Produced by Martin Robb
By England's Aid
or The Freeing of the Netherlands (1585-1604)
by G. A. Henty
PREFACE.
MY DEAR LADS,
In my preface to By Pike and Dyke I promised in a future story to deal
with the closing events of the War of Independence in Holland. The
period over which that war extended was so long, and the incidents
were so numerous and varied, that it was impossible to include the
whole within the limit of a single book. The former volume brought
the story of the struggle down to the death of the Prince of Orange
and the capture of Antwerp; the present gives the second phase of
the war, when England, who had long unofficially assisted Holland,
threw herself openly into the struggle, and by her aid mainly
contributed to the successful issue of the war. In the first part
of the struggle the scene lay wholly among the low lands and cities
of Holland and Zeeland, and the war was strictly a defensive one,
waged against overpowering odds. After England threw herself into
the strife it assumed far wider proportions, and the independence
of the Netherlands was mainly secured by the defeat and destruction
of the great Armada, by the capture of Cadiz and the fatal blow
thereby struck at the mercantile prosperity of Spain, and by the
defeat of the Holy League by Henry of Navarre, aided by English
soldiers and English gold. For the facts connected with the
doings of Sir Francis Vere and the British contingent in Holland,
I have depended much upon the excellent work by Mr. Clement Markham
entitled the Fighting Veres. In this full justice is done to the
great English general and his followers, and it is conclusively
shown that some statements to the disparagement of Sir Francis
Vere by Mr. Motley are founded upon a misconception of the facts.
Sir Francis Vere was, in the general opinion of the time, one of
the greatest commanders of the age, and more, perhaps, than any
other man with the exception of the Prince of Orange contributed
to the successful issue of the struggle of Holland to throw off
the yoke of Spain.
Yours sincerely,
G.A. HENTY
CHAPTER I
AN EXCURSION
"And we beseech Thee, O Lord, to give help and succour to Thy servants
the people of Holland, and to deliver them from the cruelties and
persecutions of their wicked oppressors; and grant Thy blessing,
we pray Thee, upon the arms of our soldiers now embarking to aid
them in their extremity."
These were the words with which the Rev. John Vickars, rector of
Hedingham, concluded the family prayers on the morning of December
6th, 1585.
For twenty years the first portion of this prayer had been repeated
daily by him, as it had been in tens of thousands of English
households; for since the people of the Netherlands first rose
against the Spanish yoke the hearts of the Protestants of England
had beat warmly in their cause, and they had by turns been moved
to admiration at the indomitable courage with which the Dutch
struggled for independence against the might of the greatest power
in Europe, and to horror and indignation at the pitiless cruelty
and wholesale massacres by which the Spaniards had striven to stamp
out resistance.
From the first the people of England would gladly have joined
in the fray, and made common cause with their co-religionists;
but the queen and her counsellors had been restrained by weighty
considerations from embarking in such a struggle. At the commencement
of the war the power of Spain overshadowed all Europe. Her infantry
were regarded as irresistible. Italy and Germany were virtually her
dependencies, and England was but a petty power beside her. Since
Agincourt was fought we had taken but little part in wars on the
Continent. The feudal system was extinct; we had neither army nor
military system; and the only Englishmen with the slightest experience
of war were those who had gone abroad to seek their fortunes, and
had fought in the armies of one or other of the continental powers.
Nor were we yet aware of our naval strength. Drake and Hawkins and
the other buccaneers had not yet commenced their private war with
Spain, on what was known as the Spanish Main--the waters of
the West Indian Islands--and no one dreamed that the time was
approaching when England would be able to hold her own against the
strength of Spain on the seas.
Thus, then, whatever the private sentiments of Elizabeth and her
counsellors, they shrank from engaging England in a life and death
struggle with the greatest power of the time; though as the struggle
went on the queen's sympathy with the people of the Netherlands
was more and more openly shown. In 1572 she was present at a parade
of three hundred volunteers who mustered at Greenwich under Thomas
Morgan and Roger Williams for service in the Netherlands. Sir Humphrey
Gilbert, half brother of Sir Walter Raleigh, went out a few months
later with 1500 men, and from that time numbers of English volunteers
continued to cross the seas and join in the struggle against the
Spaniards. Nor were the sympathies of the queen confined to allowing
her subjects to take part in the fighting; for she sent out large
sums of money to the Dutch, and as far as she could, without openly
joining them, gave them her aid.
Spain remonstrated continually against these breaches of neutrality,
while the Dutch on their part constantly implored her to join them
openly; but she continued to give evasive answers to both parties
until the assassination of William of Orange on 10th July, 1584,
sent a thrill of horror through England, and determined the queen
and her advisers to take a more decisive part in the struggle. In the
following June envoys from the States arrived in London, and were
received with great honour, and a treaty between the two countries
was agreed upon. Three months later the queen published a declaration
to her people and to Europe at large, setting forth the terrible
persecutions and cruelties to which "our next neighbours, the people
of the Low Countries," the special allies and friends of England,
had been exposed, and stating her determination to aid them to
recover their liberty. The proclamation concluded: "We mean not
hereby to make particular profit to ourself and our people, only
desiring to obtain, by God's favour, for the Countries, a deliverance
of them from war by the Spaniards and foreigners, with a restitution
of their ancient liberties and government.
Sir Thomas Cecil was sent out at once as governor of Brill, and
Sir Philip Sidney as governor of Flushing, these towns being handed
over to England as guarantees by the Dutch. These two officers,
with bodies of troops to serve as garrisons, took charge of their
respective fortresses in November. Orders were issued for the
raising of an army for service in the Low Countries, and Dudley,
Earl of Leicester, was appointed by the queen to its command.
The decision of the queen was received with enthusiasm in England
as well as in Holland, and although the Earl of Leicester was not
personally popular, volunteers flocked to his standard.
Breakfast at Hedingham Rectory had been set at an earlier hour than
usual on the 6th of December, 1585. There was an unusual stir and
excitement in the village, for young Mr. Francis Vere, cousin of
the Earl of Oxford, lord of Hedingham and of all the surrounding
country, was to start that morning to ride to Colchester, there
to join the Earl of Leicester and his following as a volunteer. As
soon as breakfast was over young Geoffrey and Lionel Vickars, boys
of fourteen and thirteen years old, proceeded to the castle close
by, and there mounted the horses provided for them, and rode with
Francis Vere to Colchester.
Francis, who was at this time twenty-five years old, was accompanied
by his elder brother, John, and his two younger brothers, Robert
and Horace, and by many other friends; and it was a gay train that
cantered down the valley of the Colne to Colchester. That ancient
town was all astir. Gentlemen had ridden in from all the country
seats and manors for many miles round, and the quiet streets were
alive with people. At two o'clock in the afternoon news arrived
that the earl was approaching, and, headed by the bailiffs of the
town in scarlet gowns, the multitude moved out to meet the earl on
the Lexden road. Presently a long train was seen approaching; for
with Leicester were the Earl of Essex, Lords North and Audley, Sir
William Russell, Sir Thomas Shirley, and other volunteers, to the
number of five hundred horse. All were gaily attired and caparisoned,
and the cortege presented a most brilliant appearance. The multitude
cheered lustily, the bailiffs presented an address, and followed by
his own train and by the gentlemen who had assembled to meet him,
the earl rode into the town. He himself took up his abode at the
house of Sir Thomas Lucas, while his followers were distributed
among the houses of the townsfolk. Two hours after the arrival of
the earl, the party from Hedingham took leave of Mr. Francis Vere.
"Goodbye, lads," he said to the young Vickars, "I will keep my
promise, never fear; and if the struggle goes on till you are old
enough to carry arms, I will, if I am still alive, take you under
my leading and teach you the art of war."
Upon the following day the Earl of Leicester and his following rode
to Manningtree, and took boat down the Stour to Harwich, where the
fleet, under Admiral William Borough, was lying. Here they embarked,
and on the 9th of December sailed for Flushing, where they were
joined by another fleet of sixty ships from the Thames.
More than a year passed. The English had fought sturdily in Holland.
Mr. Francis Vere had been with his cousin, Lord Willoughby, who
was in command of Bergen op Zoom, and had taken part in the first
brush with the enemy, when a party of the garrison marched out and
attacked a great convoy of four hundred and fifty wagons going to
Antwerp, killed three hundred of the enemy, took eighty prisoners,
and destroyed all their wagons except twenty-seven, which they
carried into the town. Leicester provisioned the town of Grave,
which was besieged by the Duke of Parma, the Spanish commander
in chief. Axel was captured by surprise, the volunteers swimming
across the moat at night, and throwing open the gates. Doesburg
was captured, and Zutphen besieged.
Parma marched to its relief, and, under cover of a thick fog,
succeeded in getting close at hand before it was known that he
was near. Then the English knights and volunteers, 200 in number,
mounted in hot haste and charged a great Spanish column of 5000
horse and foot. They were led by Sir William Russell, under whom
were Lord Essex, North, Audley, and Willoughby, behind the last
of whom rode Francis Vere. For two hours this little band of horse
fought desperately in the midst of the Spanish cavalry, and forced
them at last to fall back, but were themselves obliged to retreat
when the Spanish infantry came up and opened fire upon them. The
English loss was 34 killed and wounded, while 250 of the Spaniards
were slain, and three of their colours captured. Among the wounded
on the English side was the very noble knight Sir Philip Sidney,
who was shot by a musket ball, and died three weeks afterwards.
The successes of the English during these two years were counterbalanced
by the cowardly surrender of Grave by its governor, and by the
treachery of Sir William Stanley, governor of Deventer, and of Roland
Yorke, who commanded the garrisons of the two forts known as the
Zutphen Sconces. Both these officers turned traitors and delivered
up the posts they commanded to the Spaniards. Their conduct not
only caused great material loss to the allies, but it gave rise
to much bad feeling between the English and Dutch, the latter
complaining that they received but half hearted assistance from
the English.
It was not surprising, however, that Leicester was unable to effect
more with the little force under his command, for it was necessary
not only to raise soldiers, but to invent regulations and discipline.
The Spanish system was adopted, and this, the first English regular
army, was trained and appointed precisely upon the system of the
foe with whom they were fighting. It was no easy task to convert a
body of brave knights and gentlemen and sturdy countrymen into regular
troops, and to give them the advantages conferred by discipline
and order. But the work was rendered the less difficult by the
admixture of the volunteers who had been bravely fighting for ten
years under Morgan, Rowland Williams, John Norris, and others. These
had had a similar experience on their first arrival in Holland.
Several times in their early encounters with the Spaniards the
undisciplined young troops had behaved badly; but they had gained
experience from their reverses, and had proved themselves fully
capable of standing in line even against the splendid pikemen of
Spain.
While the English had been drilling and fighting in Holland things
had gone on quietly at Hedingham. The village stands near the
headwaters of the Colne and Stour, in a rich and beautiful country.
On a rising ground behind it stood the castle of the Veres, which
was approached from the village by a drawbridge across the moat.
There were few more stately piles in England than the seat of
the Earl of Oxford. On one side of the great quadrangle was the
gatehouse and a lofty tower, on another the great hall and chapel
and the kitchens, on a third the suites of apartments of the
officials and retinue. In rear were the stables and granaries, the
butts and tennis court, beyond which was the court of the tournaments.
In the centre of the quadrangle rose the great keep, which still
stands, the finest relic of Norman civil architecture in England.
It possessed great strength, and at the same time was richly
ornamented with carving. The windows, arches, and fireplaces were
decorated with chevron carvings. A beautiful spiral pattern enriched
the doorway and pillars of the staircase leading to galleries cut
in the thickness of the wall, with arched openings looking into the
hall below. The outlook from the keep extended over the parishes of
Castle Hedingham, Sybil Hedingham, Kirby, and Tilbury, all belonging
to the Veres--whose property extended far down the pretty valley
of the Stour--with the stately Hall of Long Melford, the Priory of
Clare, and the little town of Lavenham; indeed, the whole country
was dotted with the farm houses and manors of the Veres. Seven
miles down the valley of the Colne lies the village of Earl's Colne,
with the priory, where ten of the earls of Oxford lie buried with
their wives.
The parish church of Castle Hedingham stood at the end of the little
village street, and the rectory of Mr. Vickars was close by. The
party gathered at morning prayers consisted of Mr. Vickars and his
wife, their two sons, Geoffrey and Lionel, and the maidservants,
Ruth and Alice. The boys, now fourteen and fifteen years old
respectively, were strong grown and sturdy lads, and their father
had long since owned with a sigh that neither of them was likely
to follow his profession and fill the pulpit at Hedingham Church
when he was gone. Nor was this to be wondered at, for lying as it
did at the entrance to the great castle of the Veres, the street of
the little village was constantly full of armed men, and resounded
with the tramp of the horses of richly dressed knights and gay
ladies.
Here came great politicians, who sought the friendship and support
of the powerful earls of Oxford, nobles and knights, their kinsmen
and allies, gentlemen from the wide spreading manors of the family,
stout fighting men who wished to enlist under their banner. At night
the sound of music from the castle told of gay entertainments and
festive dances, while by day parties of knights and ladies with
dogs and falcons sallied out to seek sport over the wide domains.
It could hardly be expected, then, that lads of spirit, brought
up in the midst of sights and sounds like these, should entertain
a thought of settling down to the tranquil life of the church. As
long as they could remember, their minds had been fixed upon being
soldiers, and fighting some day under the banner of the Veres. They
had been a good deal in the castle; for Mr. Vickars had assisted
Arthur Golding, the learned instructor to young Edward Vere, the
17th earl, who was born in 1550, and had succeeded to the title at
the age of twelve, and he had afterwards been tutor to the earl's
cousins, John, Francis, Robert, and Horace, the sons of Geoffrey,
fourth son of the 15th earl. These boys were born in 1558, 1560,
1562, and 1565, and lived with their mother at Kirby Hall, a mile
from the Castle of Hedingham.
The earl was much attached to his old instructor, and when he was
at the castle there was scarce a day but an invitation came down
for Mr. Vickars and his wife to be present either at banquet or
entertainment. The boys were free to come and go as they chose,
and the earl's men-at-arms had orders to afford them all necessary
teaching in the use of weapons.
Mr. Vickars considered it his duty to accept the invitations of
his friend and patron, but he sorely grudged the time so abstracted
from his favourite books. It was, indeed, a relief to him when the
earl, whose love of profusion and luxury made serious inroads even
into the splendid possessions of the Veres, went up to court, and
peace and quietness reigned in the castle. The rector was fonder
of going to Kirby, where John, Geoffrey's eldest son, lived quietly
and soberly, his three younger brothers having, when mere boys,
embraced the profession of arms, placing themselves under the care
of the good soldier Sir William Brownie, who had served for many
years in the Low Countries. They occasionally returned home for
a time, and were pleased to take notice of the sons of their old
tutor, although Geoffrey was six years junior to Horace, the youngest
of the brothers.
The young Vickars had much time to themselves, much more, indeed,
than their mother considered to be good for them. After their
breakfast, which was finished by eight o'clock, their father took
them for an hour and heard the lessons they had prepared the day
before, and gave them instruction in the Latin tongue. Then they
were supposed to study till the bell rang for dinner at twelve; but
there was no one to see that they did so, for their father seldom
came outside his library door, and their mother was busy with her
domestic duties and in dispensing simples to the poor people, who,
now that the monasteries were closed, had no medical aid save that
which they got from the wives of the gentry or ministers, or from
the wise women, of whom there was generally one in every village.
Therefore, after half an hour, or at most an hour, spent in getting
up their tasks, the books would be thrown aside, and the boys
be off, either to the river or up to the castle to practice sword
play with the men-at-arms, or to the butts with their bows, or to
the rabbit warren, where they had leave from the earl to go with
their dogs whenever they pleased. Their long excursions were,
however, generally deferred until after dinner, as they were then
free until suppertime--and even if they did not return after that
hour Mrs. Vickars did not chide them unduly, being an easygoing
woman, and always ready to make excuses for them.
There were plenty of fish in the river; and the boys knew the
pools they loved best, and often returned with their baskets well
filled. There were otters on its banks, too; but, though they
sometimes chased these pretty creatures, Tan and Turk, their two
dogs, knew as well as their masters that they had but small chance
of catching them. Sometimes they would take a boat at the bridge
and drop down the stream for miles, and once or twice had even
gone down to Bricklesey at the mouth of the river. This, however,
was an expedition that they never performed alone, making it each
time in charge of Master Lirriper, who owned a flat barge, and took
produce down to Bricklesey, there to be transhipped into coasters
bound for London. He had a married daughter there, and it was at
her house the boys had slept when they went there; for the journey
down and up again was too long to be performed in a single day.
But this was not the only distant expedition they had made, for they
had once gone down the Stour as far as Harwich with their father
when he was called thither on business. To them Harwich with its
old walls and the houses crowned up within them, and its busy port
with vessels coming in and going out, was most delightful, and they
always talked about that expedition as one of the most pleasant
recollections of their lives.
After breakfast was over on the 1st of May, 1587, and they had
done their lessons with their father, and had worked for an hour
by themselves, the boys put by their books and strolled down the
village to the bridge. There as usual stood their friend Master
Lirriper with his hands deep in his pockets, a place and position
in which he was sure to be found when not away in his barge.
"Good morning, Master Lirriper."
"Good morning, Master Geoffrey and Master Lionel."
"So you are not down the river today?"
"No, sir. I am going tomorrow, and this time I shall be away four
or five days--maybe even a week."
"Shall you?" the boys exclaimed in surprise. "Why, what are you
going to do?"
"I am going round to London in my nephew Joe Chambers' craft."
"Are you really?" Geoffrey exclaimed. "I wish we were going with
you. Don't you think you could take us, Master Lirriper?"
The bargeman looked down into the water and frowned. He was slow
of speech, but as the minutes went on and he did not absolutely
refuse the boys exchanged glances of excitement and hope.
"I dunno how that might be, young sirs," John Lirriper said slowly,
after long cogitation. "I dussay my nephew would have no objection,
but what would parson say about it?"
"Oh, I don't think he would object," Geoffrey said. "If you go up
and ask him, Master Lirriper, and say that you will take care of
us, you know, I don't see why he should say no."
"Like enough you would be ill," John Lirriper said after another
long pause. "It's pretty rough sometimes.
"Oh, we shouldn't mind that," Lionel protested. "We should like to
see the waves and to be in a real ship."
"It's nothing much of a ship," the boatman said. "She is a ketch
of about ten tons and carries three hands."
"Oh, we don't care how small she is if we can only go in her; and
you would be able to show us London, and we might even see the
queen. Oh, do come up with us and ask father, Master Lirriper."
"Perhaps parson wouldn't be pleased, young sirs, and, might say I
was putting wandering thoughts into your heads; and Mistress Vickars
might think it a great liberty on my part."
"Oh, no, she wouldn't, Master Lirriper. Besides, we will say we
asked you."
"But suppose any harm comes to you, what would they say to me then?"
"Oh, there's no fear of any harm coming to us. Besides, in another
year or two we mean to go over to the Low Countries and fight the
Spaniards, and what's a voyage to London to that?"
"Well, I will think about it," John Lirriper said cautiously.
"No, no, Master Lirriper; if you get thinking about it it will
never be done. Do come up with us at once," and each of them got
hold of one of the boatman's arms.
"Well, the parson can but say no," he said, as he suffered himself
to be dragged away. "And I don't say as it isn't reasonable that
you should like to see something of the world, young sirs; but I
don't know how the parson will take it."
Mr. Vickars looked up irritably from his books when the servant
came in and said that Master Lirriper wished to see him.
"What does he want at this hour?" he said. "You know, Ruth, I never
see people before dinner. Any time between that and supper I am at
their service, but it's too bad being disturbed now."
"I told him so, sir; but Master Geoffrey and Master Lionel were
with him, and they said he wanted particular to see you, and they
wanted particular too."
The clergyman sighed as he put his book down.
"If Geoffrey and Lionel have concerned themselves in the matter,
Ruth, I suppose I must see the man; but it's very hard being
disturbed like this. Well, Master Lirriper, what is it?" he asked,
as the boatman accompanied by Geoffrey and Lionel entered the room.
Master Lirriper twirled his hat in his hand. Words did not come
easily to him at the best of times, and this was a business that
demanded thought and care. Long before he had time to fix upon an
appropriate form of words Geoffrey broke in:
"This is what it is, father. Master Lirriper is going down the river
to Bricklesey tomorrow, and then he is going on board his nephew's
ship. She is a ketch, and she carries ten tons, though I don't
know what it is she carries; and she's going to London, and he is
going in her, and he says if you will let him he will take us with
him, and will show us London, and take great care of us. It will
be glorious, father, if you will only let us go."
Mr. Vickars looked blankly as Geoffrey poured out his torrent of
words. His mind was still full of the book he had been reading,
and he hardly took in the meaning of Geoffrey's words.
"Going in a ketch!" he repeated. "Going to catch something, I
suppose you mean? Do you mean he is going fishing?"
"No, father,--going in a ketch. A ketch is a sort of ship, father,
though I don't quite know what sort of ship. What sort of ship is
a ketch, Master Lirriper?"
"A ketch is a two masted craft, Master Geoffrey," John Lirriper
said. "She carries a big mizzen sail."
"There, you see, father," Geoffrey said triumphantly; "she carries
a big mizzen sail. That's what she is, you see; and he is going to
show us London, and will take great care of us if you will let us
go with him."
"Do you mean, Master Lirriper," Mr. Vickars asked slowly, "that
you are going to London in some sort of ship, and want to take my
sons with you?"
"Well, sir, I am going to London, and the young masters seemed to
think that they would like to go with me, if so be you would have
no objection."
"I don't know," Mr. Vickars said, "It is a long passage, Master
Lirriper; and, as I have heard, often a stormy one. I don't think
my wife--"
"Oh, yes, father," Lionel broke in. "If you say yes, mother is sure
to say yes; she always does, you know. And, you see, it will be a
great thing for us to see London. Every one else seems to have seen
London, and I am sure that it would do us good. And we might even
see the queen."
"I think that they would be comfortable, sir," John Lirriper put
in. "You see, my nephew's wife is daughter of a citizen, one Master
Swindon, a ship's chandler, and he said there would be a room there
for me, and they would make me heartily welcome. Now, you see,
sir, the young masters could have that room, and I could very well
sleep on board the ketch; and they would be out of all sort of
mischief there."
"That would be a very good plan certainly, Master Lirriper. Well,
well, I don't know what to say."
"Say yes, father," Geoffrey said as he saw Mr. Vickars glance
anxiously at the book he had left open. "If you say yes, you see
it will be a grand thing for you, our being away for a week with
nothing to disturb you."
"Well, well," Mr. Vickars said, "you must ask your mother. If she
makes no objection, then I suppose you can go," and Mr. Vickars
hastily took up his book again.
The boys ran off to the kitchen, where their mother was superintending
the brewing of some broth for a sick woman down the village.
"Mother!" Geoffrey exclaimed, "Master Lirriper's going to London
in a ketch--a ship with a big mizzen sail, you know--and he
has offered to take us with him and show us London. And father has
said yes, and it's all settled if you have no objection; and of
course you haven't."
"Going to London, Geoffrey!" Mrs. Vickars exclaimed aghast. "I
never heard of such a thing. Why, like enough you will be drowned
on the way and never come back again. Your father must be mad to
think of such a thing."
"Oh, no, mother; I am sure it will do us a lot of good. And we may
see the queen, mother. And as for drowning, why, we can both swim
ever so far. Besides, people don't get drowned going to London. Do
they, Master Lirriper?"
John was standing bashfully at the door of the kitchen. "Well,
not as a rule, Master Geoffrey," he replied. "They comes and they
goes, them that are used to it, maybe a hundred times without
anything happening to them."
"There! You hear that, mother? They come and go hundreds of times.
Oh, I am sure you are not going to say no. That would be too bad
when father has agreed to it. Now, mother, please tell Ruth to run
away at once and get a wallet packed with our things. Of course we
shall want our best clothes; because people dress finely in London,
and it would never do if we saw the queen and we hadn't our best
doublets on, for she would think that we didn't know what was seemly
down at Hedingham."
"Well, my dears, of course if it is all settled--"
"Oh, yes, mother, it is quite all settled."
"Then it's no use my saying anything more about it, but I think
your father might have consulted me before he gave his consent to
your going on such a hazardous journey as this."
"He did want to consult you, mother. But then, you see, he wanted
to consult his books even more, and he knew very well that you
would agree with him; and you know you would too. So please don't
say anything more about it, but let Ruth run upstairs and see to
our things at once.
"There, you see, Master Lirriper, it is all settled. And what time
do you start tomorrow? We will be there half an hour before, anyhow."
"I shall go at seven from the bridge. Then I shall just catch the
turn of the tide and get to Bricklesey in good time."
"I never did see such boys," Mrs. Vickars said when John Lirriper
had gone on his way. "As for your father, I am surprised at him
in countenancing you. You will be running all sorts of risks. You
may be drowned on the way, or killed in a street brawl, or get mixed
up in a plot. There is no saying what may not happen. And here it
is all settled before I have even time to think about it, which is
most inconsiderate of your father."
"Oh, we shall get back again without any harm, mother. And as to
getting killed in a street brawl, Lionel and I can use our hangers
as well as most of them. Besides, nothing of that sort is going
to happen to us. Now, mother, please let Ruth go at once, and tell
her to put up our puce doublets that we had for the jousting at the
castle, and our red hose and our dark green cloth slashed trunks."
"There is plenty of time for that, Geoffrey, as you are not going
until tomorrow. Besides, I can't spare Ruth now, but she shall see
about it after dinner."
There was little sleep for the boys that night. A visit to London had
long been one of their wildest ambitions, and they could scarcely
believe that thus suddenly and without preparation it was about
to take place. Their father had some time before promised that he
would someday make request to one or other of the young Veres to
allow them to ride to London in his suite, but the present seemed
to them an even more delightful plan. There would be the pleasure
of the voyage, and moreover it would be much more lively for them
to be able to see London under the charge of John Lirriper than to
be subject to the ceremonial and restraint that would be enforced
in the household of the Veres. They were, then, at the appointed
place a full hour before the time named, with wallets containing
their clothes, and a basket of provisions that their mother had
prepared for them. Having stowed these away in the little cabin,
they walked up and down impatiently until Master Lirriper himself
appeared.
"You are up betimes, my young masters," the boatman said. "The
church has not yet struck seven o'clock."
"We have been here ever so long, Master Lirriper. We could not sleep
much last night, and got up when it chimed five, being afraid that
we might drop off to sleep and be late."
"Well, we shall not be long before we are off. Here comes my man
Dick, and the tide is just on the turn. The sky looks bright, and
the weather promises well. I will just go round to the cottage and
fetch up my things, and then we shall be ready."
In ten minutes they pushed off from the shore. John and his man got
out long poles shod with iron, and with these set to work to punt
the barge along. Now that they were fairly on their way the boys
quieted down, and took their seats on the sacks of flour with which
the boat was laden, and watched the objects on the bank as the boat
made her way quietly along.
Halstead was the first place passed. This was the largest town near
Hedingham, and was a place of much importance in their eyes. Then
they passed Stanstead Hall and Earl's Colne on their right, Colne
Wake on their left, and Chapel Parish on their right. Then there
was a long stretch without any large villages, until they came in
sight of the bridge above Colchester. A few miles below the town
the river began to widen. The banks were low and flat, and they
were now entering an arm of the sea. Half an hour later the houses
and church of Bricklesey came in sight. Tide was almost low when
they ran on to the mud abreast of the village, but John put on a
pair of high boots and carried the boys ashore one after the other
on his back, and then went up with them to the house where they
were to stop for the night.
Here, although not expected, they were heartily welcomed by John's
daughter.
"If father had told me that you had been coming, Masters Vickars,
I would have had a proper dinner for you; but though he sent word
yesterday morning that he should be over today, he did not say a
word about your coming with them."
"He did not know himself," Geoffrey said; "it was only settled at
ten o'clock yesterday. But do not trouble yourself about the dinner.
In the first place, we are so pleased at going that we don't care
a bit what we eat, and in the second place we had breakfast on
board the boat, and we were both so hungry that I am sure we could
go till supper time without eating if necessary."
"Where are you going, father?" the young woman asked.
"I am going to set about unloading the flour."
"Why, it's only a quarter to twelve, and dinner just ready. The
fish went into the frying pan as you came up from the boat. You
know we generally dine at half past eleven, but we saw you coming
at a distance and put it off. It's no use your starting now."
"Well, I suppose it isn't. And I don't know what the young masters'
appetite may be, but mine is pretty good, I can tell you."
"I never knew it otherwise, father," the woman laughed. "Ah, here
is my Sam. Sam, here's father brought these two young gentlemen.
They are the sons of Mr. Vickars, the parson at Hedingham. They
are going to stop here tonight, and are going with him in the Susan
tomorrow to London."
"Glad to see you, young masters," Sam said. "I have often heard
Ann talk of your good father. I have just been on board the Susan,
for I am sending up a couple of score sides of bacon in her, and
have been giving Joe Chambers, her master, a list of things he is
to get there and bring down for me.
"Now then, girl, bustle about and get dinner on as soon as you can.
We are half an hour late. I am sure the young gentlemen here must
be hungry. There's nothing like being on the water for getting an
appetite."
A few minutes later a great dish of fish, a loaf of bread and some
wooden platters, were placed on the table, and all set to at once.
Forks had not yet come into use, and tablecloths were unknown,
except among the upper classes. The boys found that in spite of
their hearty breakfast their appetites were excellent. The fish were
delicious, the bread was home baked, and the beer from Colchester,
which was already famous for its brewing. When they had finished,
John Lirriper asked them if they would rather see what there was
to be seen in the village, or go off to the ketch. They at once
chose the latter alternative. On going down to the water's edge
they found that the tide had risen sufficiently to enable Dick to
bring the barge alongside the jetty. They were soon on board.
"Which is the Susan, Master Lirriper?"
"That's her lying out there with two others. She is the one lowest
down the stream. We shall just fetch her comfortably."