course take the direction of things; but in all other matters you, as the prince’s special representative, will act as adviser of the burghers. I wish I could stay here and share in the perils of the siege. It would be far more suitable to my disposition than arguing with pig headed burghers, and trying to excite their enthusiasm when my own hopes have all but vanished.”

The officer commanding the garrison now entered, and the governor introduced Ned to him.

“You will find in Captain Martin, one who is in the prince’s confidence, and has been sent here as his special representative, an able coadjutor. He will organize the citizens as they were organized at Haarlem; and while you are defending the walls he will see that all goes on in good order in the town, that there is no undue waste in provisions, that the breaches are repaired as fast as made, that the sick and wounded are well cared for, and that the spirits of the townspeople are maintained.”

“That will indeed be an assistance,” the officer said courteously. “These details are as necessary as the work of fighting; and it is impossible for one man to attend to them and to see to his military work.”

“I shall look to you, sir, for your aid and assistance,” Ned said modestly. “The prince is pleased to have a good opinion of me; but I am young, and shall find the responsibility a very heavy one, and can only hope to maintain my authority by the aid of your assistance.”

“I think not that you will require much aid, Captain Martin,” the governor said. “I marked you when you were speaking, and doubt not that your spirit will carry you through all difficulties.” That night was a busy one in Alkmaar. Few thought of sleeping, and before morning the lists were all prepared, the companies mustered, officers chosen, posts on the walls assigned to them, and every man, woman, and child in Alkmaar knew the nature of the duties they would be called upon to perform. Just before midnight the governor left.

“Farewell, young man,” he said to Ned; “I trust that we may meet again. Now that I have got rid of the black sheep among the magistracy I feel more hopeful as to the success of the defence.”

“But may I ask, sir, why you did not dismiss them before?”

“Ah! you hardly know the burghers of these towns,” Sonoy said, shaking his head. “They stand upon their rights and privileges, and if you touch their civic officers they are like a swarm of angry bees. Governor of North Holland as I am, I could not have interfered with the magistracy even of this little town. It was only because at the moment the people were roused to enthusiasm, and because they regarded you as the special representative of the prince, that I was able to do so. Now that the act is done they are well content with the change, especially as I have appointed the men they themselves chose to the vacant places. It was the same thing at Enkhuizen–I could do nothing; and it was only when Sainte Aldegonde came with authority from the prince himself that we were able to get rid of Alva’s creatures. Well, I must ride away. The Spaniards are encamped about six miles away, and you may expect to see them soon after daybreak.”

It was indeed early in the morning that masses of smoke were seen rising from the village of Egmont, telling the citizens of Alkmaar that the troopers of Don Frederick had arrived. Alkmaar was but a small town, and when every man capable of bearing arms was mustered they numbered only about 1300, besides the 800 soldiers. It was on the 21st of August that Don Frederick with 16,000 veteran troops appeared before the walls of the town, and at once proceeded to invest it, and accomplished this so thoroughly that Alva wrote, “It is impossible for a sparrow to enter or go out of the city.” There was no doubt what the fate of the inhabitants would be if the city were captured. The duke was furious that what he considered his extraordinary clemency in having executed only some 2400 persons at the surrender of Haarlem should not have been met with the gratitude it deserved.

“If I take Alkmaar,” he wrote to the king, “I am resolved not to leave a single person alive; the knife shall be put to every throat. Since the example of Haarlem has proved to be of no use, perhaps an example of cruelty will bring the other cities to their senses.”

Within the little town of Alkmaar all went on quietly. While the Spaniards constructed their lines of investment and mounted their batteries, the men laboured continually at strengthening their walls, the women and children carried materials, all the food was collected in magazines, and rations served out regularly. A carpenter named Peter Van der Mey managed to make his way out of the city a fortnight after the investment began with letters to the Prince and Sonoy, giving the formal consent of all within the walls for the cutting of the dykes when it should be necessary; for, according to the laws of Holland, a step that would lead to so enormous a destruction of property could not be undertaken, even in the most urgent circumstances, without the consent of the population.

At daybreak on the 18th of September a heavy cannonade was opened against the walls, and after twelve hours’ fire two breaches were made. Upon the following morning two of the best Spanish regiments which had just arrived from Italy led the way to the assault, shouting and cheering as they went, and confident of an easy victory. They were followed by heavy masses of troops.

Now Ned was again to see what the slow and somewhat apathetic Dutch burghers could do when fairly roused to action. Every man capable of bearing a weapon was upon the walls, and not even in Haarlem was an attack received with more coolness and confidence. As the storming parties approached they were swept by artillery and musketry, and as they attempted to climb the breaches, boiling water, pitch and oil, molten lead and unslaked lime were poured upon them. Hundreds of tarred and blazing hoops were skilfully thrown on to their necks, and those who in spite of these terrible missiles mounted the breach, 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 ever brought up and pressing forward, wild with rage at their repulses by so small a number of defenders. But each was in turn hurled back. For four hours the desperate fight continued. The women and children showed a calmness equal to that of the men, moving backwards and forwards between the magazines and the ramparts with supplies of missiles and ammunition to the combatants. At nightfall the Spaniards desisted from the attack and fell back to their camp, leaving a thousand dead behind them; while only twenty-four of the garrison 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 looked down into the city–only some plain looking people, generally dressed like fishermen. The cannonade was renewed on the following morning, and after 700 shots had been fired and the breaches enlarged, a fresh assault was ordered. But the troops absolutely refused to advance. It seemed to them that the devil, whom they believed the Protestants worshipped, had protected the city, otherwise how could a handful of townsmen and fishermen have defeated the invincible soldiers 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 this did not intimidate the rest into submission, and the assault was in consequence postponed. Already, indeed, there was considerable uneasiness in the Spanish camp. Governor Sonoy had opened many of the dykes, and the ground in the neighbourhood of the camp was already feeling soft and boggy. It needed but that two great dykes should be pierced to spread inundation over the whole country. The carpenter who had soon after the commencement of the siege carried out the despatches had again made his way back. He was the bearer of the copy of a letter sent from the prince to Sonoy, ordering him to protect the dykes and sluices with strong guards, lest the peasants, in order to save their crops, should repair the breaches. He was directed to flood the whole country at all risks rather than to allow Alkmaar to fall. The prince directed the citizens to kindle four great beacon fires as soon as it should prove necessary to resort to extreme measures, and solemnly promised that as soon as the signal was given an inundation should be created which would sweep 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 Spanish camp he could repeat them by word of mouth to the citizens. This was exactly what happened. The despatches were concealed in a hollow stick, and this stick the carpenter, in carrying out his perilous undertaking, lost. As it turned out it was fortunate that he did so. The stick was picked up in the camp and discovered to be hollow. It was carried to Don Frederick, who read the despatches, and at once called his officers together.

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

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

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

On the day when the Spaniards were seen to be breaking up their camps and retiring, a meeting held in the town hall, after a solemn thanksgiving had been offered in the church, and by acclamation Ned was made a citizen of the town, and was presented with a gold chain as a token of the gratitude of the people of Alkmaar. There was nothing more for him to do here, and as soon as the Spaniards had 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 the fleet was collected, and that a portion of them from the northern ports under Admiral Dirkzoon had already set sail, and the whole were expected to arrive in a few days in the Zuider Zee. As he rode through the street on his way to the burgomaster’s his eye fell upon a familiar face, and he at once reined in his horse.

“Ah! Peters,” he exclaimed, “is it you? Is the Good Venture in port?”

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

“Why, it is Master Ned, sure enough!” he exclaimed, shaking the lad’s hand warmly. “Though if you had not spoken I should have assuredly passed you. Why, lad, you are transformed. I took you for a young noble with your brave attire and your gold chain; and you look years older than when I last saw you. You have grown into a man; but though you have added to your height and your breadth your cheeks have fallen in greatly, and your colour has well nigh faded away.”

“I have had two long bouts of fasting, Peters, and have but just finished the second. I am Captain Martin now, by the favour of the Prince of Orange. How are they at home? and how goes it with my father?”

“He is on board, Master Ned. This is his first voyage, and right glad we are, as you may guess, to have him back again; and joyful will he be to see you. He had your letter safely that you wrote after the fall of Haarlem, and it would have done you good if you had heard the cheers in the summer house when he read it out to the captains there. We had scarce thought we should ever hear of you again.”

“I will put up my horse at the burgomaster’s, Peters, and come on board 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 the road was opened to say that the Spaniards had raised the siege of Alkmaar; but I must give him a few details.”

“So you have been there too? The guns have been firing and the bells ringing all the day, and the people have been well nigh out of their minds with joy. They had looked to the Spaniards coming here after they had finished with Alkmaar, and you may guess how joyful they were when the news came that the villains were going off beaten.”

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

“Why, Ned,” he said, after they had talked for half an hour, “I fear you are getting much too great a man ever to settle down again to work here.”

“Not at all, father,” Ned laughed. “I have not the least idea of remaining permanently here. I love the sea, and I love England and my home, and nothing would tempt me to give them up. I cannot leave my present work now. The prince has been so kind to me that even if I wished it I could not withdraw from his service now. But I do not wish. In another year, if all the Dutch cities prove as staunch as Haarlem and Alkmaar have done, the Spaniards will surely begin to see that their task of subduing such a people is a hopeless one. At any rate I think that I can then very well withdraw myself from the work and follow my profession again. I shall be old enough then to be your second mate, and to relieve you of much of your work.”

“I shall be glad to have you with me,” Captain Martin said. “Of course I still have the supercargo, but that is not like going ashore and seeing people one’s self. However, we can go on as we are for a bit. You have been striking a blow for freedom, lad, I mean to do my best to strike one tomorrow or next day.”

“怎么样，父亲？”

“Bossu’s fleet of thirty vessels are cruising off the town, and they have already had some skirmishes with Dirkzoon’s vessels; but nothing much has come of it yet. The Spaniards, although their ships are much larger and heavily armed, and more numerous too than ours, 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 vessel in port which will go out crowded with the fishermen here to take part in the fight; and I am going to fly the Dutch flag for once instead of the English, and am going to strike a blow to pay them off for the murder of your mother’s relations, to say nothing of this,” and he touched his wooden leg. “There are plenty of men here ready and willing to go, and I have taken down the names of eighty who will sail with us; so we shall have a strong crew, and shall be 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 Spaniards fight well, that cannot be denied. But as you stood against them when they have been five to one in the breaches of Haarlem and Alkmaar, to say nothing of our skirmish with them, you will find it a novelty to meet them when the odds are not altogether against us.”

The next day, the 11th of October, the patriot fleet were seen bearing down with a strong easterly breeze upon the Spaniards, who were cruising between Enkuizen and Horn. All was ready on board the Good Venture and her consort. The bells rang, and a swarm of hardy fishermen came pouring on board. In five minutes the sails were hoisted, and the two vessels, flying the Dutch flag, started amidst the cheers of the burghers on the walls to take their share in the engagement. They came up with the enemy just as Dirkzoon’s vessels engaged them, and at once joined in the fray.

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

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

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

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

It was a life and death contest. Bossu and his men, clad in coats of mail, stood with sword and shield on the deck of the Inquisition to repel all attempts to board. The Dutch attacked with their favourite missiles–pitched hoops, boiling oil, and molten lead. Again and again they clambered up the lofty sides of the Inquisition and gained a momentary footing on her deck, only to be hurled down again into their ships below. The fight began at three o’clock in the afternoon and lasted till darkness. But even this did not terminate it; and all night Spaniards and Dutchmen grappled in deadly conflict. All this time the vessels were drifting as the winds and tide took them, and at last grounded on a shoal called The Neck, near Wydeness. Just as morning was breaking John Haring of Horn–the man who had kept a thousand at bay on the Diemar Dyke, and who now commanded one of the vessels–gained a footing on the deck of the Inquisition unnoticed by the Spaniards, and hauled down her colours; but a moment later he fell dead, shot through the body. As soon as it was light the country people came off in boats and joined in the fight, relieving their compatriots by carrying their killed and wounded on shore. They brought fresh ammunition as well as men, and at eleven o’clock Admiral Bossu, seeing that further resistance was useless, and that his ship was aground on a hostile shore, his fleet dispersed and three-quarters of his soldiers and crew dead or disabled, struck his flag and surrendered with 300 prisoners.

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

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

As soon as the fight was over the Good Venture sailed back to Enkhuizen. Five of her own crew and thirty-eight of the volunteers on board her had been killed, and there was scarcely a man who was not more or less severely wounded. The English were received with tremendous acclamation by the citizens on their arrival in port, and a vote of thanks was passed to them at a meeting of the burghers in the town hall.

Ned sailed round in the Good Venture to Delft and again joined the Prince of Orange there, and was greatly commended for his conduct at Alkmaar, which had been reported upon in the most favourable terms by Sonoy. On learning the share that the Good Venture had taken in the sea fight, the prince went on board and warmly thanked Captain Martin and the crew, and distributed a handsome present among the latter. Half an hour after the prince returned to the palace he sent for Ned.

“Did you not say,” he asked, “that the lady who concealed you at Brussels 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 have just received a letter brought me by a messenger from a friend at Maastricht. He tells me among other matters that the countess and her daughter were arrested there two days since. They were passing through in disguise, and were, it was supposed, making for Germany, when it chanced that the countess was recognized by a man in the service of one of the magistrates. It seems he had been born on Von Harp’s estate, and knew the countess well by sight. He at once denounced her, and she and her daughter and a woman they had with them were thrown into prison. I am truly sorry, for the count was a great friend of mine, and I met his young wife many times in the happy days before these troubles began.”

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

“I have come in to ask, sir, if you will allow me to be absent for a time?”

“Certainly, Captain Martin,” the prince replied. “Are you thinking of paying a visit to England?”

“No, sir. I am going to try if I can do anything to get the Countess Von 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 you did at Brussels, but another thing altogether to get two women out of prison.”

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

“It is a bold enterprise,” the prince said, “and may cost you your life. 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 of the council. I shall go to a scrivener and shall get him to copy one of them exactly, making only the alteration that the persons of the Countess Von Harp, her daughter, and servant are to be handed over to my charge for conveyance to Brussels. Alone, this document might be suspected; but, fortified as I am by the other with the seal of the council, it may pass without much notice.”

“Yes, but you would be liable to detection by any one who has known this man Genet.”

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

The prince smiled. “Sometimes you seem to me a man, Martin, and then again you enter upon an undertaking with the light heartedness of a boy. However, far be it from me to hinder your making the attempt. It is pleasant, though rare, to see people mindful of benefits bestowed upon them, and one is glad to see that gratitude is not altogether a lost virtue. Go, my lad; and may God aid you in your scheme. I will myself send for a scrivener at once and give him instructions; it may well be that he would refuse to draw up such a document as that you require merely on your order.

“Leave the order for arrest with me, and I will bid him get a facsimile made in all respects. You will require two or three trusty men with you to act as officials under your charge. I will give you a letter to my correspondent in Maastricht begging him to provide some men on whom he can rely for this work. It would be difficult for you, a stranger in the town, to put your hand upon them.”

The next morning Ned, provided with the forged order of release, started on his journey. He was disguised as a peasant, and carried a suit of clothes similar in cut and fashion to those worn by Genet. He went first to Rotterdam, and bearing west crossed the river Lek, and then struck the Waal at Gorichen, and there hired a boat and proceeded up the river to Nymegen. He then walked across to Grave, and again taking boat proceeded up the Maas, past Venlo and Roermond to Maastricht. He landed a few miles above the town, and changed 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 his purpose, as he wanted it not for speed, but only to enable him to enter the city on horseback. Maastricht was a strongly fortified city, 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 an inn. His first step was to find the person for whom he bore the letter from the prince. The gentleman, who was a wealthy merchant, after reading the missive and learning from Ned the manner in which he could assist him, at once promised to do so.

“You require three men, you say, dressed as officials in the employment of the Council. The dress is easy enough, for they bear no special badge or cognizance, although generally they are attired in dark green doublets and trunks and red hose. There will be no difficulty as to the men themselves. The majority of the townsmen are warmly affected to the patriotic cause, and there are many who are at heart Protestants; though, like myself, obliged to abstain from making open confession of their faith. At any rate, I have three men at least upon whom I can absolutely rely. Their duty, you say, will be simply to accompany you to the prison and to ride with you with these ladies until beyond the gates. They must, of course, be mounted, and must each have pillions for the carriage of the prisoners behind them. Once well away from the town they will scatter, leave their horses at places I shall appoint, change their clothes, and return into the city. What do you mean to do with the ladies when you have got them free?”

“I do not know what their plans will be, or where they will wish to go,” Ned said. “I should propose to have a vehicle with a pair of horses awaiting them two miles outside the town. I should say that a country cart would be least likely to excite suspicion. I would have three peasant’s dresses there with it. I do not know that I can make further provision for their flight, as I cannot say whether they will make for the coast, or try to continue their journey across the frontier.”

“You can leave these matters to me,” the merchant said; “the cart and disguises shall be at the appointed spot whenever you let me know the hour at which you will be there. You must give me until noon tomorrow to make all the arrangements.”

“Very well, sir,” Ned said. “I am greatly obliged to you, and the prince, who is a personal friend of the countess, will, I am sure, be greatly pleased when he hears how warmly you have entered into the plans for aiding her escape. I will present myself to the magistrates tomorrow at noon, and obtain from them the order upon the governor of the prison to hand the ladies over to me. If I should succeed I will go straight back to my inn. If you will place someone near the door there to see if I enter, which if I succeed will be about one o’clock, he can bring you the news. I will have my horse brought round at two, and at that hour your men can ride up and join me, and I will proceed with them straight to the prison.”

At twelve o’clock on the following day Ned went to the town hall, and on stating that he was the bearer of an order from the Council, was at once shown into the chamber in which three of the magistrates were sitting.

“I am the bearer of an order from the Council for the delivery to me of the persons of the Countess Von Harp, her daughter, and the woman arrested in company with them for conveyance to Brussels, there to answer the charges against them. This is the order of the Council with their seal, ordering all magistrates to render assistance to me as one of their servants. This is the special order for the handing over to me of the prisoners named.”

The magistrates took the first order, glanced at it and at the seal, and perfectly satisfied with this gave a casual glance at that for the transferring of the prisoners.

“I think you were about a year since with Councillor Von Aert?” one of the magistrates said. Ned bowed. “By the way, did I not hear that you were missing, or that some misfortune had befallen you some months since? I have a vague recollection of doing so.”

“Yes. I was sorely maltreated by a band of robber peasants who left me for dead, but as you see I am now completely recovered.”

“I suppose you have some men with you to escort the prisoners?” one of the magistrates asked.

“Assuredly,” Ned replied. “I have with me three men, behind whom the women will ride.”

The magistrates countersigned the order upon the governor of the prison to hand over the three prisoners, and gave it with the letter of the Council to Ned. He bowed and retired.

“I should not have remembered him again,” the magistrate who had been the chief speaker said after he had left the room, “had it not been for that villainous cast in his eyes. I remember noticing it when he was here last time, and wondered that Von Aert should like to have a man whose eyes were so crossways about him; otherwise I do not recall the face at all, which is not surprising seeing that I only saw him for a minute or two, and noticed nothing but that abominable squint of his.”

Ned walked back to his inn, ordered his horse to be saddled at two o’clock, and partook of a hearty meal. Then paying his reckoning he went out and mounted his horse. As he did so three men in green doublets and red hose rode up and took their places behind him. On arriving at the prison he dismounted, and handing his horse to one of his followers entered.

“I have an order from the Council, countersigned by the magistrates here, for the delivery to me of three prisoners.”

The warder showed him into a room.

“The governor is ill,” he said, “and confined to his bed; but I will take the order to him.”

Ned was pleased with the news, for he thought it likely that Genet might have been there before on similar errands, and his person be known to the governor. In ten minutes the warder returned.

“The prisoners are without,” he said, “and ready to depart.”

Pulling his bonnet well down over his eyes, Ned went out into the courtyard.

“You are to accompany me to Brussels, countess,” he said gruffly. “Horses are waiting for you without.”

The countess did not even glance at the official who had thus come to convey her to what was in all probability death, but followed through the gate into the street. The men backed their horses up to the block of stone used for mounting. Ned assisted the females to the pillions, and when they were seated mounted his own horse and led the way down the street. Many of the people as they passed along groaned or hooted, for the feeling in Maastricht was strongly in favour of the patriot side, a feeling for which they were some years later to be punished by almost total destruction of the city, and the slaughter of the greater portion of its inhabitants.

Ned paid no attention to these demonstrations, but quickening his horse into a trot rode along the street and out of the gate of the city. As the road was a frequented one, he maintained his place at the head of the party until they had left the city nearly two miles behind them. On arriving at a small crossroad one of the men said: “This is the way, sir; it is up this road that the cart is waiting.” Ned now reined back his horse to the side of that on which the countess was riding.

“Countess,” he said, “have you forgotten the English lad you aided a year ago in Brussels?”

The countess started.

“I recognize you now, sir,” she said coldly; “and little did I think at that time that I should next see you as an officer of the Council of Blood.”

Ned smiled.

“Your mistake is a natural one, countess; but in point of fact I am still in the service of the Prince of Orange, and have only assumed this garb as a means of getting you and your daughter out of the hands of those murderers. I am happy to say that you are free to go where you will; these good fellows are like myself disguised, and are at your service. In a few minutes we shall come to a cart which will take you wheresoever you like to go, and there are disguises similar to those with which you once fitted me out in readiness for you there.”

The surprise of the countess for a moment kept her silent; but Gertrude, who had overheard what was said, burst into exclamations of delight.

“Pardon me for having doubted you,” the countess exclaimed, much affected.

“No pardon is required, countess. Seeing that the prison authorities handed you over to me, you could not but have supposed that I was as I seemed, in the service of the Council.”

Just at this moment they came upon a cart drawn up by the roadside. Ned assisted the countess and her daughter to alight, and while he was rendering similar assistance to the old servant, mother and daughter threw themselves into each other’s arms, and wept with delight at this unexpected delivery that had befallen them. It was some time before they were sufficiently recovered to speak.

“But how do you come here?” the countess asked Ned, “and how have you effected this miracle?”

Ned briefly related how he had heard of their captivity, and the manner in which he had been enabled to effect their escape.

“And now, countess,” he said, “the day is wearing on, and it is necessary that you should at once decide upon your plans. Will you again try to make to the German frontier or to the sea coast, or remain in hiding here?”

“We cannot make for Germany without again crossing the Maas,” the countess said, “and it is a long way to the sea coast. What say you, Magdalene?”

“I think,” the old woman said, “that you had best carry out the advice I gave before. It is a little more than twelve miles from here to the village where, as I told you, I have relations living. We can hire a house there, and there is no chance of your being recognized. I can send a boy thence to Brussels to fetch the jewels and money you left in charge of your friend the Count Von Dort there.”

“That will certainly be the best way, Magdalene. We can wait there until either there is some change in the state of affairs, or until we can find some safe way of escape. It is fortunate, indeed, that I left my jewels in Brussels, instead of taking them with me as I had at first intended.

“It will hardly be necessary, will it,” she asked Ned, “to put on the disguises, for nothing in the world can be simpler than our dresses at present?”

“You had certainly best put the peasant cloaks and caps on. Inquiries are sure to be made all through the country when they find at Maastricht how they have been tricked. Three peasant women in a cart will attract no attention whatever, even in passing through villages; but, dressed as you are now, some one might notice you and recall it if inquiries were made.”

The three men who had aided in the scheme had ridden off as soon as the cart was reached, and Ned, being anxious that the party should be upon their way, and desirous, too, of avoiding the expressions of gratitude of the three women, hurried them into the cart. It was not necessary for them to change their garments, as the peasant’s cloaks completely enveloped them, and the high headdresses quite changed their appearance.

“Do not forget, countess, I hope some day to see you in England,” Ned said as they took their seats.

“I will not forget,” the countess said; “and only wish that at present I was on my way thither.”

After a warm farewell, and seeing the cart fairly on its way, Ned mounted his horse and rode northwest. He slept that night at Heerenthals, and on the following night at Bois le Duc. Here he sold his horse for a few crowns, and taking boat proceeded down the Dommel into the Maas, and then on to Rotterdam. On his arrival at Delft he was heartily welcomed by the prince; who was greatly pleased to hear that he had, without any accident or hitch, carried out successfully the plan he had proposed to himself. Three weeks later the prince heard from his correspondent at Maastricht. The letter was cautiously worded, as were all those interchanged, lest it should fall into the hands of the Spanish.

“There has been some excitement here. A week since a messenger arrived from Brussels with orders that three female prisoners confined here should be sent at once to Brussels; but curiously enough it was found that the three prisoners in question had been handed over upon the receipt of a previous order. This is now pronounced to be a forgery, and it is evident that the authorities have been tricked. There has been much search and inquiry, but no clue whatever has been obtained as to the direction taken by the fugitives, or concerning those engaged in this impudent adventure.”

Alva’s reign of terror and cruelty was now drawing to an end. His successor was on his way out, and the last days of his administration were embittered by his failure of his plans, the retreat of his army from before Alkmaar, and the naval defeat from the Zuider Zee. But he continued his cruelties to the end. Massacres on a grand scale were soon carried on, and a nobleman named Uitenhoove, who had been taken prisoner, was condemned to be roasted to death before a slow fire, and was accordingly fastened by a chain to a stake, around which a huge fire was kindled; he suffered in slow torture a long time until despatched by the executioner with a spear, a piece of humanity that greatly angered the duke.

Alva had contracted an enormous amount of debt, both public and private, in Amsterdam, and now caused a proclamation to be issued that all persons having demands upon him were to present their claims on a certain day. On the previous night he and his train noiselessly took their departure. The heavy debts remained unpaid, and many opulent families were reduced to beggary. Such was the result of the confidence of the people of Amsterdam in the honour of their tyrant.

On the 17th of November Don Louis de Requesens, Grand Commander of St. Jago, Alva’s successor, arrived in Brussels; and on the 18th of December the Duke of Alva left. He is said to have boasted, on his way home, that he had caused 18,000 inhabitants of the provinces to be executed during the period of his government. This was, however, a mere nothing to the number who had perished in battle, siege, starvation, and massacre. After the departure of their tyrant the people of the Netherlands breathed more freely, for they hoped that under their new governor, there would be a remission in the terrible agony they had suffered; and for a time his proclamations were of a conciliatory nature. But it was soon seen that there was no change in policy. Peace was to be given only on the condition of all Protestants recanting or leaving their country.

The first military effort of the new governor was to endeavour to relieve the city of Middleburg, the capital of the Island of Walcheren, which had long been besieged by the Protestants. Mondragon the governor was sorely pressed by famine, and could hold out but little longer, unless rescue came. The importance of the city was felt by both parties. Requesens himself went to Bergen op Zoom, where seventy-five ships were collected under the command, nominally, of Admiral de Glines, but really under that of Julian Romero, while another fleet of thirty ships was assembled at Antwerp, under D’Avila, and moved down towards Flushing, there to await the arrival of that of Romero. Upon the other hand, the Prince of Orange collected a powerful fleet under the command of Admiral Boisot, and himself paid a visit to the ships, and assembling the officers roused them to enthusiasm by a stirring address.

On the 20th of January the Good Venture again entered the port of Delft; and hearing that a battle was expected in a few days, Captain Martin determined to take part in it. As soon as he had unloaded his cargo he called the crew together and informed them of his determination, but said that as this was no quarrel of theirs, any who chose could remain on shore until his return.

But Englishmen felt that the cause of Holland was their own, and not a single man on board availed himself of this permission. Ned informed the Prince of Orange of his father’s intention, and asked leave to accompany him.

“Assuredly you may go if you please,” the prince said; “but I fear that, sooner or later, the fortune of war will deprive me of you, and I should miss you much. Moreover, almost every sailor in port is already in one or other of Boisot’s ships; and I fear that, with your weak crew, you would have little chance if engaged with one of these Spanish ships full of men.”

“We have enough to work our cannon, sir,” Ned said; “besides, I think we may be able to beat up some volunteers. There are many English ships in port waiting for cargoes, which come in but slowly, and I doubt not that some of them will gladly strike a blow against the Spaniards.”

Ned and Peters accordingly went round among the English vessels, and in the course of two hours had collected a hundred volunteers. In those days every Englishman regarded a Spaniard as a natural enemy. Drake and Hawkins, and other valiant captains, were warring fiercely against them in the Indian seas, and officers and men in the ships in Delft were alike eager to join in the forthcoming struggle against them.

The Good Venture had, flying the Dutch flag, joined Boisot’s fleet at Romerswael, a few miles below Bergen, on the 27th of January; and when the Hollanders became aware of the nationality of the vessel which had just joined them, they welcomed them with tremendous cheers. Two days later the fleet of Romero were seen coming down the river in three divisions. When the first of the Spanish ships came near they delivered a broadside, which did considerable execution among the Dutch fleet. There was no time for further cannonading. A few minutes later the fleets met in the narrow channel, and the ships grappling with each other, a hand to hand struggle began.

The fighting was of the most desperate character; no quarter was asked or given on either side, and men fought with fury hand to hand upon decks slippery with blood. But the combat did not last long. The Spaniards had little confidence in themselves on board ship. Their discipline was now of little advantage to them, and the savage fury with which the Zeelanders fought shook their courage. Fifteen ships were speedily captured and 1200 Spaniards slain, and the remainder of the fleet, which, on account of the narrowness of the passage had not been able to come into action, retreated to Bergen.

Romero himself, whose ship had grounded, sprang out of a porthole and swam ashore, and landed at the very feet of the Grand Commander, who had been standing all day upon the dyke in the midst of a pouring rain, only to be a witness of the total defeat of his fleet. Mondragon now capitulated, receiving honourable conditions. The troops were allowed to leave the place with their arms, ammunition, and personal property, and Mondragon engaged himself to procure the release of Sainte Aldegonde and four other prisoners of rank, or to return and give himself up as a prisoner of war.

Requesens, however, neither granted the release of the prisoners, nor permitted Mondragon to return. It was well for these prisoners, that Bossu was in the hands of the prince. Had it not been for this they would have all been put to death.

With the fall of Middleburg the Dutch and Zeelanders remained masters of the entire line of sea coast, but on land the situation was still perilous. Leyden was closely invested, and all communications by land between the various cities suspended. The sole hope that remained was in the army raised by Count Louis.

He had raised 3000 cavalry and 6000 infantry, and, accompanied by the prince’s other two brothers, crossed the Rhine in a snowstorm and marched towards Maastricht. The Prince of Orange had on his part with the greatest difficulty raised 6000 infantry, and wrote to Count Louis to move to join him in the Isle of Bommel after he had reduced Maastricht. But the expedition, like those before it, was destined to failure. A thousand men deserted, seven hundred more were killed in a night surprise, and the rest were mutinous for their pay. Finally, Count Louis found himself confronted by a force somewhat inferior in numbers to his own.

But the Spanish infantry were well disciplined and obedient, those of Louis were mercenaries and discontented; and although at first his cavalry gained an advantage, it was a short one, and after a fierce action his army was entirely defeated. Count Louis, finding that the day was lost, gathered a little band of troopers, and with his brother, Count Henry, and Christopher, son of the Elector Palatine, charged into the midst of the enemy. They were never heard of more. The battle terminated in a horrible butchery. At least 4000 men were either killed in the field, suffocated in the marshes, drowned in the river, or burned in the farmhouses in which they had taken refuge. Count Louis, and his brother and friend, probably fell on the field, but stripped of their clothing, disfigured by wounds and the trampling of horses, their bodies were never recognized.

The defeat of the army and the death of his two brave brothers was a terrible blow to the Prince of Orange. He was indeed paying dear for his devotion to his country. His splendid fortune had been entirely spent, his life had been one of incessant toil and anxiety, his life had been several times threatened with assassination, he had seen his every plan thwarted. Save on the sandy slip of coast by the ocean, the whole of the Netherlands was still prostrate beneath the foot of the Spaniard; and now he had lost two of his brothers. England and France had alternately encouraged and stood aloof from him, and after all these efforts and sacrifices the prospects of ultimate success were gloomy in the extreme.

Fortunately the Spaniards were not able to take full advantage of their victory over the army of Count Louis. They differed from the German mercenaries inasmuch that while the latter mutinied before they fought, the Spaniards fought first and mutinied afterwards. Having won a great battle, they now proceeded to defy their generals. Three years’ pay were due to them, and they took the steps that they always adopted upon these occasions. A commander called the “Eletto” was chosen by acclamation, a board of councillors was appointed to assist and control him, while the councillors were narrowly watched by the soldiers. They crossed the Maas and marched to Antwerp.

The Grand Commander hastened there to meet them, and when they arrived in perfect military order he appeared before them on horseback and made them an oration, promising that their demands should be satisfied. The soldiers simply replied, “We want money, not words.” Requesens consulted the City Council and demanded 400,000 crowns to satisfy the troops. The citizens hesitated at providing so enormous an amount, knowing by past experience that it would never be repaid. The soldiers, however, employed their usual methods. They quartered themselves upon the houses of the citizens, and insisted upon being supplied with rich food, wine, and luxuries of all kinds; and in a week or two the burghers saw that they must either pay or be ruined.

An offer was accordingly made of ten months’ arrears in cash, five months in silks and woolen cloths, and the rest in promises to be fulfilled within a few days. The Eletto declared that he considered the terms satisfactory, whereupon the troops at once deposed him and elected another. Carousing and merry making went on at the expense of the citizens, and after suffering for some weeks from the extortions and annoyance of the soldiers, the 400,000 crowns demanded by Requesens were paid over, and the soldiers received all their pay due either in money or goods. A great banquet was held by the whole mass of soldiery, and there was a scene of furious revelry. The soldiers arrayed themselves in costumes cut from the materials they had just received. Broadcloths, silks, satins, and gold embroidered brocades were hung in fantastic drapery over their ragged garments, and when the banquet was finished gambling began.

But when they were in the midst of their revelry the sound of cannon was heard. Boisot had sailed up the Scheldt to attack the fleet of D’Avila, which had hastened up to Antwerp for refuge after the defeat of Romero. There was a short and sharp action, and fourteen of the Spanish ships were burnt or sunk. The soldiers swarmed down to the dyke and opened a fire of musketry upon the Dutch. They were, however, too far off to effect any damage, and Boisot, with a few parting broadsides, sailed triumphantly down the river, having again struck a heavy blow at the naval power of Spain.

The siege of Leyden had been raised when Count Louis crossed the Rhine, the troops being called in from all parts to oppose his progress. The Prince of Orange urged upon the citizens to lose no time in preparing themselves for a second siege, to strengthen their walls, and, above all, to lay in stores of provisions. But, as ever, the Dutch burghers, although ready to fight and to suffer when the pinch came, were slow and apathetic unless in the face of necessity; and in spite of the orders and entreaties of the prince, nothing whatever was done, and the Spaniards when they returned before the city on the 26th of May, after two months’ absence, found the town as unprepared for resistance as it had been at their first coming, and that the citizens had not even taken the trouble to destroy the forts that they had raised round it.

Leyden stood in the midst of broad and fruitful pastures reclaimed from the sea; around were numerous villages, with blooming gardens and rich orchards. Innumerable canals cut up the country, and entering the city formed its streets. These canals were shaded with trees, crossed by a hundred and forty-five bridges. Upon an artificial elevation in the centre of the city rose a ruined tower of great antiquity, assigned either to the Saxons before they crossed to England or with greater probability to the Romans.

The force which now appeared before the town consisted of 8000 Walloons and Germans, commanded by Valdez. They lost no time in taking possession of the Hague, and all the villages and forts round Leyden. Five hundred English volunteers under command of Colonel Chester abandoned the fort of Valkenberg which had been intrusted to them and fled towards Leyden. Not as yet had the English soldiers learnt to stand before the Spaniards, but the time was ere long to come when, having acquired confidence in themselves, they were to prove themselves more than a match for the veterans of Spain. The people of Leyden refused to open their gates to the fugitives, and they surrendered to Valdez. As at that moment a mission was on the point of starting from Requesens to Queen Elizabeth, the lives of the prisoners were spared, and they were sent back to England.

The Spaniards had no sooner appeared before Leyden than they set to work to surround it with a cordon of redoubts. No less than sixty-two, including those left standing since the last siege, were erected and garrisoned, and the town was therefore cut off from all communication from without. Its defenders were few in number, there being no troops in the town save a small corps composed of exiles from other cities, and five companies of burgher guard. The walls, however, were strong, and it was famine rather than the foe that the citizens feared. They trusted to the courage of the burghers to hold the walls, and to the energy of the Prince of Orange to relieve them.

The prince, although justly irritated by their folly in neglecting to carry out his orders, sent a message by a pigeon to them, encouraging them to hold out, and reminding them that the fate of their country depended upon the issue of this siege. He implored them to hold out for at least three months, assuring them that he would within that time devise means for their deliverance. The citizens replied, assuring the prince of their firm confidence in their own fortitude and his exertions. On the 6th of June the Grand Commander issued what was called a pardon, signed and sealed by the king. In it he invited all his erring and repentant subjects to return to his arms, and accept a full forgiveness for their past offense upon the sole condition that they should once more enter the Catholic Church. A few individuals mentioned by name were alone excluded from this amnesty. But all Holland was now Protestant, and its inhabitants were resolved that they must not only be conquered but annihilated before the Roman Church should be re-established on their soil. In the whole province but two men came forward to take advantage of the amnesty. Many Netherlanders belonging to the king’s party sent letters from the camp to their acquaintances in the city exhorting them to submission, and imploring them “to take pity upon their poor old fathers, their daughters, and their wives;” but the citizens of Leyden thought the best they could do for these relatives was to keep them out of the clutches of the Spaniards.

At the commencement of the siege the citizens gathered all their food into the magazines, and at the end of June the daily allowance to each full grown man was half a pound of meat and half a pound of bread, women and children receiving less.

The prince had his headquarters at Delft and Rotterdam, and an important fortress called the Polderwaert between these two cities secured him the control of the district watered by the rivers Yssel and Maas. On the 29th of June the Spaniards attacked this fort, but were beaten off with a loss of 700 men. The prince was now occupied in endeavouring to persuade the Dutch authorities to permit the great sluices at Rotterdam, Schiedam, and Delft Haven to be opened. The damage to the country would be enormous; but there was no other course to rescue Leyden, and with it the whole of Holland, from destruction.

It was not until the middle of July that his eloquent appeals and arguments prevailed, and the estates consented to his plan. Subscriptions were opened in all the Dutch towns for maintaining the inhabitants of the district that was to be submerged until it could be again restored, and a large sum was raised, the women contributing their plate and jewellery to the furtherance of the scheme. On the 3rd of August all was ready, and the prince himself superintended the breaking down of the dykes in sixteen places, while at the same time the sluices at Schiedam and Rotterdam were opened and the water began to pour over the land.

While waiting for the water to rise, stores of provisions were collected in all the principal towns, and 200 vessels of small draught of water gathered in readiness. Unfortunately no sooner had the work been done than the prince was attacked by a violent fever, brought on by anxiety and exertion.

On the 21st of August a letter was received from the town saying that they had now fulfilled their original promise, for they had held out two months with food and another month without food. Their bread had long been gone, and their last food, some malt cake, would last but four days. After that was gone there was nothing left but starvation.

Upon the same day they received a letter from the prince, assuring them that the dykes were all pierced and the water rising upon the great dyke that separated the city from the sea. The letter was read publicly in the marketplace, and excited the liveliest joy among the inhabitants. Bands of music played in the streets, and salvos of cannon were fired. The Spaniards became uneasy at seeing the country beyond them gradually becoming covered with water, and consulted the country people and the royalists in their camp, all of whom assured them that the enterprise of the prince was an impossibility, and that the water would never reach the walls.

The hopes of the besieged fell again, however, as day after day passed without change; and it was not until the 1st of September, when the prince began to recover from his fever, and was personally able to superintend the operations, that these began in earnest. The distance from Leyden to the outer dyke was fifteen miles; ten of these were already flooded, and the flotilla, which consisted of more than 200 vessels, manned in all with 2500 veterans, including 800 of the wild sea beggars of Zeeland, renowned as much for their ferocity as for nautical skill, started on their way, and reached without difficulty the great dyke called the Land Scheiding. Between this town and Leyden were several other dykes, all of which would have to be taken. All these, besides the 62 forts, were defended by the Spanish troops, four times the number of the relieving force.

Ned had been in close attendance upon the prince during his illness, and when the fleet was ready to start requested that he might be allowed to accompany it. This the prince at once granted, and introduced him to Admiral Boisot.

“I shall be glad if you will take Captain Martin in your own ship,” he said. “Young as he is he has seen much service, and is full of resource and invention. You will, I am sure, find him of use; and he can act as messenger to convey your orders from ship to ship.”

The prince had given orders that the Land Scheiding, whose top was still a foot and a half above water, should be taken possession of at all hazard, and this was accomplished by surprise on the night of the 10th. The Spaniards stationed there were either killed or driven off, and the Dutch fortified themselves upon it. At daybreak the Spaniards stationed in two large villages close by advanced to recover the important position, but the Dutch, fighting desperately, drove them back with the loss of some hundreds of men. The dyke was at once cut through and the fleet sailed through the gap.

The admiral had believed that the Land Scheiding once cut, the water would flood the country as far as Leyden, but another dyke, the Greenway, rose a foot above water three- quarters of a mile inside the Land Scheiding. As soon as the water had risen over the land sufficiently to float the ships, the fleet advanced, seized the Greenway, and cut it. But as the water extended in all directions, it grew also shallower, and the admiral found that the only way by which he could advance was by a deep canal leading to a large mere called the Fresh Water Lake.

This canal was crossed by a bridge, and its sides were occupied by 3000 Spanish soldiers. Boisot endeavoured to force the way but found it impossible to do so, and was obliged to withdraw. He was now almost despairing. He had accomplished but two miles, the water was sinking rather than rising owing to a long continued east wind, and many of his ships were already aground. On the 18th, however, the wind shifted to the northwest, and for three days blew a gale. The water rose rapidly, and at the end of the second day the ships were all afloat again.

Hearing from a peasant of a comparatively low dyke between two villages Boisot at once sailed in that direction. There was a strong Spanish force stationed here; but these were seized with a panic and fled, their courage unhinged by the constantly rising waters, the appearance of the numerous fleet, and their knowledge of the reckless daring of the wild sailors. The dyke was cut, the two villages with their fortifications burned, and the fleet moved on to North Aa. The enemy abandoned this position also, and fled to Zoetermeer, a strongly fortified village a mile and a quarter from the city walls. Gradually the Spanish army had been concentrated round the city as the water drove them back, and they were principally stationed at this village and the two strong forts of Lammen and Leyderdorp, each within a few hundred yards of the town.

At the last named post Valdez had his headquarters, and Colonel Borgia commanded at Lammen. The fleet was delayed at North Aa by another dyke, called the Kirkway. The waters, too, spreading again over a wider space, and diminished from the east wind again setting in, sank rapidly, and very soon the whole fleet was aground; for there were but nine inches of water, and they required twenty to float them. Day after day they lay motionless. The Prince of Orange, who had again been laid up with the fever, rose from his sickbed and visited the fleet. He encouraged the dispirited sailors, rebuked their impatience, and after reconnoitering the ground issued orders for immediate destruction of the Kirkway, and then returned to Delft.

All this time Leyden was suffering horribly. The burghers were aware that the fleet had set forth to their relief, but they knew better than those on board the obstacles that opposed its progress. The flames of the burning villages and the sound of artillery told them of its progress until it reached North Aa, then there was a long silence, and hope almost deserted them. They knew well that so long as the east wind continued to blow there could be no rise in the level of the water, and anxiously they looked from the walls and the old tower for signs of a change. They were literally starving, and their misery far exceeded even that of the citizens of Haarlem.

A small number of cows only remained, and of these few were killed every day, and tiny morsels of meat distributed, the hides and bones being chopped up and boiled. The green leaves were stripped from the trees, and every herb gathered and eaten. The mortality was frightful, and whole families died together in their houses from famine and plague; for pestilence had now broken out, and from six to eight thousand people died from this alone. Leyden abandoned all hope, and yet they spurned the repeated summonses of Valdez to surrender. They were fully resolved to die rather than to yield to the Spaniards. From time to time, however, murmurs arose among the suffering people, and the heroic burgomaster, Adrian Van der Werf, was once surrounded by a crowd and assailed by reproaches.

He took off his hat and calmly replied to them: “I tell you I have made an oath to hold the city, and may God give me strength to keep it. I can die but once–either by your hands, the enemy’s, or by the hand of God. My own fate is indifferent to me; not so that of the city intrusted to my care. I know that we shall all starve if not soon relieved; but starvation is preferable to the dishonoured death which is the only alternative. Your menaces move me not. My life is at your disposal. Here is my sword; plunge it into by breast and divide my flesh among you. Take my body to appease your hunger; but expect no surrender so long as I remain alive.”

Still the east wind continued, until stout admiral Boisot himself almost despaired. But on the night of the 1st of October a violent gale burst from the northwest, and then shifting, blew more strongly from the southwest. The water was piled up high upon the southern coast of Holland, and sweeping furiously inland poured through the ruined dykes, and in twenty-four hours the fleet was afloat again. At midnight they advanced in the midst of the storm and darkness. Some Spanish vessels that had been brought up to aid the defenders were swept aside and sunk.

The fleet, sweeping on past half submerged stacks and farm houses, made its way to the fresh water mere. Some shallows checked it for a time, but the crews sprang overboard into the water, and by main strength hoisted their vessels across them. Two obstacles alone stood between them and the city–the forts of Zoeterwoude and Lammen, the one five hundred, and the other but two hundred and fifty yards from the city. Both were strong and well supplied with troops and artillery, but the panic which had seized the Spaniards extended to Zoeterwoude. Hardly was the fleet in sight in the gray light of the morning when the Spaniards poured out from the fortress, and spread along a road on the dyke leading in a westerly direction towards the Hague.

The waves, driven by the wind, were beating on the dyke, and it was crumbling rapidly away, and hundreds sank beneath the flood. The Zeelanders drove their vessels up alongside, and pierced them with their harpoons, or, plunging into the waves, attacked them with sword and dagger. The numbers killed amounted to not less than a thousand; the rest effected their escape to the Hague. Zoeterwoude was captured and set on fire, but Lammen still barred their path. Bristling with guns, it seemed to defy them either to capture or pass it on their way to the city.

Leyderdorp, where Valdez with his main force lay, was a mile and a half distant on the right, and within a mile of the city, and the guns of the two forts seemed to render it next to impossible for the fleet to pass on. Boisot, after reconnoitering the position, wrote despondently to the prince that he intended if possible on the following morning to carry the fort, but if unable to do so, he said, there would be nothing for it but to wait for another gale of wind to still further raise the water, and enable him to make a wide circuit and enter Leyden on the opposite side. A pigeon had been despatched by Boisot in the morning informing the citizens of his exact position, and at nightfall the burgomaster and a number of citizens gathered at the watchtower.

“Yonder,” cried the magistrate, pointing to Lammen, “behind that fort, are bread and meat and brethren in thousands. Shall all this be destroyed by Spanish guns, or shall we rush to the aid of our friends?”

“We will tear the fortress first to fragments with our teeth and nails,” was the reply; and it was resolved that a sortie should be made against Lammen at daybreak, when Boisot attacked it on the other side. A pitch dark night set in, a night full of anxiety to the Spaniards, to the fleet, and to Leyden. The sentries on the walls saw lights flitting across the waters, and in the dead of night the whole of the city wall between two of the gates fell with a loud crash. The citizens armed themselves and rushed to the breach, believing that the Spaniards were on them at last; but no foe made his appearance.

In the morning the fleet prepared for the assault. All was still and quiet in the fortress, and the dreadful suspicion that the city had been carried at night, and that all their labour was in vain, seized those on board. Suddenly a man was seen wading out from the fort, while at the same time a boy waved his cap wildly from its summit. The mystery was solved. The Spaniards had fled panic stricken in the darkness. Had they remained they could have frustrated the enterprise, and Leyden must have fallen; but the events of the two preceding days had shaken their courage. Valdez retired from Leyderdorp and ordered Colonel Borgia to evacuate Lammen.

Thus they had retreated at the very moment that the fall of the wall sapped by the flood laid bare a whole side of the city for their entrance. They heard the crash in the darkness, and it but added to their fears, for they thought that the citizens were sallying out to take some measures which would further add to the height of the flood. Their retreat was discovered by the boy, who, having noticed the procession of lights in the darkness, became convinced that the Spaniards had retired, and persuaded the magistrates to allow him to make his way out to the fort to reconnoitre. As soon as the truth was known the fleet advanced, passed the fort, and drew up alongside the quays.

These were lined by the famishing people, every man, woman, and child having strength to stand having come out to greet their deliverers. Bread was thrown from all the vessels among the crowd as they came up, and many died from too eagerly devouring the food after their long fast. Then the admiral stepped ashore, followed by the whole of those on board the ships. Magistrates and citizens, sailors and soldiers, women and children, all repaired to the great church and returned thanks to God for the deliverance of the city. The work of distributing food and relieving the sick was then undertaken. The next day the prince, in defiance of the urgent entreaties of his friends, who were afraid of the effects of the pestilential air of the city upon his constitution enfeebled by sickness, repaired to the town.

Shortly afterwards, with the advice of the States, he granted the city as a reward for its suffering a ten days’ annual fair, without tolls or taxes, and it was further resolved that a university should, as a manifestation of the gratitude of the people of Holland, be established within its walls. The fiction of the authority of Philip was still maintained, and the charter granted to the university was, under the circumstances, a wonderful production. It was drawn up in the name of the king, and he was gravely made to establish the university as a reward to Leyden for rebellion against himself.

“Considering,” it said, “that during these present wearisome wars within our provinces of Holland and Zeeland, all good instruction of youth in the sciences and literary arts is likely to come into entire oblivion; considering the difference of religion; considering that we are inclined to gratify our city of Leyden, with its burghers, on account of the heavy burden sustained by them during this war with such faithfulness, we have resolved–after ripely deliberating with our dear cousin William Prince of Orange, stadtholder–to erect a free public school, and university,” &c. So ran the document establishing this famous university, all needful regulations for its government being intrusted by Philip to his above mentioned dear cousin of Orange.

Ned Martin was not one of those who entered Leyden with Boisot’s relieving fleet. His long watching and anxiety by the bedside of the prince had told upon him, and he felt strangely unlike himself when he started with the fleet. So long as it was fighting its way forward the excitement kept him up; but the long delay near the village of Aa, and the deep despondency caused by the probable failure of their hopes of rescuing the starving city, again brought on an attack of the fever that had already seized him before starting, and when the Prince of Orange paid his visit to the fleet Boisot told him the young officer he had recommended to him was down with fever, which was, he believed, similar to that from which the prince himself was but just recovering.

The prince at once ordered him to be carried on board his own galley, and took him with him back to Delft. Here he lay for a month completely prostrated. The prince several times visited him personally, and, as soon as he became in some degree convalescent, said to him:

“I think we have taxed you too severely, and have worked you in proportion to your zeal rather than to your strength. The surgeon says that you must have rest for awhile, and that it will be well for you to get away from our marshes for a time. For two years you have done good and faithful service, and even had it not been for this fever you would have a right to rest, and I think that your native air is best for you at present. With the letters that came to me from Flushing this morning is one from your good father, asking for news of you. His ship arrived there yesterday, and he has heard from one of those who were with Boisot that you have fallen ill; therefore, if it be to your liking, I will send you in one of my galleys to Flushing.”

“I thank your excellency much,” Ned said. “Indeed for the last few days I have been thinking much of home and longing to be back. I fear that I shall be a long time before I shall be fit for hard work again here.”

“You will feel a different man when you have been a few hours at sea,” the prince said kindly. “I hope to see you with me again some day. There are many of your countrymen, who, like yourself, have volunteered in our ranks and served us well without pay or reward, but none of them have rendered better service than you have done. And now farewell. I will order a galley to be got in readiness at once. I leave myself for Leyden in half an hour. Take this, my young friend, in remembrance of the Prince of Orange; and I trust that you may live to hand it down to your descendants as a proof that I appreciated your good services on behalf of a people struggling to be free.

So saying he took off his watch and laid it on the table by Ned’s bedside, pressed the lad’s hand, and retired. He felt it really a sacrifice to allow this young Englishman to depart. He had for years been a lonely man, with few confidants and no domestic pleasures. He lived in an atmosphere of trouble, doubt, and suspicion. He had struggled alone against the might of Philip, the apathy of the western provinces, the coldness and often treachery of the nobles, the jealousies and niggardliness of the Estates, representing cities each of which thought rather of itself and its privileges than of the general good; and the company of this young Englishman, with his frank utterances, his readiness to work at all times, and his freedom from all ambitions or self interested designs, had been a pleasure and relief to him, and he frequently talked to him far more freely than even to his most trusted counsellors.

Ever since the relief of Alkmaar Ned had been constantly with him, save when despatched on missions to various towns, or to see that the naval preparations were being pushed on with all speed; and his illness had made a real blank in his little circle. However, the doctors had spoken strongly as to the necessity for Ned’s getting away from the damp atmosphere of the half submerged land, and he at once decided to send him back to England, and seized the opportunity directly the receipt of Captain Martin’s letter informed him that the ship was at Flushing.

An hour later four men entered with a litter; the servants had already packed Ned’s mails, and he was carried down and placed on board one of the prince’s vessels. They rowed down into the Maas, and then hoisting sail proceeded down the river, kept outside the island to Walcheren, and then up the estuary of the Scheldt to Flushing. It was early morning when they arrived in port. Ned was carried upon deck, and soon made out the Good Venture lying a quarter of a mile away. He was at once placed in the boat and rowed alongside. An exclamation from Peters, as he looked over the side and saw Ned lying in the stern of the boat, called Captain Martin out from his cabin.

“Why, Ned, my dear boy!” he exclaimed, as he looked over the side; “you seem in grievous state indeed.”

“There is not much the matter with me, father. I have had fever, but am getting over it, and it will need but a day or two at sea to put me on my feet again. I have done with the war at present, and the prince has been good enough to send me in one of his own galleys to you.”

“We will soon get you round again, never fear, Master Ned,” Peters said as he jumped down into the boat to aid in hoisting him on board. “No wonder the damp airs of this country have got into your bones at last. I never can keep myself warm when we are once in these canals. If it wasn’t for their schiedam I don’t believe the Dutchmen could stand it themselves.”

Ned was soon lifted on board, and carried into the cabin aft. The Good Venture had already discharged her cargo, and, as there was no chance of filling up again at Flushing, sail was made an hour after he was on board, and the vessel put out to sea. It was now early in November, but although the air was cold the day was fine and bright, and as soon as the vessel was under weigh Ned was wrapped up in cloaks and laid on a mattress on deck, with his head well propped up with pillows.

“One seems to breathe in fresh life here, father,” he said. “It is pleasant to feel the motion and the shock of the waves after being so long on land. I feel stronger already, while so long as I was at Delft I did not seem to gain from one day to the other. I hope we sha’n’t make too rapid a voyage; I don’t want to come home as an invalid.”

“We shall not make a fast run of it unless the wind changes, Ned. It blows steadily from the west at present, and we shall be lucky if we cast anchor under a week in the Pool.”

“All the better, father. In a week I shall be on my legs again unless I am greatly mistaken.”

Ned’s convalescence was indeed, rapid, and by the time they entered the mouth of the Thames he was able to walk from side to side of the vessel, and as the wind still held from the west it was another four days before they dropped anchor near London Bridge. Ned would have gone ashore in his old attire; but upon putting it on the first day he was able to get about, he found he had so completely outgrown it that he was obliged to return to the garments he had worn in Holland.

He was now more than eighteen years of age, and nearly six feet in height. He had broadened out greatly, and the position he had for the last year held as an officer charged with authority by the prince had given him a manner of decision and authority altogether beyond his years. As he could not wear his sailor dress he chose one of the handsomest of those he possessed. It consisted of maroon doublet and trunks, slashed with white, with a short mantle of dark green, and hose of the same colour; his cap was maroon in colour, with small white and orange plumes, and he wore a ruff round his neck. Captain Martin saluted him with a bow of reverence as he came on deck.

“Why, Ned, they will think that I am bringing a court gallant with me. Your mother and the girls will be quite abashed at all this finery.”

“I felt strange in it myself at first,” Ned laughed; “but of course I am accustomed to it now. The prince is not one who cares for state himself, but as one of his officers I was obliged to be well dressed; and, indeed, this dress and the others I wear were made by his orders and presented to me. Indeed I think I am very moderate in not decking myself out with the two gold chains I have–the one a present from his highness, the other from the city of Alkmaar–to say nothing of the watch set with jewels that the prince gave me on leaving.”

Ned’s mother and the girls were on the lookout, for the Good Venture had been noticed as she passed. Ned had at his father’s suggestion kept below in order that he might give them a surprise on his arrival.

“I verily believe they won’t know you,” he said as they approached the gate. “You have grown four inches since they saw you last, and your cheeks are thin and pale instead of being round and sunburnt. This, with your attire, has made such a difference that I am sure anyone would pass you in the street without knowing you.”

Ned hung a little behind while his mother and the girls met his father at the gate. As soon as the embraces were over Captain Martin turned to Ned and said to his wife:

“My dear, I have to introduce an officer of the prince who has come over for his health to stay awhile with us. This is Captain Martin.”

Dame Martin gave a start of astonishment, looked incredulously for a moment at Ned, and then with a cry of delight threw herself into his arms.

“It really seems impossible that this can be Ned,” she said, as, after kissing his sisters, he turned to her. “Why, husband, it is a man!”

“And a very fine one too, wife. He tops me by two inches; and as to his attire, I feel that we must all smarten up to be fit companions to such a splendid bird. Why, the girls look quite awed by him!”

“But you look terribly pale, Ned, and thin,” his mother said; “and you were so healthy and strong.”

“I shall soon be healthy and strong again, mother. When I have got out of these fine clothes, which I only put on because I could not get into my old ones, and you have fed me up for a week on good English beef, you will see that there is no such great change in me after all.”

“And now let us go inside,” Captain Martin said; “there is a surprise for you there.” Ned entered, and was indeed surprised at seeing his Aunt Elizabeth sitting by the fire, while his cousins were engaged upon their needlework at the window. They, too, looked for a moment doubtful as he entered; for the fifteen months since they had last seen him, when he left them at the surrender of Haarlem, had changed him much, and his dress at that time had been very different to that he now wore. It was not until he exclaimed “Well, aunt, this is indeed a surprise!” that they were sure of his identity, and they welcomed him with a warmth scarcely less than his mother and sisters had shown.

Elizabeth Plomaert was not of a demonstrative nature; but although she had said little at the time, she had felt deeply the care and devotion which Ned had exhibited to her and her daughters during the siege, and knew that had it not been for the supplies of food, scanty as they were, that he nightly brought in, she herself, and probably the girls, would have succumbed to hunger.

“When did you arrive, aunt?” Ned asked, when the greetings were over.

“Four months ago, Ned. Life was intolerable in Haarlem owing to the brutal conduct of the Spanish soldiers. I was a long time bringing myself to move. Had it not been for the girls I should never have done so. But things became intolerable; and when most of the troops were removed at the time Count Louis advanced, we managed to leave the town and make our way north. It was a terrible journey to Enkhuizen; but we accomplished it, and after being there a fortnight took passage in a ship for England, and, as you see, here we are.”

A few days after Ned’s return home his aunt and cousins moved into a house close by, which they had taken a short time before; Dame Plomaert’s half of the property, purchased with the money that had been transmitted by her father-in-law and his sons to England, being ample to keep them in considerable comfort. Just as Ned was leaving Delft some despatches had been placed in his hands for delivery upon his arrival in London to Lord Walsingham. The great minister was in attendance upon the queen at Greenwich, and thither Ned proceeded by boat on the morning after his arrival. On stating that he was the bearer of despatches from the Prince of Orange Ned at once obtained an audience, and bowing deeply presented his letters to the queen’s counsellor. The latter opened the letter addressed to himself, and after reading a few words said:

“Be seated, Captain Martin. The prince tells me that he sends it by your hand, but that as you are prostrate by fever you will be unable to deliver it personally. I am glad to see that you are so far recovered.”

Ned seated himself, while Lord Walsingham continued the perusal of his despatches.

“The prince is pleased to speak in very high terms of you, Captain Martin,” he said, “and tells me that as you are entirely in his confidence you will be able to give me much information besides that that he is able to write.” He then proceeded to question Ned at length as to the state of feeling in Holland, its resources and means of resistance, upon all of which points Ned replied fully. The interview lasted near two hours, at the end of which time Lord Walsingham said:

“When I hand the letter inclosed within my own to the queen I shall report to her majesty very favourably as to your intelligence, and it may possibly be that she may desire to speak to you herself, for she is deeply interested in this matter; and although circumstances have prevented her showing that warmth for the welfare of Holland that she feels, she has no less the interest of that country at heart, and will be well pleased to find that one of her subjects has been rendering such assistance as the prince is pleased to acknowledge in his letter to me. Please, therefore, to leave your address with my secretary in the next room, in order that I may communicate with you if necessary.”

Two days later one of the royal servants brought a message that Captain Martin was to present himself on the following day at Greenwich, as her majesty would be pleased to grant him an audience. Knowing that the queen loved that those around her should be bravely attired, Ned dressed himself in the suit that he had only worn once or twice when he had attended the prince to meetings of the Estates.

It was of a puce coloured satin, slashed with green, with a short mantle of the same material, with the cape embroidered in silver. The bonnet was to match, with a small white feather. He placed the chain the prince had given him round his neck, and with an ample ruff and manchets of Flemish lace, and his rapier by his side, he took his place in the boat, and was rowed to Greenwich. He felt some trepidation as he was ushered in. A page conducted him to the end of the chamber, where the queen was standing with Lord Walsingham at her side. Ned bowed profoundly, the queen held out her hand, and bending on one knee Ned reverently placed it to his lips.

“I am gratified, Captain Martin,” she said, “at the manner in which my good cousin, the Prince of Orange, has been pleased to speak of your services to him. You are young indeed, sir, to have passed through such perilous adventures; and I would fain hear from your lips the account of the deliverance of Leyden, and of such other matters as you have taken part in.”

The queen then seated herself, and Ned related modestly the events at Leyden, Haarlem, Alkmaar, and the two sea fights in which he had taken part. The queen several times questioned him closely as to the various details.

“We are much interested,” she said, “in these fights, in which the burghers of Holland have supported themselves against the soldiers of Spain, seeing that we may ourselves some day have to maintain ourselves against that power. How comes it, young sir, that you came to mix yourself up in these matters? We know that many of our subjects have crossed the water to fight against the Spaniards; but these are for the most part restless spirits, who are attracted as much, perhaps, by a love of adventure as by their sympathy with the people of the Netherlands.”

Ned then related the massacre of his Dutch relations by the Spaniards, and how his father had lost a leg while sailing out of Antwerp.

“I remember me now,” the queen said. “The matter was laid before our council, and we remonstrated with the Spanish ambassador, and he in turn accused our seamen of having first sunk a Spanish galley without cause or reason. And when not employed in these dangerous enterprises of which you have been speaking, do you say that you have been in attendance upon the prince himself? He speaks in his letter to my Lord Walsingham of his great confidence in you. How came you first, a stranger and a foreigner, to gain the confidence of so wise and prudent a prince?”

“He intrusted a mission to me of some slight peril, your majesty, and I was fortunate enough to carry it out to his satisfaction.”

“Tell me more of it,” the queen said. “It may be that we ourselves shall find some employment for you, and I wish to know upon what grounds we should place confidence in you. Tell me fully the affair. I am not pressed for time, and love to listen to tales of adventure.”

Ned thus commanded related in full the story of his mission to Brussels.

“Truly the prince’s confidence was well reposed in you,” she said, when Ned had finished. “You shall hear from us anon, Captain Martin. Since you know Holland so well, and are high in the confidence of the prince, we shall doubtless be able to find means of utilizing your services for the benefit of the realm.”

So saying she again extended her hand to Ned, who, after kissing it, retired from the audience chamber delighted with the kindness and condescension of Elizabeth. When he had left, the queen said to Lord Walsingham.

“A very proper young officer, Lord Walsingham; and one of parts and intelligence as well as of bravery. Methinks we may find him useful in our communications with the Prince of Orange; and from his knowledge of the people we may get surer intelligence from him of the state of feeling there with regard to the alliance they are proposing with us, and to their offers to come under our protection, than we can from our own envoy. It is advisable, too, at times to have two mouthpieces; the one to speak in the public ear, the other to deliver our private sentiments and plans.”

“He is young for so great a responsibility,” Lord Walsingham said hesitatingly.

“If the Prince of Orange did not find him too young to act in matters in which the slightest indiscretion might bring a score of heads to the block, I think that we can trust him, my lord. In some respects his youth will be a distinct advantage. Did we send a personage of age and rank to Holland it might be suspected that he had a special mission from us, and our envoy might complain that we were treating behind his back; but a young officer like this could come and go without attracting observation, and without even Philip’s spies suspecting that he was dabbling in affairs of state.”

At this time, indeed, the queen was, as she had long been, playing a double game with the Netherlands. Holland and Zeeland were begging the prince to assume absolute power. The Prince of Orange, who had no ambition whatever for himself, was endeavouring to negotiate with either England or France to take the Estates under their protection. Elizabeth, while jealous of France, was unwilling to incur the expenditure in men and still more money that would be necessary were she to assume protection of Holland as its sovereign under the title offered to her of Countess of Holland; and yet, though unwilling to do this herself, she was still more unwilling to see France step in and occupy the position offered to her, while, above all, she shrank from engaging at present in a life and death struggle with Spain.

Thus, while ever assuring the Prince of Orange of her good-will, she abstained from rendering any absolute assistance, although continuing to hold out hopes that she would later on accept the sovereignty offered.

For the next three weeks Ned remained quietly at home. The gatherings in the summer house were more largely attended than ever, and the old sailors were never tired of hearing from Ned stories of the sieges in Holland.

It was a continual source of wonder to them how Will Martin’s son, who had seemed to them a boy like other boys, should have gone through such perilous adventures, should have had the honour of being in the Prince of Orange’s confidence, and the still greater honour of being received by the queen and allowed to kiss her hand. It was little more than two years back that Ned had been a boy among them, never venturing to give his opinion unless first addressed, and now he was a young man, with a quiet and assured manner, and bearing himself rather as a young noble of the court than the son of a sea captain like themselves.

It was all very wonderful, and scarce seemed to them natural, especially as Ned was as quiet and unaffected as he had been as a boy, and gave himself no airs whatever on the strength of the good fortune that had befallen him. Much of his time was spent in assisting his aunt to get her new house in order, and in aiding her to move into it. This had just been accomplished when he received an order to go down to Greenwich and call upon Lord Walsingham. He received from him despatches to be delivered to the Prince of Orange, together with many verbal directions for the prince’s private ear. He was charged to ascertain as far as possible the prince’s inclinations towards a French alliance, and what ground he had for encouragement from the French king.

“Upon your return, Captain Martin, you will render me an account of all expenses you have borne, and they will, of course, be defrayed.”

“My expenses will be but small, my lord,” Ned replied; “for it chances that my father’s ship sails tomorrow for Rotterdam, and I shall take passage in her. While there I am sure that the prince, whose hospitality is boundless, will insist upon my staying with him as his guest; and, indeed, it seems to me that this would be best so, for having so long been a member of his household it will seem to all that I have but returned to resume my former position.”

The public service in the days of Queen Elizabeth was not sought for by men for the sake of gain. It was considered the highest honour to serve the queen; and those employed on embassies, missions, and even in military commands spent large sums, and sometimes almost beggared themselves in order to keep up a dignity worthy of their position, considering themselves amply repaid for any sacrifices by receiving an expression of the royal approval. Ned Martin therefore returned home greatly elated at the honourable mission that had been intrusted to him. His father, however, although also gratified at Ned’s reception at court and employment in the queen’s service looked at it from the matter of fact point of view.

“It is all very well, Ned,” he said, as they were talking the matter over in family conclave in the evening; “and I do not deny that I share in the satisfaction that all these women are expressing. It is a high honour that you should be employed on a mission for her majesty, and there are scores of young nobles who would be delighted to be employed in such service; but you see, Ned, you are not a young noble, and although honour is a fine thing, it will buy neither bread nor cheese. If you were the heir to great estates you would naturally rejoice in rendering services which might bring you into favour at court, and win for you honour and public standing; but you see you are the son of a master mariner, happily the owner of his own ship and of other properties which are sufficient to keep him in comfort, but which will naturally at the death of your mother and myself go to the girls, while you will have the Good Venture and my share in other vessels. But these are businesses that want looking after, and the income would go but a little way to support you in a position at court. You have now been two years away from the sea. That matters little; but if you were to continue in the royal service for a time you would surely become unfitted to return to the rough life of a master mariner. Fair words butter no parsnip, Ned. Honour and royal service empty the purse instead of filling it. It behooves you to think these matters over.”

“I am surprised at you, Will,” Dame Martin said. “I should have thought that you would have been proud of the credit and honour that Ned is winning. Why, all our neighbours are talking of nothing else!”

“All our neighbours will not be called upon, wife, to pay for Master Ned’s support, to provide him with courtly garments, and enable him to maintain a position which will do credit to his royal mistress. I am proud of Ned, as proud as anyone can be, but that is no reason why I should be willing to see him spend his life as a needy hanger on of the court rather than as a British sailor, bearing a good name in the city, and earning a fair living by honest trade. Ned knows that I am speaking only for his own good. Court favour is but an empty thing, and our good queen is fickle in her likings, and has never any hesitation in disavowing the proceedings of her envoys. When a man has broad lands to fall back upon he can risk the loss of court favour, and can go into retirement assured that sooner or later he will again have his turn. But such is not Ned’s position. I say not that I wish him at once to draw back from this course; but I would have him soberly think it over and judge whether it is one that in the long run is likely to prove successful.”

Mrs. Martin, her sister-in-law, and the four girls looked anxiously at Ned. They had all, since the day that he was first sent for to Greenwich, been in a high state of delight at the honour that had befallen him, and his father’s words had fallen like a douche of cold water upon their aspirations.

“I fully recognize the truth of what you say, father,” he said, after a pause, “and will think it deeply over, which I shall have time to do before my return from Holland. Assuredly it is not a matter to be lightly decided. It may mean that this royal service may lead to some position of profit as well as honour; although now, as you have put it to me, I own that the prospect seems to me to be a slight one, and that where so many are ready to serve for honour alone, the chance of employment for one requiring money as well as honour is but small. However, there can be no need for instant decision. I am so fond of the sea that I am sure that, even if away from it for two or three years, I should be ready and willing to return to it. I am as yet but little over eighteen, and even if I remained in the royal service until twenty-one I should still have lost but little of my life, and should not be too old to take to the sea again.

“In time I shall see more plainly what the views of Lord Walsingham are concerning me, and whether there is a prospect of advancement in the service. He will know that I cannot afford to give my life to the queen’s service without pay, not being, as you say, a noble or a great landowner.”

“That is very well spoken, Ned,” his father said. “There is no need in any way for you to come to any resolution on the subject at present; I shall be well content to wait until you come of age. As you say, by that time you will see whether this is but a brief wind of royal favour, or whether my Lord Walsingham designs to continue you in the royal service and to advance your fortunes. I find that I am able to get on on board a ship better than I had expected, and have no wish to retire from the sea at present; therefore there will be plenty of time for you to decide when you get to the age of one and twenty. Nevertheless this talk will not have been without advantage, for it will be far better for you not to have set your mind altogether upon court service; and you will then, if you finally decide to return to the sea, not have to suffer such disappointment as you would do had you regarded it as a fixed thing that some great fortune was coming to you. So let it be an understood thing, that this matter remains entirely open until you come to the age of twenty-one.”

Ned accordingly went backwards and forwards to Holland for the next two years, bearing letters and messages between the queen and the Prince of Orange.

There was some pause in military operations after the relief of Leyden. Negotiations had for a long time gone on between the King of Spain, acting by Royal Commissioners, on the one side, and the prince and the Estates on the other. The Royal Commissioners were willing in his name to make considerable concessions, to withdraw the Spanish troops from the country, and to permit the Estates General to assemble; but as they persisted that all heretics should either recant or leave the provinces, no possible agreement could be arrived at, as the question of religion was at the bottom of the whole movement.

During the year 1575 the only military operation of importance was the recovery by the Spaniards of the Island of Schouwen, which, with its chief town Zierickzee, was recovered by a most daring feat of arms–the Spaniards wading for miles through water up to the neck on a wild and stormy night, and making their way across in spite of the efforts of the Zeelanders in their ships. Zierickzee indeed resisted for many months, and finally surrendered only to hunger; the garrison obtaining good terms from the Spaniards, who were so anxious for its possession that to obtain it they were even willing for once to forego their vengeance for the long resistance it had offered.

In March, 1576, while the siege was still going on, Requesens died suddenly of a violent fever, brought on partly by anxiety caused by another mutiny of the troops. This mutiny more than counterbalanced the advantage gained by the capture of the Island of Schouwen, for after taking possession of it the soldiers engaged in the service at once joined the mutiny and marched away into Brabant.

The position of Holland had gone from bad to worse, the utmost efforts of the population were needed to repair the broken dykes and again recover the submerged lands. So bare was the country of animals of all kinds, that it had become necessary to pass a law forbidding for a considerable period the slaughter of oxen, cows, calves, sheep, or poultry. Holland and Zeeland had now united in a confederacy, of which the prince was at the head, and by an Act of Union in June, 1575, the two little republics became virtually one. Among the powers and duties granted to the prince he was to maintain the practice of the reformed evangelical religion, and to cause to cease the exercise of all other religions contrary to the Gospel. He was, however, not to permit that inquisition should be made into any man’s belief or conscience, or that any man by cause thereof should suffer trouble, injury, or hindrance.

Upon one point only the prince had been peremptory, he would have no persecution. In the original terms he had been requested to suppress “the Catholic religion,” but had altered the words into “religion at variance with the Gospel.” Almost alone, at a time when every one was intolerant, the Prince of Orange was firmly resolved that all men should have liberty of conscience.

Holland suffered a great loss when Admiral Boisot fell in endeavouring to relieve Zierickzee. The harbour had been surrounded by Spaniards by a submerged dyke of piles of rubbish. Against this Boisot drove his ship, which was the largest of his fleet. He did not succeed in breaking through. The tide ebbed and left his ship aground, while the other vessels were beaten back. Rather than fall into the hands of the enemy, he and 300 of his companions sprang overboard and endeavoured to effect their escape by swimming, but darkness came on before he could be picked up, and he perished by drowning.

The mutiny among the Spanish regiments spread rapidly, and the greater part of the German troops of Spain took part in it. The mutineers held the various citadels throughout the country, and ravaged the towns, villages, and open country. The condition of the people of Brabant was worse than ever. Despair led them to turn again to the provinces which had so long resisted the authority of Spain, and the fifteen other states, at the invitation of the prince, sent deputies to Ghent to a general congress, to arrange for a close union between the whole of the provinces of the Netherlands.

Risings took place in all parts of the country, but they were always repressed by the Spaniards; who, though in open mutiny against their king and officers, had no idea of permitting the people of the Netherlands to recover the liberty that had at the cost of so much blood been wrung from them. Maastricht drove out its garrison; but the Spaniards advanced against the town, seized a vast number of women, and placing these before them advanced to the assault. The citizens dared not fire, as many of their own wives or sisters were among the women; the town was therefore taken, and a hideous massacre followed.

Ned Martin had now been two years engaged upon various missions to Holland, and Lord Walsingham himself acknowledged to his mistress that her choice of the young officer had been a singularly good one. He had conducted himself with great discretion, his reports were full and minute, and he had several times had audiences with the queen, and had personally related to her matters of importance concerning the state of Holland, and the views of the prince and the Estates General. The congress at Ghent, and the agitation throughout the whole of the Netherlands, had created a lively interest in England, and Ned received orders to visit Ghent and Antwerp, and to ascertain more surely the probability of an organization of the provinces into a general confederation.

When he reached Ghent he found that the attention of the citizens was for the time chiefly occupied with the siege of the citadel, which was held by a Spanish garrison, and he therefore proceeded to Antwerp. This was at the time probably the wealthiest city in Europe. It carried on the largest commerce in the world, its warehouses were full of the treasures of all countries, its merchants vied with princes in splendour. The proud city was dominated, however, by its citadel, which had been erected not for the purpose of external defence but to overawe the town.

The governor of the garrison, D’Avila, had been all along recognized as one of the leaders of the mutiny. The town itself was garrisoned by Germans who still held aloof from the mutiny, but who had been tampered with by him. The governor of the city, Champagny, although a sincere Catholic, hated the Spaniards, and had entered into negotiations with the prince. The citizens thought at present but little of the common cause, their thoughts being absorbed by fears of their own safety, threatened by the mutinous Spanish troops who had already captured and sacked Alost, and were now assembling with the evident intention of gathering for themselves the rich booty contained within the walls of Antwerp.

As they approached the town, a force of 5000 Walloon infantry and 1200 cavalry were despatched from Brussels to the aid of its sister city. No sooner, however, did this force enter the town than it broke into a mutiny, which was only repressed with the greatest difficulty by Champagny. It was at this moment that Ned entered the city. He at once communicated with the governor, and delivered to him some messages with which he had been charged by the Prince of Orange, whom he had visited on his way.

“Had you arrived three days since I could have discussed these matters with you,” the governor said; “but as it is we are hourly expecting attack, and can think of nothing but preparations for defence. I shall be glad if you can assist me in that direction. Half the German garrison are traitors, the Walloons who have just entered are in no way to be relied upon, and it is the burghers themselves upon whom the defence of the town must really fall. They are now engaged in raising a rampart facing the citadel. I am at once proceeding thither to superintend the work.”

Ned accompanied the governor to the spot and found twelve thousand men and women labouring earnestly to erect a rampart, constructed of bales of goods, casks of earth, upturned wagons, and other bulky objects. The guns of the fortress opened upon the workers, and so impeded them that night fell before the fortifications were nearly completed. Unfortunately it was bright moonlight, and the artillerymen continued their fire with such accuracy that the work was at last abandoned, and the citizens retired to their homes. Champagny did all that was possible. Aided by some burghers and his own servants, he planted what few cannon there were at the weakest points; but his general directions were all neglected, and not even scouts were posted.

In the morning a heavy mist hung over the city, and concealed the arrival of the Spanish troops from all the towns and fortresses in the neighbourhood. As soon as it was fairly daylight the defenders mustered. The Marquis of Havre claimed for the Walloons the post of honour in defence of the lines facing the citadel; and 6000 men were disposed here, while the bulk of the German garrison were stationed in the principal squares.

At ten o’clock the mutineers from Alost marched into the citadel, raising the force there to 5000 veteran infantry and 600 cavalry.

Ned had been all night at work assisting the governor. He had now laid aside his ordinary attire, and was clad in complete armour. He was not there to fight; but there was clearly nothing else to do, unless indeed he made his escape at once to the fleet of the Prince of Orange, which was lying in the river. This he did not like doing until it was clear that all was lost. He had seen the Dutch burghers beat back the most desperate assaults of the Spanish troops, and assuredly the Walloons and Germans, who, without counting the burghers, considerably exceeded the force of the enemy, ought to be able to do the same.

Just before daybreak he made his way down to the quays, ascertained the exact position of the fleet, and determined how he had best get on board. He chose a small boat from among those lying at the quay, and removed it to the foot of some stairs by a bridge. He fastened the head rope to a ring and pushed the boat off, so that it lay under the bridge, concealed from the sight of any who might pass along the wharves. Having thus prepared for his own safety, he was making his way to rejoin the governor when a woman came out from a house in a quiet street. As she met him he started.

“Why, Magdalene!” he exclaimed, “is it you? What are you doing in Antwerp? Is the countess here?”

The woman looked at him in surprise.

“Don’t you remember me, Magdalene? the boy you dressed up as a girl at Brussels, and whom you last saw at Maastricht?”

“Bless me!” the old servant exclaimed, “is it you, sir? I should never have known you again.”

“Three years make a great deal of difference,” Ned laughed; “and it is more than that now since we last met.”

“Please to come in, sir; the countess will be right glad to see you, and so will Miss Gertrude. They have talked of you hundreds of times, and wondered what had become of you.” She opened the door again with the great key, and led the way into the house.

“Mistress,” she said, showing the way into the parlour, “here is a visitor for you.” The countess and her daughter had, like every one else in Antwerp, been up all night, and rose from her seat by the fire as the young officer entered. He took off his helmet and bowed deeply.

“What is your business with me?” the countess asked, seeing that he did not speak.

“I have not come exactly upon business, countess,” he replied, “but to thank you for past kindnesses.”

“Mother, it is the English boy!” exclaimed the young lady sitting upon the side of the fire, rising from her seat. “Surely, sir, you are Master Edward Martin?”

“Your eyes are not in fault, Fraulein. I am Edward Martin.”

“I am glad, indeed, to see you, sir,” the countess said. “How often my daughter and I have longed for the time when we might again meet you to tell how grateful we are for the service you did us. I wonder now that I did not recognize you; but you have changed from a lad into a man. You must remember it is more than four years since we were together at Brussels. As for the meeting near Maastricht, it was such a short one; and I was so full of joy at the thought that Gertrude and I had escaped the fearful danger hanging over us that I scarce noticed your appearance, nor had we any time to talk then. We received the letter you wrote after leaving us at Brussels, from the Hague, telling us that you had arrived there safely. But since you did us that service at Maastricht we have never heard of you.”

“I had not your address,” Ned replied. “And even had I known where you were I should not have dared to write; for there was no saying into whose hands the letter might not fall. But, countess, excuse me if I turn to other matters, for the time presses sorely. You know that the city will be attacked today.”

“So every one says,” the countess replied. “But surely you do not think that there is any danger. The Walloons and Germans should be able alone to hold the barricades, and behind them are all the citizens.”

“I put little faith in the Walloons,” Ned said shortly; “and some of the Germans we know have been bribed. I would rather that all were out of the way, and that it were left to the burghers alone to defend the barricades. I have seen how the citizens of the Netherlands can fight at Haarlem and Alkmaar. As for these Walloons, I have no faith in them. I fear, countess, that the danger is great; and if the Spaniards succeed in winning their way into the town, there is no mercy to be expected for man, woman, or child. I consider that it would be madness for you to stay here.”

“But what are we to do, sir?” the countess asked.

“The only way, madam, is to make your way on board the prince’s fleet. I am known to many of the officers, and can place you on board at once. If you wait until the Spaniards enter it will be too late. There will be a wild rush to the river, and the boats will be swamped. If the attack fails, and the Spaniards retire from before the city, you can if you choose return to shore, though I should say that even then it will be better by far to go to Rotterdam or Delft; unless you decide to do as you once talked about, to find a refuge for a time in England.”

“I will accept your offer gladly, sir,” the countess said. “I have long been looking for some way to leave the city. But none can go on board the ships without a pass, and I have not dared to ask for one. Not for worlds would I expose my daughter to the horrors of a sack. Can we go at once?”

“Yes, madam, I have everything in readiness, and would advise no delay.”

“I have nothing that I need mind leaving behind. I am, as you see, more comfortable here than I was at Brussels; but I am still forced to keep my concealment. In five minutes we shall be ready.”

In a very short time the countess and her daughter returned to the room where Ned was awaiting them. Each carried a handbag.

“We are ready now,” the countess said. “I have my jewels and purse. As for the things we leave behind, they are scarce worth the taking by the Spaniards.”

Locking the door of the house behind them the three women accompanied Ned down to the riverside. He took the first boat that came to hand and rowed them down to the fleet, which was moored a quarter of a mile below the town. He passed the first ship or two, and then rowed to one with whose captain he was acquainted.

“Captain Enkin,” he said, “I have brought on board two ladies who have long been in hiding, waiting an opportunity of being taken to Holland–the Countess Von Harp and her daughter. I fear greatly that Antwerp will fall today, and wish, therefore, to place them in safety before the fight begins. Before sunset, unless I am mistaken, you will have a crowd of fugitives on board.”

“I am very pleased, madam,” the captain said, bowing to the countess, “to receive you, and beg to hand over my cabin for your use. The name you bear is known to all Dutchmen; and even were it not so, anyone introduced to me by my good friend Captain Martin would be heartily welcome.

“Are you going to return on shore?” he asked Ned.

“Yes, I must do so,” Ned replied. “I promised the governor to stand by him to the last; and as he has scarce a soul on whom he can rely, it is clearly my duty to do so. It is not for me to shirk doing my duty as long as I can, because I fear that the day will go against us.”

“You will have difficulty in getting off again if the Spaniards once enter the city,” the captain said. “There will be such a rush to the boats that they will be swamped before they leave shore.”

“I have a boat hidden away in which I hope to bring off the governor with me,” Ned replied. “As to myself, I can swim like a fish.”

“Mind and get rid of your armour before you try it. All the swimming in the world could not save you if you jumped in with all that steel mail on you.”

“I will bear it in mind,” Ned said. “Goodbye, countess. Good-bye, Fraulein Gertrude. I trust to see you at nightfall, if not before.”

“That is a very gallant young officer,” Captain Enkin said as the two ladies sat watching Ned as he rowed to the shore.

“You addressed him as Captain Martin?” the countess said.

“Yes, he has been a captain in the prince’s service fully three years,” the sailor said; “and fought nobly at Alkmaar, at the naval battle on the Zuider Zee, and in the sea fight when we drove Romero’s fleet back in Bergen. He stands very high in the confidence of the prince, but I do not think he is in our service now. He is often with the prince, but I believe he comes and goes between England and Holland, and is, men say, the messenger by whom private communications between the queen of England and the prince are chiefly carried.”

“He is young to have such confidence reposed in him,” the countess said.

“Yes, he is young,” Captain Enkin replied. “Not, I suppose, beyond seven or eight and twenty. He was a captain and high in the prince’s confidence when I first knew him three years ago, so he must surely have been four or five and twenty then; and yet, indeed, now you speak of it, methinks he is greatly bigger now than he was then. I do not think he was much taller than I am, and now he tops me by nigh a head. But I must surely be mistaken as to that, for the prince would scarcely place his confidence in a mere lad.”

The countess made no reply, though she exchanged a quiet smile with her daughter. They knew that Ned could not be much more than twenty. He was, he had said, about three years older than Gertrude, and she had passed seventeen but by a few months.

Ned, on returning to shore, tied up the boat, and then proceeded to the palace of the governor. A servant was holding a horse at the door.

“The governor ordered this horse to be ready and saddled for you, sir, when you arrived, and begged you to join him at once in the marketplace, where he is telling off the troops to their various stations.”

Leaping on the horse, Ned rode to the marketplace, and at once placed himself under orders of the governor.

“There is nothing much for you to do at present,” Champagny said. “The troops are all in their places, and we are ready when they deliver the assault.”

It was not until eleven o’clock that the Spaniards advanced to the attack–3000 of them, under their Eletto, by the street of St. Michael; the remainder with the Germans, commanded by Romero, by that of St. George. No sooner did the compact masses approach the barricades than the Walloons, who had been so loud in their boasts of valour, and had insisted upon having the post of danger, broke and fled, their commander, Havre, at their head; and the Spaniards, springing over the ramparts, poured into the streets.

“Fetch up the Germans from the exchange!” Champagny shouted to Ned; and leaping his horse over a garden wall, he himself rode to another station and brought up the troops there, and led them in person to bar the road to the enemy, trying in vain to rally the flying Walloons he met on the way. For a few minutes the two parties of Germans made a brave stand; but they were unable to resist the weight and number of the Spaniards, who bore them down by sheer force. Champagny had fought gallantly in the melee, and Ned, keeping closely beside him, had well seconded his efforts; but when the Germans were borne down they rode off, dashing through the streets and shouting to the burghers everywhere to rise in defence of their homes.

They answered to the appeal. The bodies already collected at the exchange and cattle market moved forward, and from every house the men poured out. The Spanish columns had already divided, and were pouring down the streets with savage cries. The German cavalry of Havre under Van Eude at once deserted, and joining the Spanish cavalry fell upon the townsmen. In vain the burghers and such of the German infantry as remained faithful strove to resist their assailants. Although they had been beaten off in their assaults upon breaches, the Spaniards had ever proved themselves invincible on level ground; and now, inspired alike by the fury for slaughter and the lust for gold, there was no withstanding them.

Round the exchange some of the bravest defenders made a rally, and burghers and Germans, mingled together, fought stoutly until they were all slain.

There was another long struggle round the town hall, one of the most magnificent buildings in Europe; and for a time the resistance was effective, until the Spanish cavalry and the Germans under the traitor Van Eude charged down upon the defenders. Then they took refuge in the buildings, and every house became a fortress, and from window and balcony a hot fire was poured into the square. But now a large number of camp followers who had accompanied the Spaniards came up with torches, which had been specially prepared for firing the town, and in a short time the city hall and other edifices in the square were in flames.

The fire spread rapidly from house to house and from street to street, until nearly a thousand buildings in the most splendid and wealthy portion of the city were in a blaze.

In the street behind the town hall a last stand was made. Here the margrave of the city, the burgomasters, senators, soldiers, and citizens fought to the last, until not one remained to wield a sword. When resistance had ceased the massacre began. Women, children, and old men were killed in vast numbers, or driven into the river to drown there.

Then the soldiers scattered on the work of plunder. The flames had already snatched treasures estimated at six millions from their grasp, but there was still abundance for all. The most horrible tortures were inflicted upon men, women, and children to force them to reveal the hiding places, where they were supposed to have concealed their wealth, and for three days a pandemonium reigned in the city. Two thousand five hundred had been slain, double that number burned and drowned. These are the lowest estimates, many placing the killed at very much higher figures.

Champagny had fought very valiantly, joining any party of soldiers or citizens he saw making a defence. At last, when the town hall was in flames and all hope over, he said to Ned, who had kept throughout the day at his side: “It is no use throwing away our lives. Let us cut our way out of the city.”

“I have a boat lying in readiness at the bridge,” Ned said. “If we can once reach the stairs we can make our way off to the fleet.”

As they approached the river they saw a Spanish column crossing the street ahead of them. Putting spurs to their horses they galloped on at full speed, and bursting into it hewed their way through and continued their course, followed, however, by a number of Spanish infantry.

“These are the steps!” Ned exclaimed, leaping from his horse.

Champagny followed his example. The Spaniards were but twenty yards behind.

“If you pull on that rope attached to the ring a boat lying under the bridge will come to you,” Ned said. “I will keep them back till you are ready.”

Ned turned and faced the Spaniards, and for two or three minutes kept them at bay. His armour was good, and though many blows struck him he was uninjured, while several of the Spaniards fell under his sweeping blows. They fell back for a moment, surprised at his strength; and at this instant the governor called out that all was ready.

Ned turned and rushed down the steps. The governor was already in the boat. Ned leaped on board, and with a stroke of his sword severed the head rope. Before the leading Spaniards reached the bottom of the steps the boat was a length away. Ned seated himself, and seizing the oars rowed down the river. Several shots were fired at them from the bridge and wharves as they went, but they passed on uninjured. Ned rowed to the admiral’s ship and left the governor there, and then rowed to that of Captain Enkin.

“Welcome back,” the captain said heartily. “I had begun to fear that ill had befallen you. A few fugitives came off at noon with the news that the Spaniards had entered the city and all was lost. Since then the roar of musketry, mingled with shouts and yells, has been unceasing, and that tremendous fire in the heart of the city told its own tale. For the last three hours the river has been full of floating corpses; and the countess and her daughter, who until then remained on deck, retired to pray in their cabin. The number of fugitives who have reached the ships is very small. Doubtless they crowded into such boats as there were and sank them. At any rate, but few have made their way out, and those chiefly at the beginning of the fight. Now we had best let the ladies know you are here, for they have been in the greatest anxiety about you.”

Ned went to the cabin door and knocked. “I have returned, countess.”

In a moment the door opened. “Welcome back, indeed, Captain Martin,” she said. “We had begun to fear that we should never see you again. Thankful indeed am I that you have escaped through this terrible day. Are you unhurt?” she asked, looking at his bruised and dented armour and at his clothes, which were splashed with blood.

“I have a few trifling cuts,” he replied, “but nothing worth speaking of. I am truly thankful, countess, that you and your daughter put off with me this morning.”

“Yes, indeed,” the countess said. “I shudder when I think what would have happened had we been there in the city. What a terrible sight it is!”

“It is, indeed,” Ned replied. The shades of night had now fallen, and over a vast space the flames were mounting high, and a pall of red smoke, interspersed with myriads of sparks and flakes of fire, hung over the captured city. Occasional discharges of guns were still heard, and the shrieks of women and the shouts of men rose in confused din. It was an immense relief to all on board when an hour later the admiral, fearing that the Spaniards might bring artillery to bear upon the fleet, ordered the anchors to be weighed, and the fleet to drop a few miles below the town.

After taking off his armour, washing the blood from his wounds and having them bound up, and attiring himself in a suit lent him by the captain until he should get to Delft, where he had left his valise, Ned partook of a good meal, for he had taken nothing but a manchet of bread and a cup of wine since the previous night. He then went into the cabin and spent the evening in conversation with the countess and her daughter, the latter of whom had changed since they had last met to the full as much as he had himself done. She had been a girl of fourteen–slim and somewhat tall for her age, and looking pale and delicate from the life of confinement and anxiety they had led at Brussels, and their still greater anxiety at Maastricht. She was now budding into womanhood. Her figure was lissome and graceful, her face was thoughtful and intelligent, and gave promise of rare beauty in another year or two. He learned that they had remained for a time in the village to which they had first gone, and had then moved to another a few miles away, and had there lived quietly in a small house placed at their disposal by one of their friends. Here they had remained unmolested until two months before, when the excesses committed throughout the country by the mutinous soldiery rendered it unsafe for anyone to live outside the walls of the town. They then removed to Antwerp, where there was far more religious toleration than at Brussels; and the countess had resumed her own name, though still living in complete retirement in the house in which Ned had so fortunately found her.

“The times have altered me for the better,” the countess said. “The Spaniards have retired from that part of Friesland where some of my estates are situated, and those to whom Alva granted them have had to fly. I have a faithful steward there, and since they have left he has collected the rents and has remitted to me such portions as I required, sending over the rest to England to the charge of a banker there. As it may be that the Spaniards will again sweep over Friesland, where they still hold some of the principal towns, I thought it best, instead of having my money placed in Holland, where no one can foresee the future, to send it to England, where at least one can find a refuge and a right to exercise our religion.”

“I would that you would go there at once, countess; for surely at present Holland is no place for two unprotected ladies. Nothing would give my mother greater pleasure than to receive you until you can find a suitable home for yourselves. My sisters are but little older than your daughter, and would do all in their power to make her at home. They too speak your language, and there are thousands of your compatriots in London.”

“What do you say, Gertrude?” the countess asked. “But I know that your mind has been so long made up that it is needless to question you.”

“Yes, indeed, mother, I would gladly go away anywhere from here, where for the last six years there has been nothing but war and bloodshed. If we could go back and live in Friesland among our own people in safety and peace I should be delighted to do so, but this country is as strange to us as England would be. Our friends stand aloof from us, and we are ever in fear either of persecution or murder by the Spanish soldiers. I should be so glad to be away from it all; and, as Captain Martin says, there are so many of our own people in London, that it would scarce feel a strange land to us.”

“You have said over and over again that you would gladly go if you could get away, and now that we can do so, surely it will be better and happier for us than to go on as we have done. Of course it would be better in Holland than it has been here for the last four years, because we should be amongst Protestants; but we should be still exposed to the dangers of invasion and the horrors of sieges.”

“It is as my daughter says, Captain Martin; our thoughts have long been turning to England as a refuge. In the early days of the troubles I had thought of France, where so many of our people went, but since St. Bartholomew it has been but too evident that there is neither peace nor safety for those of the religion there, and that in England alone can we hope to be permitted to worship unmolested. Therefore, now that the chance is open to us, we will not refuse it. I do not say that we will cross at once. We have many friends at Rotterdam and Delft, and the prince held my husband in high esteem in the happy days before the troubles; therefore I shall tarry there for a while, but it will be for a time only. It will not be long before the Spanish again resume their war of conquest; besides, we are sick of the tales of horror that come to us daily, and long for calm and tranquillity, which we cannot hope to obtain in Holland. Had I a husband or brothers I would share their fate whatever it was, but being alone and unable to aid the cause in any way it would be folly to continue here and endure trials and risks. You say that you come backwards and forwards often, well then in two months we shall be ready to put ourselves under your protection and to sail with you for England.”

The next morning the admiral despatched a ship to Rotterdam with the news of the fate of Antwerp, and Ned obtained a passage in her for himself, the ladies, and servant, and on arriving at Rotterdam saw them bestowed in comfortable lodgings. He then, after an interview with the prince, went on board a ship just leaving for England, and upon his arrival reported to the minister, and afterwards to the queen herself, the terrible massacre of which he had been a witness in Antwerp.

The Spanish fury, as the sack of Antwerp was termed, vastly enriched the soldiers, but did small benefit to the cause of Spain. The attack was wanton and unprovoked. Antwerp had not risen in rebellion against Philip, but had been attacked solely for the sake of plunder; and all Europe was shocked at the atrocities that had taken place, and at the slaughter, which was even greater than the massacre in Paris on the eve of St. Bartholomew. The queen remonstrated in indignant terms, the feeling among the Protestants in Germany was equally strong, and even in France public feeling condemned the act.

In the Netherlands the feeling of horror and indignation was universal. The fate that had befallen Antwerp might be that of any other sister city. Everywhere petitions were signed in favour of the unity of all the Netherlands under the Prince of Orange. Philip’s new governor, Don John, had reached the Netherlands on the very day of the sack of Antwerp, and endeavoured to allay the storm of indignation it had excited by various concessions; but the feeling of unity, and with it of strength, had grown so rapidly that the demands of the commissioners advanced in due proportion, and they insisted upon nothing less than the restoration of their ancient constitution, the right to manage their internal affairs, and the departure of all the Spanish troops from the country.

Don John parleyed and parried the demands, and months were spent in unprofitable discussions, while all the time he was working secretly among the nobles of Brabant and Flanders, who were little disposed to see with complacency the triumph of the democracy of the towns and the establishment of religious toleration. Upon all other points Don John and his master were ready to yield. The Spanish troops were sent away to Italy, the Germans only being retained. The constitutional rights would all have been conceded, but on the question of religious tolerance Philip stood firm. At last, seeing that no agreement would ever be arrived at, both parties prepared again for war.

The Queen of England had lent 100,000 pounds on the security of the cities, and the pause in hostilities during the negotiations had not been altogether wasted in Holland. There had been a municipal insurrection in Amsterdam; the magistrates devoted to Philip had been driven out, and to the great delight of Holland, Amsterdam, its capital, that had long been a stronghold of the enemy, a gate through which he could at will pour his forces, was restored to it. In Antwerp, and several other of the cities of Brabant and Flanders, the citizens razed the citadels by which they had been overawed; men, women, and children uniting in the work, tearing down and carrying away the stones of the fortress, that had worked them such evil.

Antwerp had at the departure of the Spanish troops been again garrisoned by Germans, who had remained inactive during this exhibition of the popular will. The Prince of Orange himself had paid a visit to the city, and had, at the invitation of Brussels, proceeded there, and had received an enthusiastic reception, and for a time it seemed that the plans for which so many years he had struggled were at last to be crowned with success. But his hopes were frustrated by the treachery of the nobles and the cowardice of the army the patriots had engaged in their service.

Many of the Spanish troops had been secretly brought back again, and Don John was preparing for a renewal of war.

Unknown to the Prince of Orange, numbers of the nobles had invited the Archduke Mathias, brother of the Emperor Rudolph of Germany, to assume the government. Mathias, without consultation with his brother, accepted the invitation and journeyed privately to the Netherlands. Had the Prince of Orange declared against him he must at once have returned to Vienna, but this would have aroused the anger of the emperor and the whole of Germany. Had the prince upon the other hand abandoned the field and retired into Holland, he would have played into the hands of his adversaries. Accordingly he received Mathias at Antwerp with great state, and the archduke was well satisfied to place himself in the hands of the most powerful man in the country.

The prince’s position was greatly strengthened by the queen instructing her ministers to inform the envoy of the Netherlands that she would feel compelled to withdraw all succour of the states if the Prince of Orange was deprived of his leadership, as it was upon him alone that she relied for success. The prince was thereupon appointed Ruward of Brabant, a position almost analogous to that of dictator. Ghent, which was second only in importance to Antwerp, rose almost immediately, turned out the Catholic authorities, and declared in favour of the prince. A new act of union was signed at Brussels, and the Estates General passed a resolution declaring Don John to be no longer governor or stadtholder of the Netherlands. The Prince of Orange was appointed lieutenant general for Mathias, and the actual power of the latter was reduced to a nullity, but he was installed at Brussels with the greatest pomp and ceremony.

Don John, who had by this time collected an army of 20,000 veterans at Namur, and had been joined by the Prince of Parma, a general of great vigour and ability, now marched against the army of the Estates, of which the command had been given to the nobles of the country in the hope of binding them firmly to the national cause.

The patriot army fell back before that of the Spaniards, but were soon engaged by a small body of cavalry. Alexander of Parma came up with some 1200 horse, dashed boldly across a dangerous swamp, and fell upon their flank. The Estates cavalry at once turned and fled, and Parma then fell upon the infantry, and in the course of an hour not only defeated but almost exterminated them, from 7000 to 8000 being killed, and 600 taken prisoners, the latter being executed without mercy by Don John. The loss of the Spaniards was only about ten men. This extraordinary disproportion of numbers, and the fact that 1200 men so easily defeated a force ten times more numerous, completely dashed to the ground the hopes of the Netherlands, and showed how utterly incapable were its soldiers of contending in the field with the veterans of Spain.

The battle was followed by the rapid reduction of a large number of towns, most of which surrendered without resistance as soon as the Spanish troops approached. In the meantime the Estates had assembled another army, which was joined by one composed of 12,000 Germans under Duke Casimir. Both armies were rendered inactive by want of funds, and the situation was complicated by the entry of the Duke of Alencon, the brother of the King of France, into the Netherlands. Don John, the hero of the battle of Lepanto, who had shown himself on many battlefields to be at once a great commander and a valiant soldier, was prostrate by disease, brought on by vexation, partly at the difficulties he had met with since his arrival in the Netherlands, partly at the neglect of Spain to furnish him with money with which he could set his army, now numbering 30,000, in motion, and sweep aside all resistance. At this critical moment his malady increased, and after a week’s illness he expired, just two years after his arrival in the Netherlands.

He was succeeded at first temporarily and afterwards permanently by Alexander of Parma, also a great commander, and possessing far greater resolution than his unfortunate predecessor.

The two years had been spent by Edward Martin in almost incessant journeyings between London and the Netherlands. He now held, however, a position much superior to that which he had formerly occupied. The queen, after hearing from him his account of the sack of Antwerp and his share in the struggle, had said to the Secretary, “I think that it is only just that we should bestow upon Captain Martin some signal mark of our approbation at the manner in which he has for two years devoted himself to our service, and that without pay or reward, but solely from his loyalty to our person, and from his goodwill towards the state. Kneel, Captain Martin.”

The queen took the sword that Walsingham handed to her, and said, “Rise, Sir Edward Martin. You will draw out, Mr. Secretary, our new knight’s appointment as our special envoy to the Prince of Orange; and see that he has proper appointments for such a post. His duties will, as before, be particular to myself and the prince, and will not clash in any way with those of our envoy at the Hague.”

The delight of Ned’s mother and sisters when he returned home and informed them of the honour that the queen had been pleased to bestow upon him was great indeed. His father said:

“Well, Ned, I must congratulate you with the others; though I had hoped to make a sailor of you. However, circumstances have been too much for me. I own that you have been thrust into this work rather by fortune than design; and as it is so I am heartily glad that you have succeeded. It seems strange to me that my boy should have become Sir Edward Martin, an officer in the service of her majesty, and I say frankly that just at present I would rather that it had been otherwise. But I suppose I shall get accustomed to it in time, and assuredly none but myself will doubt for a moment that you have gained greatly by all this honour and dignity.”

Queen Elizabeth, although in some respects parsimonious in the extreme, was liberal to her favourites, and the new made knight stood high in her liking. She loved to have good looking men about her; and without being actually handsome, Ned Martin, with his height and breadth of shoulder, his easy and upright carriage, his frank, open face and sunny smile, was pleasant to look upon. He had served her excellently for two years, had asked for no rewards or favours, but had borne himself modestly, and been content to wait. Therefore the queen was pleased to order her treasurer to issue a commission to Sir Edward Martin, as her majesty’s special envoy to the Prince of Orange, with such appointments as would enable him handsomely to support his new dignity and his position as her representative.

Even Captain Martin was now bound to confess that Ned had gained profit as well as honour. He did indeed warn his son not to place too much confidence in princes; but Ned replied, “I do not think the queen is fickle in her likes and dislikes, father. But I rely not upon this, but on doing my duty to the state for further employment. I have had extraordinary good fortune, too; and have, without any merit save that of always doing my best, mounted step by step from the deck of the Good Venture to knighthood and employment by the state. The war appears to me to be as far from coming to an end as it did six years ago; and if I continue to acquit myself to the satisfaction of the lord treasurer and council, I hope that at its conclusion I may be employed upon such further work as I am fitted for.”

“You speak rightly, Ned; and I am wrong to feel anxiety about your future when you have already done so well. And now, Ned, you had best go into the city and order from some tailor who supplies the court such suits as are fitting to your new rank. The queen loves brave dresses and bright colours, and you must cut as good a figure as the rest. You have been somewhat of an expense to me these last two years; but that is over now, and I can well afford the additional outlay to start you worthily. What was good enough for Captain Martin is not good enough for Sir Edward Martin; therefore stint not expense in any way. I should not like that you should not hold your own with the young fops of the court.”

It was well that Ned had provided himself with a new outfit, for he was not sent abroad again for more than a month, and during that time he was almost daily at court, receiving from the royal chamberlain a notification that the queen expected to see him at all entertainments. At the first of these Lord Walsingham introduced him to many of the young nobles of the court, speaking very highly of the services he had rendered; and as the queen was pleased to speak often to him and to show him marked favour, he was exceedingly well received, and soon found himself at ease.

He was, nevertheless, glad when the order came for him to proceed again to Holland with messages to the Prince of Orange. Upon his arrival there he was warmly congratulated by the prince.

“You have well earned your rank,” the prince said. “I take some pride to myself in having so soon discovered that you had good stuff in you. There are some friends of yours here who will be glad to hear of the honour that has befallen you. The Countess Von Harp and her daughter have been here for the last six weeks. I have seen them several times, and upon each occasion they spoke to me of their gratitude for the services you have rendered them. One of my pages will show you where they are lodging. They are about to proceed to England, and I think their decision is a wise one, for this country is at present no place for unprotected women.”

The countess and her daughter were alike surprised and pleased when Ned was announced as Sir Edward Martin. And when a fortnight later Ned sailed for England, they took passage in the same ship. Ned had sent word to his mother by a vessel that sailed a week previously that they would arrive with him, and the best room in the house had been got in readiness for them, and they received a hearty welcome from Ned’s parents and sisters. They stayed a fortnight there and then established themselves in a pretty little house in the village of Dulwich. One of Ned’s sisters accompanied them to stay for a time as Gertrude’s friend and companion.

Whenever Ned returned home he was a frequent visitor at Dulwich, and at the end of two years his sisters were delighted but not surprised when he returned one day and told them that Gertrude Von Harp had accepted him. The marriage was not to take place for a time; for Ned was still young, and the countess thought it had best be delayed. She was now receiving a regular income from her estates; for it had been a time of comparative peace in Holland, and that country was increasing fast in wealth and prosperity.

Alexander of Parma had by means of his agents corrupted the greater part of the nobility of Flanders and Brabant, had laid siege to Maastricht, and, after a defence even more gallant and desperate than that of Haarlem, and several terrible repulses of his soldiers, had captured the city and put the greater part of its inhabitants–men and women–to the sword. After vain entreaties to Elizabeth to assume the sovereignty of the Netherlands, this had been offered to the Duke of Anjou, brother of the King of France.

The choice appeared to be a politic one, for Anjou was at the time the all but accepted suitor of Queen Elizabeth, and it was thought that the choice would unite both powers in defence of Holland. The duke, however, speedily proved his incapacity. Irritated at the smallness of the authority granted him, and the independent attitude of the great towns, he attempted to capture them by force. He was successful in several places; but at Antwerp, where the French thought to repeat the Spanish success and to sack the city, the burghers gathered so strongly and fiercely that the French troops employed were for the most part killed, those who survived being ignominiously taken prisoners.

Anjou retired with his army, losing a large number of men on his retreat by the bursting of a dyke and the flooding of the country. By this time the Prince of Orange had accepted the sovereignty of Holland and Zeeland, which was now completely separated from the rest of the Netherlands. After the flight of Anjou he received many invitations from the other provinces to accept their sovereignty; but he steadily refused, having no personal ambition, and knowing well that no reliance whatever could be placed upon the nobles of Brabant and Flanders.

On the 10th of July, 1584, a deep gloom was cast over all Holland and England, by the assassination of the Prince of Orange. Many attempts had been made upon his life by paid agents of the King of Spain. One had been nearly successful, and the prince had lain for weeks almost at the point of death. At last the hatred of Philip and Parma gained its end, and the prince fell a victim to the bullet of an assassin, who came before him disguised as a petitioner. His murderer was captured, and put to death with horrible tortures, boasting of his crime to the last. It was proved beyond all question that he, as well as the authors of the previous attempts, was acting at the instigation of the Spanish authorities, and had been promised vast sums in the event of his success.

Thus died the greatest statesman of his age; a pure patriot, a disinterested politician, a great orator, a man possessing at once immense talent, unbounded perseverance, a fortitude under misfortunes beyond proof, and an unshakeable faith in God. But terrible as was the blow to the Netherlands, it failed to have the effect which its instigators had hoped from it. On the very day of the murder the Estates of Holland, then sitting at Delft, passed a resolution “to maintain the good cause, with God’s help, to the uttermost, without sparing gold or blood.” The prince’s eldest son had been kidnapped from school in Leyden by Philip’s orders, and had been a captive in Spain for seventeen years under the tutorship of the Jesuits. Maurice, the next son, now seventeen years old, was appointed head of the States Council.

But the position of the Netherlands was still well nigh desperate. Flanders and Brabant lay at the feet of the Spaniards. A rising which had lately taken place had been crushed. Bruges had surrendered without a blow. The Duke of Parma, with 18,000 troops, besides his garrisons, was threatening Ghent, Mechlin, Brussels, and Antwerp, and was freely using promises and bribery to induce them to surrender. Dendermonde and Vilvoorde both opened their gates, the capitulation of the latter town cutting the communication between Brussels and Antwerp. Ghent followed the example and surrendered without striking a blow, and at the moment of the assassination of the Prince of Orange Parma’s army was closing round Antwerp.

Sir Edward Martin was at Antwerp, where he had gone by the queen’s order, when he received the news of the murder of the prince, whom he had seen a few days before. He was filled with grief and horror at the loss of one who had been for six years his friend, and whom he regarded with enthusiastic admiration. It seemed to him at first that with the death of the prince the cause of the Netherlands was lost, and had the former attempts of Philip’s emissaries upon the prince’s life been successful such a result would no doubt have followed; but the successful defence of their cities, and the knowledge they had gained that the sea could be made to fight for them, had given the people of Holland strength and hope. Their material resources, too, were larger than before, for great numbers of the Protestants from the other provinces had emigrated there, and had added alike to their strength and wealth. At first, however, the news caused something like despair in Antwerp. Men went about depressed and sorrowful, as if they had lost their dearest friend; but Sainte Aldegonde, who had been appointed by the prince to take charge of the defence of Antwerp, encouraged the citizens, and their determination to resist returned. Unfortunately there had already been terrible blundering. William de Blois, Lord of Treslong and Admiral of the fleet of Holland and Zeeland, had been ordered to carry up to the city provisions and munitions of war sufficient to last for a year, the money having been freely voted by the States General of these provinces.

But Treslong disobeyed the orders, and remained week after week at Ostend drinking heavily and doing nothing else. At last the States, enraged at his disobedience, ordered him to be arrested and thrown into prison; but this was too late to enable the needed stores to be taken up to Antwerp. The citizens were under no uneasiness. They believed that it was absolutely impossible to block the river, and that, therefore, they could at all times receive supplies from the coast. On both sides of the river below the town the land was low and could at any time be laid under water, and Sainte Aldegonde brought the Prince of Orange’s instructions that the great dyke, called Blauwgaren, was to be pierced. This would have laid the country under water for miles, and even the blocking of the river would not have prevented the arrival of ships with provisions and supplies.

Unfortunately Sainte Aldegonde’s power was limited. The Butchers’ Guild rose against the proposal, and their leaders appeared before the magistrates and protested against the step being carried out. Twelve thousand cattle grazed upon the pastures which would be submerged, and the destruction of farms, homesteads, and orchards would be terrible. As to the blocking up of the river, the idea was absurd, and the operation far beyond the power of man. The butchers were supported by the officers of the militia, who declared that were the authorities to attempt the destruction of the dyke the municipal soldiery would oppose it by force.

Such was the state of things when the only man whom the democracy would listen to and obey fell by the assassin’s knife, and his death and the obstinate stupidity of the burghers of Antwerp sealed the fate of the city. Sainte Aldegonde had hailed the arrival of Elizabeth’s envoy, and consulted with him as to the steps to be taken for the defence of the city. He himself did not believe in the possibility of the river being stopped. It was nearly half a mile in width and sixty feet in depth, with a tidal rise and fall of eleven feet. Ned agreed with the governor or burgomaster–for this was Saint Aldegonde’s title–that the work of blocking this river seemed impossible, but his reliance upon the opinion of the prince was so great that he did what he could towards persuading the populace to permit the plans to be carried out. But Elizabeth had so often disappointed the people of the Netherlands that her envoy possessed no authority, and the magistrates, with whom were the ward masters, the deans of all the guilds, the presidents of chambers and heads of colleges, squabbled and quarrelled among themselves, and nothing was done.

The garrison consisted only of a regiment of English under Colonel Morgan and a Scotch regiment under Colonel Balfour, but these were in a state of indiscipline, and a mutiny had shortly before broken out among them. Many of the troops had deserted to Parma and some had returned home, and it was not until Morgan had beheaded Captain Lee and Captain Powell that order was restored among them. Beside these were the burgher militia, who were brave and well trained, but insubordinate, and ready on every occasion to refuse obedience to authority.

The first result of the general confusion which prevailed in Antwerp was that Herenthals was allowed to fall without assistance. Had this small but important city been succoured it would have enabled Antwerp to protract its own defence for some time.

The veteran Mondragon as he took possession remarked, “Now it is easy to see that the Prince of Orange is dead;” and indeed it was only under his wise supervision and authority that anything like concerted action between the cities, which were really small republics, was possible.

Quietly but steadily the Duke of Parma established fortified posts at various points on both banks of the Lower Scheldt, thereby rendering its navigation more difficult, and covering in some degree the spot where he intended to close the river. Nine miles below the city were two forts–Lillo and Liefkenshoek–one on either side of the stream. The fortifications of Lillo was complete, but those of Liefkenshoek were not finished when Parma ordered the Marquis of Richebourg to carry it by assault. It was taken by surprise, and the eight hundred men who composed its garrison were all killed or drowned. This first blow took place on the very day the Prince of Orange was killed.

Lillo was garrisoned by Antwerp volunteers, called the Young Bachelors, together with a company of French under Captain Gascoigne, and 400 Scotch and Englishmen under Colonel Morgan. Mondragon was ordered to take the place at any cost. He took up his position with 5000 men at the country house and farm of Lillo a short distance from the fort, planted his batteries and opened fire. The fort responded briskly, and finding that the walls were little injured by his artillery fire Mondragon tried to take it by mining. Teligny, however, ran counter mines, and for three weeks the siege continued, the Spaniards gaining no advantage and losing a considerable number of men. At last Teligny made a sortie, and a determined action took place without advantage on either side. The defenders were then recalled to the fort, the sluice gates were opened, and the waters of the Scheldt, swollen by a high tide, poured over the country. Swept by the fire of the guns of the fort and surrounded by water, the Spaniards were forced to make a rapid retreat, struggling breast high in the waves.

Seeing the uselessness of the siege, the attempt to capture Lillo was abandoned, having cost the Spaniards no less than two thousand lives. Parma’s own camp was on the opposite side of the river, at the villages of Beveren, Kalloo, and Borght, and he was thus nearly opposite to Antwerp, as the river swept round with a sharp curve. He had with him half his army, while the rest were at Stabroek on the opposite side of the river, nearly ten miles below Antwerp. Kallo stood upon rising ground, and was speedily transformed into a bustling town. From this point an army of men dug a canal to Steeken, a place on the river above Antwerp twelve miles from Kalloo, and as soon as Ghent and Dendermonde had fallen, great rafts of timber, fleets of boats laden with provisions, munitions, building materials, and every other requisite for the great undertaking Parma had in view were brought to Kalloo.

To this place was brought also by Parma’s orders the shipwrights, masons, ropemakers, sailors, boatmen, bakers, brewers, and butchers of Flanders and Brabant, and work went on unceasingly. But while the autumn wore on the river was still open; and in spite of the Spanish batteries on the banks the daring sailors of Zeeland brought up their ships laden with corn to Antwerp, where the price was already high. Had this traffic been continued Antwerp would soon have been provisioned for a year’s siege; but the folly and stupidity of the municipal authorities put a stop to it, for they enacted that, instead of the high prices current for grain, which had tempted the Zeelanders to run the gauntlet of the Spanish batteries, a price but little above that obtainable in other places should be given. The natural result was, the supply of provisions ceased at once.

“Did you ever see anything like the obstinacy and folly of these burghers?” Sainte Aldegonde said in despair to Ned, when, in spite of his entreaties, this suicidal edict had been issued. “What possible avail is it to endeavour to defend a city which seems bent on its own destruction?”

“The best thing to do,” Ned replied in great anger, “would be to surround the town hall with the companies of Morgan’s regiment remaining here, and to hang every one of these thick headed and insolent tradesmen.”

“It would be the best way,” Sainte Aldegonde agreed, “if we had also a sufficient force to keep down the city. These knaves think vastly more of their own privileges than of the good of the State, or even of the safety of the town. Here, as in Ghent, the people are divided into sections and parties, who, when there is no one else to quarrel with, are ever ready to fly at each other’s throats. Each of these leaders of guilds and presidents of chambers considers himself a little god, and it is quite enough if anyone else expresses an opinion for the majority to take up at once the opposite view.”

“I looked in at the town hall yesterday,” Ned said, “and such an uproar was going on that no one could be heard to speak. Twenty men were on their feet at once, shouting and haranguing, and paying not the slightest attention to each other; while the rest joined in from time to time with deafening cries and yells. Never did I see such a scene. And it is upon such men as these that it rests to decide upon the measures to be taken for the safety of the city!”

“Ah, if we had but the prince here among us again for a few hours there would be some hope,” Sainte Aldegonde said; “for he would be able to persuade the people that in times like these there is no safety in many counsellors, but that they must be content for the time to obey one man.”

On the Flemish side of the river the sluices had been opened at Saftingen. The whole country there, with the exception of the ground on which Kalloo and the other villages stood, was under water. Still the Blauwgaren dyke, and an inner dyke called the Kowenstyn, barred back the water, which, had it free course, would have turned the country into a sea and given passage to the fleets of Zeeland. Now that it was too late, those who had so fiercely opposed the plan at first were eager that these should be cut. But it was now out of their power to do so. The Lord of Kowenstyn, who had a castle on the dyke which bore his name, had repeatedly urged upon the Antwerp magistracy the extreme importance of cutting through this dyke, even if they deferred the destruction of the outer one. Enraged at their obstinacy and folly, and having the Spanish armies all round him, he made terms with Parma, and the Spaniards established themselves firmly along the bank, built strong redoubts upon it, and stationed five thousand men there.

As the prince had foreseen, the opening of the Saftingen sluice had assisted Parma instead of adding to his difficulties; for he was now no longer confined to the canal, but was able to bring a fleet of large vessels, laden with cannon and ammunition, from Ghent down the Scheldt, and in through a breach through the dyke of Borght to Kalloo. Sainte Aldegonde, in order to bar the Borght passage, built a work called Fort Teligny upon the dyke, opposite that thrown up by the Spaniards, and in the narrow passage between them constant fighting went on between the Spaniards and patriots. Still the people of Antwerp felt confident, for the Scheldt was still open, and when food became short the Zeeland fleet could at any time sail up to their assistance. But before winter closed in Parma commenced the work for which he had made such mighty preparations.

Between Kalloo and Oordam, on the opposite side, a sand bar had been discovered, which somewhat diminished the depth of the stream and rendered pile driving comparatively easy. A strong fort was erected on each bank and the work of driving in the piles began. From each side a framework of heavy timber, supported on these massive piles, was carried out so far that the width of open water was reduced from twenty-four to thirteen hundred feet, and strong blockhouses were erected upon each pier to protect them from assault. Had a concerted attack been made by the Antwerp ships from above, and the Zeeland fleet from below, the works could at this time have been easily destroyed. But the fleet had been paralyzed by the insubordination of Treslong, and there was no plan or concert; so that although constant skirmishing went on, no serious attack was made.

The brave Teligny, one night going down in a rowboat to communicate with the Zeelanders and arrange for joint action, was captured by the Spanish boats, and remained for six years in prison. His loss was a very serious blow to Antwerp and to the cause. On the 13th of November Parma sent in a letter to Antwerp, begging the citizens to take compassion on their wives and children and make terms. Parma had none of the natural bloodthirstiness of Alva, and would have been really glad to have arranged matters without further fighting; especially as he was almost without funds, and the attitude of the King of France was so doubtful that he knew that at any moment his plans might be overthrown.

The States in January attempted to make a diversion in favour of Antwerp by attacking Bois le Duc, a town from which the Spaniards drew a large portion of their supplies. Parma, although feeling the extreme importance of this town, had been able to spare no men for its defence; and although it was strong, and its burghers notably brave and warlike, it seemed that it might be readily captured by surprise. Count Hohenlohe was entrusted with the enterprise, and with 4000 infantry and 200 cavalry advanced towards the place. Fifty men, under an officer who knew the town, hid at night near the gate, and when in the morning the portcullis was lifted, rushed in, overpowered the guard, and threw open the gate, and Hohenlohe, with his 200 troopers and 500 pikemen, entered.

These at once, instead of securing the town, scattered to plunder. It happened that forty Spanish lancers and thirty foot soldiers had come into the town the night before to form an escort for a convoy of provisions. They were about starting when the tumult broke out. As Hohenlohe’s troops thought of nothing but pillage, time was given to the burghers to seize their arms; and they, with the little body of troops, fell upon the plunderers, who, at the sight of the Spanish uniforms, were seized with a panic. Hohenlohe galloped to the gate to bring in the rest of the troops; but while he was away one of its guards, although desperately wounded at its capture, crawled to the ropes which held up the portcullis and cut them with his knife. Thus those within were cut off from their friends. Many of them were killed, others threw themselves from the walls into the moat, and very few of those who had entered made their escape.

When Hohenlohe returned with 2000 fresh troops and found the gates shut in his face, he had nothing to do but to ride away, the enterprise having failed entirely through his own folly and recklessness; for it was he himself who had encouraged his followers to plunder. Had he kept them together until the main force entered, no resistance could have been offered to him, or had he when he rode out to fetch reinforcements left a guard at the gate to prevent its being shut, the town could again have been taken. Parma himself wrote to Philip acknowledging that “Had the rebels succeeded in their enterprise, I should have been compelled to have abandoned the siege of Antwerp.”

But now the winter, upon which the people in Antwerp had chiefly depended for preventing the blocking of the stream, was upon the besiegers. The great river, lashed by storms into fury, and rolling huge masses of ice up and down with the tide, beat against the piers, and constantly threatened to carry them away. But the structure was enormously strong. The piles had been driven fifty feet into the river bed, and withstood the force of the stream, and on the 25th of February the Scheldt was closed.

Parma had from the first seen that it was absolutely impossible to drive piles across the deep water between the piers, and had prepared to connect them with a bridge of boats. For this purpose he had constructed thirty-two great barges, each sixty-two feet in length, and twelve in breadth. These were moored in pairs with massive chains and anchors, the distance between each pair being twenty-two feet. All were bound together with chains and timbers and a roadway protected by a parapet of massive beams was formed across it. Each boat was turned into a fortress by the erection of solid wooden redoubts at each end, mounting heavy guns, and was manned by thirty-two soldiers and four sailors. The forts at the end of the bridge each mounted ten great guns, and twenty armed vessels with heavy pieces of artillery were moored in front of each fort. Thus the structure was defended by 170 great guns.

As an additional protection to the bridge, two heavy rafts, each 1250 feet long, composed of empty barrels, heavy timbers, ships’ masts, and woodwork bound solidly together, were moored at some little distance above and below the bridge of boats. These rafts were protected by projecting beams of wood tipped with iron, to catch any vessels floating down upon them. The erection of this structure was one of the most remarkable military enterprises ever carried out.

Now that it was too late the people of Antwerp bitterly bewailed their past folly, which had permitted an enterprise that could at any moment have been interrupted to be carried to a successful issue.

But if something like despair seized the citizens at the sight of the obstacle that cut them off from all hope of succour, the feelings of the great general whose enterprise and ability had carried out the work were almost as depressed. His troops had dwindled to the mere shadow of an army, the cavalry had nearly disappeared, the garrisons in the various cities were starving, and the burghers had no food either for the soldiers or themselves.

The troops were two years behindhand in their pay. Parma had long exhausted every means of credit, and his appeals to his sovereign for money met with no response. But while in his letters to Philip he showed the feelings of despair which possessed him, he kept a smiling countenance to all else. A spy having been captured, he ordered him to be conducted over every part of the encampment. The forts and bridge were shown to him, and he was requested to count the pieces of artillery, and was then sent back to the town to inform the citizens of what he had seen.

At this moment Brussels, which had long been besieged, was starved into surrender, and Parma was reinforced by the troops who had been engaged in the siege of that city. A misfortune now befell him similar to that which the patriots had suffered at Bois le Duc. He had experienced great inconvenience from not possessing a port on the sea coast of Flanders, and consented to a proposal of La Motte, one of the most experienced of the Walloon generals, to surprise Ostend. On the night of the 29th of March, La Motte, with 2000 foot and 1200 cavalry, surprised and carried the old port of the town. Leaving an officer in charge of the position, he went back to bring up the rest of his force. In his absence the soldiers scattered to plunder. The citizens roused themselves, killed many of them, and put the rest to flight, and by the time La Motte returned with the fresh troops the panic had become so general that the enterprise had to be abandoned.

The people of Antwerp now felt that unless some decisive steps were taken their fate was sealed. A number of armed vessels sailed up from Zeeland, and, assisted by a detachment from Fort Lillo, suddenly attacked and carried Fort Liefkenshoek, which had been taken from them at the commencement of the siege, and also Fort St. Anthony lower down the river. In advancing towards the latter fort they disobeyed Sainte Aldegonde’s express orders, which were that they should, after capturing Liefkenshoek, at once follow the dyke up the river to the point where it was broken near the fort at the end of the bridge, and should there instantly throw up strong works.

Had they followed out these orders they could from this point have battered the bridge, and destroyed this barrier over the river. But the delay caused by the attack on the Fort St. Anthony was fatal, for at night Parma sent a strong body of soldiers and sappers in boats from Kalloo to the broken end of the dyke, and these before morning threw up works upon the very spot where Sainte Aldegonde had intended the battery for the destruction of the bridge to be erected. Nevertheless the success was a considerable one. The possession of Lillo and Liefkenshoek restored to the patriots the command of the river to within three miles of the bridge, and enabled the Zeeland fleet to be brought up at that point.

Another blow was now meditated. There was in Antwerp an Italian named Gianobelli, a man of great science and inventive power. He had first gone to Spain to offer his inventions to Philip, but had met with such insolent neglect there that he had betaken himself in a rage to Flanders, swearing that the Spaniards should repent their treatment of him. He had laid his plans before the Council of Antwerp, and had asked from them three ships of a hundred and fifty, three hundred and fifty, and five hundred tons respectively, besides these he wanted sixty flat bottomed scows. Had this request been complied with it is certain that Parma’s bridge would have been utterly destroyed; but the leading men were building a great ship or floating castle of their own design, from which they expected such great things that they christened it the End of the War. Gianobelli had warned them that this ship would certainly turn out a failure. However, they persisted, and instead of granting him the ships he wanted, only gave him two small vessels of seventy and eighty tons.

Although disgusted with their parsimony on so momentous an occasion, Gianobelli set to work with the aid of two skilful artisans of Antwerp to fit them up.

In the hold of each vessel a solid flooring of brick and mortar a foot thick was first laid down. Upon this was built a chamber of masonry forty feet long, three and a half feet wide, and as many high, and with side walls five feet thick. This chamber was covered with a roof six feet thick of tombstones placed edgeways, and was filled with a powder of Gianobelli’s own invention. Above was piled a pyramid of millstones, cannonballs, chain shot, iron hooks, and heavy missiles of all kinds, and again over these were laid heavy marble slabs. The rest of the hold was filled with paving stones.

One ship was christened the Fortune, and on this the mine was to be exploded by a slow match, cut so as to explode at a calculated moment. The mine on board the Hope was to be started by a piece of clockwork, which at the appointed time was to strike fire from a flint. Planks and woodwork were piled on the decks to give to the two vessels the appearance of simple fireships. Thirty-two small craft, saturated with tar and turpentine and filled with inflammable materials, were to be sent down the river in detachments of eight every half hour, to clear away if possible the raft above the bridge and to occupy the attention of the Spaniards.

The 5th of April, the day after the capture of the Liefkenshoek, was chosen for the attempt. It began badly. Admiral Jacobzoon, who was in command, instead of sending down the fireboats in batches as arranged, sent them all off one after another, and started the two mine ships immediately afterwards. As soon as their approach was discovered, the Spaniards, who had heard vague rumours that an attack by water was meditated, at once got under arms and mustered upon the bridge and forts. Parma himself, with all his principal officers, superintended the arrangements. As the fleet of small ships approached they burst into flames. The Spaniards silently watched the approaching danger, but soon began to take heart again. Many of the boats grounded on the banks of the river before reaching their destination, others burned out and sank, while the rest drifted against the raft, but were kept from touching it by the long projecting timbers, and burned out without doing any damage.

Then came the two ships. The pilots as they neared the bridge escaped in boats, and the current carried them down, one on each side of the raft, towards the solid ends of the bridge. The Fortune came first, but grounded near the shore without touching the bridge. Just as it did so the slow match upon deck burnt out. There was a faint explosion, but no result; and Sir Ronald Yorke, the man who had handed over Zutphen, sprang on board with a party of volunteers, extinguished the fire smoldering on deck, and thrusting their spears down into the hold, endeavoured to ascertain the nature of its contents. Finding it impossible to do so they returned to the bridge.

The Spaniards were now shouting with laughter at the impotent attempt of the Antwerpers to destroy the bridge, and were watching the Hope, which was now following her consort. She passed just clear of the end of the raft, and struck the bridge close to the blockhouse at the commencement of the floating portion. A fire was smoldering on her deck, and a party of soldiers at once sprang on board to extinguish this, as their comrades had done the fire on board the Fortune. The Marquis of Richebourg, standing on the bridge, directed the operations. The Prince of Parma was standing close by, when an officer named Vega, moved by a sudden impulse, fell on his knees and implored him to leave the place, and not to risk a life so precious to Spain. Moved by the officer’s entreaties Parma turned and walked along the bridge. He had just reached the entrance to the fort when a terrific explosion took place.

The clockwork of the Hope had succeeded better than the slow match in the Fortune. In an instant she disappeared, and with her the blockhouse against which she had struck, with all of its garrison, a large portion of the bridge, and all the troops stationed upon it. The ground was shaken as if by an earthquake, houses fell miles away, and the air was filled with a rain of mighty blocks of stone, some of which were afterwards found a league away. A thousand soldiers were killed in an instant, the rest were dashed to the ground, stunned and bewildered. The Marquis of Richebourg and most of Parma’s best officers were killed. Parma himself lay for a long time as if dead, but presently recovered and set to work to do what he could to repair the disaster.

The Zeeland fleet were lying below, only waiting for the signal to move up to destroy the rest of the bridge and carry succour to the city; but the incompetent and cowardly Jacobzoon rowed hastily away after the explosion, and the rocket that should have summoned the Zeelanders was never sent up. Parma moved about among his troops, restoring order and confidence, and as the night went on and no assault took place he set his men to work to collect drifting timbers and spars, and make a hasty and temporary restoration, in appearance at least, of the ruined portion of the bridge.

It was not until three days afterwards that the truth that the bridge had been partially destroyed, and that the way was open, was known at Antwerp. But by this time it was too late. The Zeelanders had retired; the Spaniards had recovered their confidence, and were hard at work restoring the bridge. From time to time fresh fireships were sent down; but Parma had now established a patrol of boats, which went out to meet them and towed them to shore far above the bridge. In the weeks that followed Parma’s army dwindled away from sickness brought on by starvation, anxiety, and overwork; while the people of Antwerp were preparing for an attack upon the dyke of Kowenstyn. If that could be captured and broken, Parma’s bridge would be rendered useless, as the Zeeland fleet could pass up over the submerged country with aid.

Parma was well aware of the supreme importance of this dyke. He had fringed both its margins with breastworks of stakes, and had strengthened the whole body of the dyke with timber work and piles. Where it touched the great Scheldt dyke a strong fortress called the Holy Cross had been constructed under the command of Mondragon, and at the further end, in the neighbourhood of Mansfeldt’s headquarters, was another fort called the Stabroek, which commanded and raked the whole dyke.

On the body of the dyke itself were three strong forts a mile apart, called St. James, St. George, and the Fort of the Palisades. Several attacks had been made from time to time, both upon the bridge and dyke, and at daybreak on the 7th of May a fleet from Lillo, under Hohenlohe, landed five hundred Zeelanders upon it between St. George’s and Fort Palisade. But the fleet that was to have come out from Antwerp to his assistance never arrived; and the Zeelanders were overpowered by the fire from the two forts and the attacks of the Spaniards, and retreated, leaving four of their ships behind them, and more than a fourth of their force.

Upon the 26th of the same month the grand attack, from which the people of Antwerp hoped so much, took place. Two hundred vessels were ready. A portion of these were to come up from Zeeland, under Hohenlohe; the rest to advance from Antwerp, under Sainte Aldegonde. At two o’clock in the morning the Spanish sentinels saw four fireships approaching the dyke. They mustered reluctantly, fearing a repetition of the previous explosion, and retired to the fort. When the fireships reached the stakes protecting the dyke, they burned and exploded, but without effecting much damage. But in the meantime a swarm of vessels of various sizes were seen approaching. It was the fleet of Hohenlohe, which had been sailing and rowing from ten o’clock on the previous night.

Guided by the light of the fireships they approached the dyke, and the Zeelanders sprang ashore and climbed up. They were met by several hundred Spanish troops, who, as soon as they saw the fireships burn out harmlessly, sallied out from their forts. The Zeelanders were beginning to give way when the Antwerp fleet came up on the other side, headed by Sainte Aldegonde. The new arrivals sprang from their boats and climbed the dyke. The Spaniards were driven off, and three thousand men occupied all the space between Fort George and the Palisade Fort.

With Sainte Aldegonde came all the English and Scotch troops in Antwerp under Balfour and Morgan, and many volunteers, among whom was Ned Martin. With Hohenlohe came Prince Maurice, William the Silent’s son, a lad of eighteen. With wool sacks, sandbags, planks, and other materials the patriots now rapidly entrenched the position they had gained, while a large body of sappers and miners set to work with picks, mattocks, and shovels, tearing down the dyke. The Spaniards poured out from the forts; but Antwerpers, Dutchmen, Zeelanders, Scotchmen, and Englishmen met them bravely, and a tremendous conflict went on at each end of the narrow causeway.

Both parties fought with the greatest obstinacy, and for an hour there was no advantage on either side. At last the patriots were victorious, drove the Spaniards back into their two forts, and following up their success attacked the Palisade Fort. Its outworks were in their hands when a tremendous cheer was heard. The sappers and miners had done their work. Salt water poured through the broken dyke, and a Zeeland barge, freighted with provisions, floated triumphantly into the water beyond, now no longer an inland sea. Then when the triumph seemed achieved another fatal mistake was made by the patriots. Sainte Aldegonde and Hohenlohe, the two commanders of the enterprise, both leapt on board, anxious to be the first to carry the news of the victory to Antwerp, where they arrived in triumph, and set all the bells ringing and bonfires blazing.

For three hours the party on the dyke remained unmolested. Parma was at his camp four leagues away, and in ignorance of what had been done, and Mansfeldt could send no word across to him. The latter held a council of war, but it seemed that nothing could be done. Three thousand men were entrenched on the narrow dyke, covered by the guns of a hundred and sixty Zeeland ships. Some of the officers were in favour of waiting until nightfall; but at last the advice of a gallant officer, Camillo Capizucca, colonel of the Italian Legion, carried the day in favour of an immediate assault, and the Italians and Spaniards marched together from Fort Stabroek to the Palisade Fort, which was now in extremity.

They came in time, drove back the assailants, and were preparing to advance against them when a distant shout from the other end of the dyke told that Parma had arrived there. Mondragon moved from the Holy Cross to Fort George; and from that fort and from the Palisade the Spaniards advanced to the attack of the patriots’ position. During the whole war no more desperate encounter took place than that upon the dyke, which was but six paces wide. The fight was long and furious. Three times the Spaniards were repulsed with tremendous loss; and while the patriot soldiers fought, their pioneers still carried on the destruction of the dyke.

A fourth assault was likewise repulsed, but the fifth was more successful. The Spaniards believed that they were led by a dead commander who had fallen some months before, and this superstitious belief inspired them with fresh courage. The entrenchment was carried, but its defenders fought as obstinately as before on the dyke behind it. Just at this moment the vessels of the Zeelanders began to draw off. Many had been sunk or disabled by the fire that the forts had maintained on them; and the rest found the water sinking fast, for the tide was now ebbing.

The patriots, believing that they were deserted by the fleet, were seized with a sudden panic; and, leaving the dyke, tried to wade or swim off to the ships. The Spaniards with shouts of victory pursued them. The English and Scotch were the last to abandon the position they had held for seven hours, and most of them were put to the sword. Two thousand in all were slain or drowned, the remainder succeeded in reaching the ships on one side or other of the dyke.

Ned Martin had fought to the last. He was standing side by side with Justinius of Nassau, and the two sprang together into a clump of high rushes, tore off their heavy armour and swam out to one of the Zeeland ships, which at once dropped down the river and reached the sea. Ned’s mission was now at an end, and he at once returned to England.

The failure of the attempt upon the Kowenstyn dyke sealed the fate of Antwerp. It resisted until the middle of June; when finding hunger staring the city in the face, and having no hope whatever of relief, Sainte Aldegonde yielded to the clamour of the mob and opened negotiations.

These were continued for nearly two months. Parma was unaware that the town was reduced to such an extremity, and consented to give honourable terms. The treaty was signed on the 17th of August. There was to be a complete amnesty for the past. Royalist absentees were to be reinstated in their positions. Monasteries and churches to be restored to their former possessors. The inhabitants of the city were to practice the Catholic religion only, while those who refused to conform were allowed two years for the purpose of winding up their affairs. All prisoners, with the exception of Teligny, were to be released. Four hundred thousand florins were to be paid by the city as a fine, and the garrison were to leave the town with arms and baggage, and all honours of war.

The fall of Antwerp brought about with it the entire submission of Brabant and Flanders, and henceforth the war was continued solely by Zeeland, Holland, and Friesland.

The death of the Prince of Orange, and the fall of Antwerp, marked the conclusion of what may be called the first period of the struggle of the Netherlands for freedom. It was henceforth to enter upon another phase. England, which had long assisted Holland privately with money, and openly by the raising of volunteers for her service, was now about to enter the arena boldly and to play an important part in the struggle, which, after a long period of obstinate strife, was to end in the complete emancipation of the Netherlands from the yoke of Spain.

Sir Edward Martin married Gertrude Von Harp soon after his return to England. He retained the favour of Elizabeth to the day of her death, and there were few whose counsels had more influence with her. He long continued in the public service, although no longer compelled to do so as a means of livelihood; for as Holland and Zeeland freed themselves from the yoke of Spain, and made extraordinary strides in wealth and prosperity, the estates of the countess once more produced a splendid revenue, and this at her death came entirely to her daughter. A considerable portion of Sir Edward Martin’s life, when not actually engaged upon public affairs, was spent upon the broad estates which had come to him from his wife.