CHAPTER FIVE.
Active and intelligent scouts had been sent out to watch the movementsof the enemy, and to bring back due notice of their approach to Leyden.The citizens meantime were labouring as before at their fortifications;they well knew that there was no time to spare to complete their work.Van Arenberg, who had still managed to retain the confidence of theburgomaster, was a constant visitor at his house during the short timein the evening that he was at home. The baron, however, was convincedthat there was no longer a hope of persuading the stout-heartedmagistrate to submit, and yet anxious as he was to get outside and avoidthe miseries he saw impending, he could not bring himself to abandon theprospects of winning the fair Lily. He still, therefore, endeavoured towork on her feminine nature by pointing out to her the horrors andsufferings in which she must share with the other inhabitants of theplace should she remain.
"You have often spoken to me on this subject, Baron Van Arenberg," sheanswered, regarding him calmly; "but know that I would rather trust tothe pikes and swords of the citizens of Leyden to defend our poor womenand children from the clutches of the Spanish soldiery than I would tothe tender mercies of their general. It is useless again to speak to meon the subject; but since you fancy that you see so clearly the dreadfuldoom prepared for those who remain, I advise you to quit the city whilethere is time."
The baron could say no more, but he muttered as he walked homeward thatevening, "I must take other means of carrying out my object."
The next morning Jaqueline had repaired with her father to the rampartson the south side of the town. They were soon joined by Albert.
"I met Arenberg just now," he said to Jaqueline, "looking as sulky as abear. He asked where you were gone, as he had not found you at home. Icould not tell him, as I did not know, and would not have told him if Ihad known; but I saw him start off to the north side of the town, sothere is no fear of your being troubled by his presence."
"But how do you know his presence troubled me?" asked Jaqueline.
"Because I am very sure you cannot like a man who is a `Glipper' atheart, whatever he may seem to be to people openly; and I have observedthe way you always speak to him, and very glad I have been to see it."
Jaqueline was inclined to smile, and she could not chide Albert for hisfrankness.
"Hulloa! look up there!" he exclaimed, pointing along the road. "I seetwo men on horseback and another on foot. What if they should prove tobe the captain and Berthold with a guide? Perhaps they will bring usgood news."
"They do not come on as fast as I should have expected," said Jaqueline,watching them intently. "Yet they seem to be cavaliers, not commonhorse soldiers. Perhaps they have to wait for their guide."
The two horsemen and their attendant on foot drew near.
"It is Captain Van der Elst and my cousin Berthold!" exclaimedJaqueline, in a more joyous tone than she had spoken for many a day."The message they bring from the Prince will, I trust, encourage ourcitizens."
"Encouragement they will certainly bring if they come from William theSilent, who is very sure to inspire all whom he addresses with thespirit which animates his own dauntless mind. We will go down to thegate to meet them," said the burgomaster.
The captain and Berthold, with their companion, having answered thechallenge of the sentries, were forthwith admitted. Perceiving theburgomaster and Jaqueline, they leaped from their steeds, and giving thereins to their companion, advanced towards them.
"We have been a much longer time in reaching the city than the Prince orwe ourselves expected," said the captain, after the usual greetings."We were pursued by a party of Spaniards, and had to take refuge in thefortress of Polderwaert, from which for several days we were unable tomake our escape; but the message we bring will, I trust, encourage thecitizens and garrison of Leyden to defend the city until the Spaniardsare compelled to retire."
"There is little doubt about that," said Berthold. "He has not told youhow, after we had taken refuge in the fortress, through his vigilanceand courage, the Spaniards, who attempted to surprise it, were drivenoff, and had he not been charged with the message from the Prince, hewould have been detained to assist in its defence should it again beattacked."
"And who is that lanky fellow you brought with you, who is leading onthe horses after us?" asked Albert of his friend, as they followed theburgomaster with Jaqueline and the captain.
"A first rate fellow, Hans Bosch, he has done us good service twicealready, besides piloting us along last night by paths which I could nothave found by myself, though I know the country pretty well; hevolunteered to come in order to carry messages from the city, and veryuseful we are likely to find him."
As it was important at once to communicate the message brought byCaptain Van der Elst, the burgomaster summoned the chief inhabitantsforthwith to the Stadhuis. The captain having delivered his writtendespatches, spoke as he had been directed, employing the very words thePrince himself had used, and advancing the most powerful arguments toinduce the citizens not to yield to their foes. "He implores you," hecontinued, "to hold out for at least three months, and he pledges hisword that he will within that time devise the means of delivering youfrom the Spaniards."
"For six months, if necessary, even if we have to eat the grass in oursquares, the shoes on our feet, the rats and dogs to be found in thestreets," was the reply.
"I will announce your resolution to the Prince, and it will, I am sure,encourage him to continue the efforts he is making for your relief,"answered the captain. "Had Prince Louis lived and joined him he wouldhave had an army at his disposal, but the forces he can at presentmuster are only sufficient for the protection of Rotterdam and Delft."
The address of the Prince was printed and circulated throughout thecity. After the meeting broke up, the burgomaster invited the youngcaptain to accompany Berthold to his house.
"And who's your attendant, he appears to be a strange being?"
"There are not many like Hans Bosch," remarked Berthold. "He has twicesaved us from falling into the hands of the Spaniards, and, if I mistakenot, will still render us good service, he can run like a deer and leaplike a young calf. There are few who can dodge the Spaniards as he can,and if we get shut up in the city, he will manage to get out again andslip through their ranks so as to let the Prince know what we areabout."
"Berthold does not over-praise Hans Bosch," observed the captain. "Icommend him to your care, Burgomaster, while he remains in the city, andhe will be ready to make himself useful when his services are required."It was the first evening since preparations for the defence werecommenced, that any of the inhabitants were able to take rest. Thoughlabourers were still employed on the works, they were nearly completed,and Jaqueline felt that she might, without neglecting her self-imposedduty, return home and resume her ordinary attire, so that she couldpreside at her father's table. There were no guests besides Captain Vander Elst and Albert--Berthold always resided with his uncle.
"Can you now remain with us?" asked the burgomaster of Captain Van derElst.
"Would that I could," answered Karl, his eyes turning for a momenttowards Jaqueline. "But our Prince requires my services and directed meto return without delay, he has, as you know, but few officers. Hisgreat object is forthwith to raise a force of sufficient strength todrive the Spaniards from your gates; he did not inform me how it was tobe done, but it will be no easy task, for he has to garrison Rotterdamand Delft, and to guard the immediate country. Were he to leave thoseplaces unprotected, all might be lost."
"We will trust to his sleepless energy and determination, both to deviseand carry out a project for our relief," observed the burgomaster.
"An idea has occurred to me, Captain Van der Elst!" exclaimed Albert."I lately gave four beautiful carrier pigeons to the Vrouw Jaqueline,and if she will consent to make them over to you, you can carry themwith you, and by their means inform us what progress the Prince ismaking in his plans for our relief. Do you consent to give up yourpets, Vrou
w Jaqueline?"
"Most willingly," she answered, "if Captain Van der Elst will undertakethe charge of the birds."
"I will tend them carefully, and trust that they may become themessengers of happy news," he said, a smile for a moment lighting up hiscountenance.
Albert proposed that they should at once visit the pigeons with CaptainVan der Elst, and instruct him how they were to be fed and treated, asit was possible that he might have to depart at an early hour the nextmorning. As Jaqueline expressed her readiness to do as Albert proposed,the whole party, with the exception of the burgomaster, accompanied herto the tower of the house in which they were kept. In the same towerwas situated her boudoir, and hence she could enjoy a wider view overthe country than from any other part of the house.
"We must put them into two small cages, so that they may be carriedeasily on horseback, or by a man on foot, if necessary," said Albert."Come, Berthold, if your cousin will allow us, we will go and procuresuch cages. I know where they are to be found, and we will be back in afew minutes." As Jaqueline did not forbid them, they set off.
It was the first time that Jaqueline and Karl Van der Elst had beentogether. They had never spoken of love, and the present moment seemedmost inappropriate. Karl did not conceal from himself the dangers towhich he must be exposed in carrying out the projects of the Prince, norcould he shut his eyes to the fearful risk all the inhabitants of Leydenmust run, even though relief might soon be brought to them. He, almostagainst his intentions, spoke a few words to Jaqueline, the meaning ofwhich she could not fail to understand.
"It may be weeks--months--before we meet again, but my feelings, when Ihave learned once to esteem, are not given to change," she said. Theyoung captain had reason to be content with the look which accompaniedher words, even more than with the words themselves. The two lads soonreturned with the cages, which were so small that two pigeons could onlybe pressed into each.
"They will be hurt, poor things," cried Jaqueline.
"Oh, no, no," said Albert, "they will support each other, and travel farmore comfortably than if they had more space, and were allowed to tumbleabout."
As the captain had to start the following morning, Arthur and Bertholdundertook to carry the birds to his lodgings that evening.
Captain Van der Elst, accompanied by Hans Bosch, for whom a horse hadbeen provided, and who carried the two cages, set off at an early hourthe following morning. Secretly as his departure had been arranged, itwas discovered by Baron Van Arenberg, who had that morning risen at anearlier hour than usual and gone out to the ramparts. The baronrecognised him, and muttered, as he observed him leaving the gate, "Itwill be many a long day before he is again within the walls of Leyden,for ere long the Spaniards, if I mistake not, will be in possession ofthem."
In the evening the burgomaster, accompanied by his daughter and nephewand Albert, had ascended to the top of the Tower of Hengist, whenAlbert, whose eyes were of the sharpest, exclaimed, pointing over thecity to the eastward, "See, see, there come a large body of men; theymust be either the troops the Prince has promised to send to ourassistance, or the Spaniards."
The rest of the party gazed in the same direction. "They form theadvance guard of our foes," said the burgomaster. "Albert and Berthold,hasten and give the information to the commandant; he will take goodcare that the walls are forthwith manned, though the Spaniards, after aday's march, will be in no mood to make an attack when they know fullwell that we shall give them as warm a reception as did our friends atAlkmaar."
In a few minutes the bells of all the churches were ringing forth thewell-known call to arms, and the citizens, with their weapons in hand,were seen hurrying to man the forts and ramparts. The burgomaster, withJaqueline, remained some time longer on the top of the tower that hemight judge what positions the Spanish general was likely to take. Thehead of the leading column advanced till it reached a spot just beyondrange of the guns in the batteries, then it halted to wait for thearrival of other troops; these quickly followed, the whole forcenumbering not less than eight thousand men, Walloons and Germans. Someimmediately took possession of Leyderdorp, and of the other forts whichought to have been destroyed, while others, armed with pickaxes andspades, without a moment's loss of time began throwing up fresh linesand forts, a third party being employed in pitching the tents andforming a camp just beyond them. All night long a vigilant watch waskept, as it was very possible that the Spaniards might attempt tosurprise the city in the hopes of capturing it at once, and savingthemselves from the annoyance and sufferings of a protracted siege.Young Albert and Berthold together went the rounds to see that thesentries were at their posts and wide awake, and that no post was leftwithout a sufficient guard. No experienced officers could have beenmore on the alert. More than once they met the commandant, who,entrusting nothing of importance to others, was himself going therounds.
He gave the lads some words of approval. "While the young ones showsuch zeal I feel confident that we shall keep the foe in check till theyare compelled ignominiously to retreat," he observed.
For several days the citizens beheld the foreign troops gathering roundthem, bringing their batteries closer to the walls, till Leyden wasinvested by no less than sixty-two redoubts, while fresh troops wereseen coming in to swell the ranks of the besiegers. The city was nowplaced on a strict allowance of food, all the provisions having beenpurchased by the authorities, with an allowance of half a pound of meat,half a pound of bread allotted to each full-grown man, and to the restin due proportion. At length the soldiers, and even some of theburghers began to murmur at their own inactivity; to give themconfidence the commandant allowed a sortie to be made, promising areward to each man who brought in the head of a Spaniard. The men ofLeyden waited till nightfall, having previously carefully surveyed thepoint it was proposed to attack. All was still in the city, theSpaniards might have supposed that the besieged were sleeping, whensuddenly the gate at which the sortie was to be made was thrown open,three hundred men eager for the fray noiselessly rushed out, not a wordwas spoken, not a shout raised till they were upon their foe. TheSpaniards, the work of the day over, had piled their arms, and hadscarcely time to fall into their ranks before their enemies were uponthem; though a score or more fell yet they were too well disciplined toremain long in a state of confusion, and the officer leading the sortiedeemed it prudent to call back his men. They returned without the lossof one of their number, bringing back at least a dozen Spanish heads,such was the savage commencement of the struggle. Night after nightsimilar enterprises were undertaken, not always with the same result,though the Hollanders were invariably successful, so silently and wellexecuted were all their sorties, but several brave men fell, and thecommandant, from fear of losing too many of his troops, deemed itnecessary to prohibit any from leaving the gates without his expressorder.