IN THE LOW COUNTRY
Master Lirriper had stood apart while the boys were conversing with
Francis Vere.
"What do you think, Master Lirriper?" Geoffrey exclaimed as they
joined him. "We have asked Mr. Vere to take us with him as pages
to the war in the Low Country, and though he said we were not to
be hopeful about his reply, I do think he will take us. We are to
go round to Westminster at one o'clock to see him again. What do
you think of that?"
"I don't know what to think, Master Geoffrey. It takes me all by
surprise, and I don't know how I stand in the matter. You see, your
father gave you into my charge, and what could I say to him if I
went back empty handed?"
"But, you see, it is with Francis Vere," Geoffrey said. "If it
had been with anyone else it would be different. But the Veres are
his patrons, and he looks upon the earl, and Mr. Francis and his
brothers, almost as he does on us; and, you know, he has already
consented to our entering the army some day. Besides, he can't
blame you; because, of course, Mr. Vere will write to him himself
and say that he has taken us, and so you can't be blamed in the
matter. My father would know well enough that you could not withstand
the wishes of one of the Veres, who are lords of Hedingham and all
the country round."
"I should withstand them if I thought they were wrong," the boatman
said sturdily, "and if I were sure that your father would object
to your going; but that is what I am not sure. He may think it the
best thing for you to begin early under the protection of Master
Francis, and again he may think you a great deal too young for such
wild work. He has certainly always let you have pretty much your
own way, and has allowed you to come and go as you like, but this
is a different business altogether. I am sorely bested as to what
I ought to do."
"Well, nothing is settled yet, Master Lirriper; and, besides, I
don't see that you can help yourself in the matter, and if Mr. Vere
says he will take us I suppose you can't carry us off by force."
"It is Mistress Vickars that I am thinking of more than your father.
The vicar is an easygoing gentleman, but Mistress Vickars speaks
her mind, and I expect she will be in a terrible taking over it,
and will rate me soundly; though, as you say, I do not see how I can
help myself in the matter. Well now, let us look at the shops and
at the Guildhall, and then we will make our way down to Westminster
as we had proposed to do and see the abbey; by that time it will
be near the hour at which you are to call upon Mr. Vere."
But the sights that the boys had been so longing to see had for
the time lost their interest in their eyes. The idea that it was
possible that Mr. Vere would take them with him to fight against
the cruel oppressors of the Low Country was so absorbing that they
could think of nothing else. Even the wonders of the Guildhall and
St. Paul's received but scant attention, and the armourers' shops,
in which they had a new and lively interest, alone sufficed to
detain them. Even the gibes of the apprentices fell dead upon their
ears. These varlets might laugh, but what would they say if they
knew that they were going to fight the Spaniards? The thought
so altered them that they felt almost a feeling of pity for these
lads, condemned to stay at home and mind their masters' shops.
As to John Lirriper, he was sorely troubled in his mind, and divided
between what he considered his duty to the vicar and his life long
respect and reverence towards the lords of Hedingham. The feudal
system was extinct, but feudal ideas still lingered among the people.
Their lords could no longer summon them to take the field, had no
longer power almost of life and death over them, but they were still
their lords, and regarded with the highest respect and reverence.
The earls of Oxford were, in the eyes of the people of those parts
of Essex where their estates lay, personages of greater importance
than the queen herself, of whose power and attributes they had but
a very dim notion. It was not so very long since people had risen
in rebellion against the queen, but such an idea as that of rising
against their lords had never entered the mind of a single inhabitant
of Hedingham.
However, Master Lirriper came to the conclusion that he was,
as Geoffrey had said, powerless to interfere. If Mr. Francis Vere
decided to take the boys with him, what could he do to prevent it?
He could hardly take them forcibly down to the boat against their
will, and even could he do so their father might not approve, and
doubtless the earl, when he came to hear of it, would be seriously
angry at this act of defiance of his kinsman. Still, he was sure
that he should have a very unpleasant time with Mistress Vickars.
But, as he reassured himself, it was, after all, better to put up
with a woman's scolding than to bear the displeasure of the Earl
of Oxford, who could turn him out of his house, ruin his business,
and drive him from Hedingham. After all, it was natural that these
lads should like to embark on this adventure with Mr. Francis Vere,
and it would doubtless be to their interest to be thus closely
connected with him. At any rate, if it was to be it was, and he,
John Lirriper, could do nothing to prevent it. Having arrived at
this conclusion he decided to make the best of it, and began to
chat cheerfully with the boys.
Precisely at the appointed hour John Lirriper arrived with the two
lads at the entrance to the house facing the abbey. Two or three
servitors, whose doublets were embroidered with the cognizance of
the Veres, were standing in front of the door.
"Why, it is Master Lirriper!" one of them said. "Why, what has
brought you here? I did not know that your trips often extended to
London."
"Nor do they," John Lirriper said. "It was the wind and my nephew's
craft the Susan that brought me to London, and it is the will of
Mr. Francis that these two young gentlemen should meet him here at
one o'clock that has brought me to this door."
"Captain Francis is in; for, you know, he is a captain now, having
been lately appointed to a company in the Earl of Leicester's army.
He returned an hour since, and has but now finished his meal. Do
you wish to go up with these young masters, or shall I conduct them
to him?"
"You had best do that," John Lirriper answered. "I will remain here
below if Captain Francis desires to see me or has any missive to
intrust to me."
The boys followed the servant upstairs, and were shown into a room
where Francis Vere, his cousin the Earl of Oxford, and Captain
Allen were seated at table.
"Well, lads," the earl said, "so you want to follow my cousin
Francis to the wars?"
"That is our wish, my lord, if Captain Francis will be so good as
to take us with him."
"And what will my good tutor your father say to it?" the earl asked
smiling.
"I think, my lord," Geoffrey said boldly, "that if you yourself
will tell my father you think it is for our good, he will say naught
against it."
"Oh, you want to throw the responsibility upon me, and to embroil
me with your father and Mistress Vickars as an abettor of my cousin
Francis in the kidnapping of children? Well, Francis, you had better
explain to them what their duties will be if they go with you.
"You will be my pages," Francis Vere said, "and will perform the
usual duties of pages in good families when in the field. It is
the duty of pages to aid in collecting firewood and forage, and in
all other ways to make themselves useful. You will bear the same
sort of relation to the gentlemen volunteers as they do towards
the officers. They are aspirants for commissions as officers as
you will be to become gentlemen volunteers. You must not think that
your duties will be light, for they will not, and you will have to
bear many discomforts and hardships. But you will be in an altogether
different position from that of the boys who are the pages of the
company. You will, apart from your duties, and bearing in mind
the difference of your age, associate with the officers and the
gentlemen volunteers on terms of equality when not engaged upon duty.
On duty you will have to render the same strict and unquestionable
obedience that all soldiers pay to those of superior rank. What say
you? Are you still anxious to go? Because, if so, I have decided
to take you."
Geoffrey and Lionel both expressed their thanks in proper terms,
and their earnest desire to accompany Captain Vere, and to behave
in all ways conformably to his orders and instructions.
"Very well, that is settled," Francis Vere said. "The earl is
journeying down to Hedingham tomorrow, and has kindly promised to
take charge of a letter from me to your father, and personally to
assure him that this early embarkation upon military life would
prove greatly to your advantage."
"Supposing that you are not killed by the Spaniards or carried
off by fever," the earl put in; "for although possibly that might
be an advantage to humanity in general, it could scarcely be
considered one to you personally."
"We are ready to take our risk of that, my lord," Geoffrey said;
"and are indeed greatly beholden both to Captain Francis for his
goodness in taking us with him, and to yourself in kindly undertaking
the mission of reconciling our father to our departure."
"You have not told me yet how it is that I find you in London?"
Francis Vere said.
"We only came up for a week, sir, to see the town. We are in charge of
Master Lirriper, who owns a barge on the river, and plies between
Hedingham and Bricklesey, but who was coming up to London in a
craft belonging to his nephew, and who took charge of us. We are
staying at the house of Master Swindon, a citizen and ship chandler."
"Is Master Lirriper below?"
"He is, sir."
"Then in that case he had better go back to the house and bring
your mails here. I shall sail from Deptford the day after tomorrow
with the turn of tide. You had best remain here now. There will be
many things necessary for you to get before you start. I will give
instructions to one of my men-at-arms to go with you to purchase
them."
"I will take their outfit upon myself, Francis," the earl said.
"My steward shall go out with them and see to it. It is the least
I can do when I am abetting you in depriving my old tutor of his
sons."
He touched a bell and a servitor entered. "See that these young
gentlemen are fed and attended to. They will remain here for the
night. Tell Master Dotterell to come hither to me."
The boys bowed deeply and retired.
"It is all settled, Master Lirriper," they said when they reached
the hall below. "We are to sail with Captain Francis the day after
tomorrow, and you will be pleased to hear that the earl himself has
taken charge of the matter, and will see our father and communicate
the news to him."
"That is a comfort indeed," John Lirriper said fervently; "for
I would most as soon have had to tell him that the Susan had gone
down and that you were both drowned, as that I had let you both slip
away to the wars when he had given you into my charge. But if the
earl takes the matter in hand I do not think that even your lady
mother can bear very heavily on me. And now, what is going to be
done?"
"We are to remain here in order that suitable clothes may be
obtained for us by the time we sail. Will you bring down tomorrow
morning our wallets from Master Swindon's, and thank him and his
good dame for their hospitality, and say that we are sorry to leave
them thus suddenly without having an opportunity of thanking them
ourselves? We will write letters tonight to our father and mother,
and give them to you to take with you when you return."
John Lirriper at once took his departure, greatly relieved in mind
to find that the earl himself had taken the responsibility upon his
shoulders, and would break the news long before he himself reached
Hedingham. A few minutes later a servitor conducted the boys to an
apartment where a meal was laid for them; and as soon as this was
over they were joined by the steward, who requested them to set
out with him at once, as there were many things to be done and but
short time for doing them. No difficulty in the way of time was,
however, thrown in the way by the various tradesmen they visited,
these being all perfectly ready to put themselves to inconvenience
to do pleasure to so valuable a patron as the powerful Earl of
Oxford.
Three suits of clothes were ordered for each of them: the one such
as that worn by pages in noble families upon ordinary occasions,
another of a much richer kind for special ceremonies and gaieties,
the third a strong, serviceable suit for use when actually in the
field. Then they were taken to an armourer's where each was provided
with a light morion or head piece, breast plate and back piece,
sword and dagger. A sufficient supply of under garments, boots, and
other necessaries were also purchased; and when all was complete
they returned highly delighted to the house. It was still scarce
five o'clock, and they went across to the abbey and wandered for
some time through its aisles, greatly impressed with its dignity
and beauty now that their own affairs were off their mind.
They returned to the house again, and after supper wrote their
letters to their father and mother, saying that they hoped they
would not be displeased at the step they had taken, and which they
would not have ventured upon had they not already obtained their
father's consent to their entering the army. They knew, of course,
that he had not contemplated their doing so for some little time;
but as so excellent an opportunity had offered, and above all, as
they were going out to fight against the Spaniards for the oppressed
people of the Low Countries, they hoped their parents would approve
of the steps they had taken, not having had time or opportunity to
consult them.
At noon two days later Francis Vere with Captain Allen and the two
boys took their seats in the stern of a skiff manned by six rowers.
In the bow were the servitors of the two officers, and the luggage
was stowed in the extreme stern.
"The tide is getting slack, is it not?" Captain Vere asked the
boatmen.
"Yes, sir; it will not run up much longer. It will be pretty well
slack water by the time we get to the bridge."
Keeping close to the bank the boat proceeded at a rapid pace. Several
times the two young officers stood up and exchanged salutations
with ladies or gentlemen of their acquaintance. As the boatman
had anticipated, tide was slack by the time they arrived at London
Bridge, and they now steered out into the middle of the river.
"Give way, lads," Captain Allen said. "We told the captain we would
not keep him waiting long after high water, and he will be getting
impatient if he does not see us before long."
As they shot past the Susan the boys waved their hands to Master
Lirriper, who, after coming down in the morning and receiving
their letters for their parents, had returned at once to the city
and had taken his place on board the Susan, so as to be able to
tell their father that he had seen the last of them. The distance
between London Bridge and Deptford was traversed in a very short
time. A vessel with her flags flying and her canvas already loosened
was hanging to a buoy some distance out in the stream, and as the
boat came near enough for the captain to distinguish those on board,
the mooring rope was slipped, the head sails flattened in, and the
vessel began to swing round. Before her head was down stream the
boat was alongside. The two officers followed by the boys ascended
the ladder by the side. The luggage was quickly handed up, and the
servitors followed. The sails were sheeted home, and the vessel
began to move rapidly through the water.
The boys had thought the Susan an imposing craft, but they were
surprised, indeed, at the space on board the Dover Castle. In the
stern there was a lofty poop with spacious cabins. Six guns were
ranged along on each side of the deck, and when the sails were
got up they seemed so vast to the boys that they felt a sense of
littleness on board the great craft. They had been relieved to find
that Captain Vere had his own servitor with him; for in talking it
over they had mutually expressed their doubt as to their ability
to render such service as Captain Vere would be accustomed to.
The wind was from the southwest, and the vessel was off Sheerness
before the tide turned. There was, however, no occasion to anchor,
for the wind was strong enough to take them against the flood.
During the voyage they had no duties to perform. The ship's cook
prepared the meals, and the officers' servants waited on them, the
lads taking their meals with the two officers. Their destination
was Bergen op Zoom, a town at the mouth of the Scheldt, of the
garrison of which the companies of both Francis Vere and Captain
Allen formed a part.
As soon as the low coasts of Holland came in sight the boys watched
them with the most lively interest.
"We are passing Sluys now," Captain Vere said. "The land almost
ahead of us is Walcheren; and that spire belongs to Flushing. We
could go outside and up the channel between the island and Beveland,
and then up the Eastern Scheldt to Bergen op Zoom; but instead of
that we shall follow the western channel, which is more direct."
"It is as flat as our Essex coast," Geoffrey remarked.
"Aye, and flatter; for the greater part of the land lies below the
level of the sea, which is only kept out by great dams and dykes.
At times when the rivers are high and the wind keeps back their
waters they burst the dams and spread over a vast extent of country.
The Zuider Zee was so formed in 1170 and 1395, and covers a tract
as large as the whole county of Essex. Twenty-six years later the
river Maas broke its banks and flooded a wide district. Seventy-two
villages were destroyed and 100,000 people lost their life. The
lands have never been recovered; and where a fertile country once
stood is now a mere swamp."
"I shouldn't like living there," Lionel said. "It would be terrible,
every time the rivers are full and the wind blows, to think that
at any moment the banks may burst and the flood come rushing over
you."
"It is all habit," Captain Vere replied; "I don't suppose they
trouble themselves about it. But they are very particular in keeping
their dykes in good repair. The water is one of the great defences
of their country. In the first place there are innumerable streams
to be crossed by an invader, and in the second, they can as a last
resource cut the dykes and flood the country. These Dutchmen, as
far as I have seen of them, are hard working and industrious people,
steady and patient, and resolved to defend their independence to
the last. This they have indeed proved by the wonderful resistance
they have made against the power of Spain. There, you see the ship's
head has been turned and we shall before long be in the channel.
Sluys lies up that channel on the right. It is an important place.
Large vessels can go no further, but are unloaded there and the
cargoes taken to Bruges and thence distributed to many other towns.
They say that in 1468 as many as a hundred and fifty ships a day
arrived at Sluys. That gives you an idea of the trade that the
Netherlands carry on. The commerce of this one town was as great
as is that of London at the present time. But since the troubles
the trade of Sluys has fallen off a good deal."
The ship had to anchor here for two or three hours until the tide
turned, for the wind had fallen very light and they could not make
head against the ebb. As soon as it turned they again proceeded on
their way, dropping quietly up with the tide. The boys climbed up
into the tops, and thence could see a wide extent of country dotted
with villages stretching beyond the banks, which restricted their
view from the decks. In five hours Bergen op Zoom came in sight,
and they presently dropped anchor opposite the town. The boat was
lowered, and the two officers with the lads were rowed ashore. They
were met as they landed by several young officers.
"Welcome back, Vere; welcome, Allen. You have been lucky indeed
in having a few days in England, and getting a view of something
besides this dreary flat country and its sluggish rivers. What is
the last news from London?"
"There is little news enough," Vere replied. "We were only four
days in London, and were busy all the time. And how are things
here? Now that summer is at hand and the country drying the Dons
ought to be bestirring themselves."
"They say that they are doing so," the officer replied. "We have
news that the Duke of Parma is assembling his army at Bruges, where
he is collecting the pick of the Spanish infantry with a number of
Italian regiments which have joined him. He sent off the Marquess
Del Vasto with the Sieur De Hautepenne towards Bois le Duc. General
Count Hohenlohe, who, as you know, we English always call Count
Holland, went off with a large force to meet him, and we heard
only this morning that a battle has been fought, Hautepenne killed,
and the fort of Crevecoeur on the Maas captured. From what I hear,
some of our leaders think that it was a mistake so to scatter our
forces, and if Parma moves forward from Bruges against Sluys, which
is likely enough, we shall be sorely put to it to save the place."
As they were talking they proceeded into the town, and presently
reached the house where Francis Vere had his quarters. The officers
and gentlemen volunteers of his company soon assembled, and Captain
Vere introduced the two boys to them.
"They are young gentlemen of good family," he said, "who will act
as my pages until they are old enough to be enrolled as gentlemen
volunteers. I commend them to your good offices. Their father is
a learned and reverend gentleman who was my tutor, and also tutor
to my cousin, the Earl of Oxford, by whom he is greatly valued.
They are lads of spirit, and have been instructed in the use of
arms at Hedingham as if they had been members of our family. I am
sure, gentlemen volunteers, that you will receive them as friends.
I propose that they shall take their meals with you, but of course
they will lodge here with me and my officers; but as you are in the
next house this will cause no inconvenience. I trust that we shall
not remain here long, but shall soon be on the move. We have now
been here seven months, and it is high time we were doing something.
We didn't bargain to come over here and settle down for life in a
dull Dutch town."
In a few hours the boys found themselves quite at home in their
new quarters. The gentlemen volunteers received them cordially,
and they found that for the present their duties would be extremely
light, consisting chiefly in carrying messages and orders; for as
the officers had all servants of their own, Captain Vere dispensed
with their attendance at meals. There was much to amuse and interest
them in Bergen op Zoom. It reminded them to some extent of Harwich,
with its narrow streets and quaint houses; but the fortifications were
far stronger, and the number of churches struck them as prodigious.
The population differed in no very large degree in dress from that
of England, but the people struck them as being slower and more
deliberate in their motion. The women's costumes differed much more
widely from those to which they were accustomed, and their strange
and varied headdresses, their bright coloured handkerchiefs, and
the amount of gold necklaces and bracelets that they wore, struck
them with surprise.
Their stay in Bergen op Zoom was even shorter than they had
anticipated, for three days after their arrival a boat came with a
letter from Sir William Russell, the governor at Flushing. He said
that he had just received an urgent letter from the Dutch governor
of Sluys, saying that Patina's army was advancing from Bruges towards
the city, and had seized and garrisoned the fort of Blankenburg on
the sea coast to prevent reinforcements arriving from Ostend; he
therefore prayed the governor of Flushing to send off troops and
provisions with all haste to enable him to resist the attack. Sir
William requested that the governor of Bergen op Zoom would at once
embark the greater portion of his force on board ship and send them
to Sluys. He himself was having a vessel filled with grain for the
use of the inhabitants, and was also sending every man he could
spare from Flushing.
In a few minutes all was bustle in the town. The trumpets of the
various companies called the soldiers to arms, and in a very short
time the troops were on their way towards the river. Here several
ships had been requisitioned for the service; and as the companies
marched down they were conducted to the ships to which they were
allotted by the quartermasters.
Geoffrey and Lionel felt no small pride as they marched down with
their troop. They had for the first time donned their steel caps,
breast and back pieces; but this was rather for convenience of
carriage than for any present utility. They had at Captain Vere's
orders left their ordinary clothes behind them, and were now attired
in thick serviceable jerkins, with skirts coming down nearly to
the knee, like those worn by the troops. They marched at the rear
of the company, the other pages, similarly attired, following them.
As soon as the troops were on board ship, sail was made, and the
vessels dropped down the stream. The wind was very light, and it
was not until thirty hours after starting that the little fleet
arrived off Sluys. The town, which was nearly egg shaped, lay close
to the river, which was called the Zwin. At the eastern end, in the
centre of a detached piece of water, stood the castle, connected
with the town by a bridge of boats. The Zwin formed the defence
on the north side while the south and west were covered by a very
wide moat, along the centre of which ran a dyke, dividing it into
two channels. On the west side this moat extended to the Zwin, and
was crossed at the point of junction by the bridge leading to the
west gate.
The walls inclosed a considerable space, containing fields and
gardens. Seven windmills stood on the ramparts. The tower of the
town hall, and those of the churches of Our Lady, St. John, and
the Grey Friars rose high above the town.
The ships from Flushing and Bergen op Zoom sailed up together, and
the 800 men who landed were received with immense enthusiasm by
the inhabitants, who were Protestants, and devoted to the cause
of independence. The English were under the command of Sir Roger
Williams, who had already seen so many years of service in the
Low Countries; and under him were Morgan, Thomas Baskerville, and
Huntley, who had long served with him.
Roger Williams was an admirable man for service of this kind. He
had distinguished himself by many deeds of reckless bravery. He
possessed an inexhaustible fund of confidence and high spirits,
and in his company it was impossible to feel despondent, however
desperate the situation.
The citizens placed their houses at the disposal of their new allies,
handsome quarters were allotted to the officers, and the soldiers
were all housed in private dwellings or the warehouses of the
merchants. The inhabitants had already for some days been working
hard at their defences, and the English at once joined them in their
labours, strengthening the weak portions of the walls, mounting
cannon upon the towers, and preparing in all ways to give a warm
reception to the Spaniards.
Captain Vere, his lieutenant and ensign and his two pages, were
quartered in the house of a wealthy merchant, whose family did all
in their power to make them comfortable. It was a grand old house,
and the boys, accustomed as they were to the splendours of Hedingham
Castle, agreed that the simple merchants of the Low Countries were
far in advance of English nobles in the comforts and conveniences
of their dwellings. The walls of the rooms were all heavily panelled;
rich curtains hung before the casements. The furniture was not only
richly carved, but comfortable. Heavy hangings before the doors
excluded draughts, and in the principal apartments Eastern carpets
covered the floors. The meals were served on spotless white linen.
Rich plates stood on the sideboard, and gold and silver vessels of
rare carved work from Italy glittered in the armoires.
Above all, from top to bottom, the house was scrupulously clean.
Nor a particle of dust dimmed the brightness of the furniture, and
even now, when the city was threatened with siege, the merchant's
wife never relaxed her vigilance over the doings of her maids, who
seemed to the boys to be perpetually engaged in scrubbing, dusting,
and polishing.
"Our mother prides herself on the neatness of her house," Geoffrey
said; "but what would she say, I wonder, were she to see one of
these Dutch households? I fear that the maids would have a hard
time of it afterwards, and our father would be fairly driven out
of his library."
"It is all very well to be clean," Lionel said; "but I think they
carry it too far here. Peace and quietness count for something, and
it doesn't seem to me that Dutchmen, fond of it as they say they
are, know even the meaning of the words as far as their homes are
concerned. Why, it always seems to be cleaning day, and they must
be afraid of going into their own houses with their boots on!"
"Yes, I felt quite like a criminal today," Geoffrey laughed, "when
I came in muddy up to the waist, after working down there by the
sluices. I believe when the Spaniards open fire these people will
be more distracted by the dust caused by falling tiles and chimneys
than by any danger of their lives."
Great difficulties beset the Duke of Parma at the commencement of
the siege. Sluys was built upon the only piece of solid ground in
the district, and it was surrounded by such a labyrinth of canals,
ditches, and swamps, that it was said that it was almost as
difficult to find Sluys as it was to capture it. Consequently, it
was impossible to find ground solid enough for a camp to be pitched
upon, and the first labour was the erection of wooden huts for the
troops upon piles driven into the ground. These huts were protected
from the fire of the defenders by bags of earth brought in boats
from a long distance. The main point selected for the attack was
the western gate; but batteries were also placed to play upon the
castle and the bridge of boats connecting it with the town.
"There is one advantage in their determining to attack us at the
western extremity of the town," John Menyn, the merchant at whose
house Captain Vere and his party were lodging, remarked when his
guest informed him there was no longer any doubt as to the point
at which the Spaniards intended to attack, "for they will not be
able to blow up our walls with mines in that quarter."
"How is that?" Francis Vere asked.
"If you can spare half an hour of your time I will show you," the
merchant said.
"I can spare it now, Von Menyn," Vere replied; "for the information
is important, whatever it may be."
"I will conduct you there at once. There is no time like the
present."
"Shall we follow you, sir?" Geoffrey asked his captain.
"Yes, come along," Vere replied. "The matter is of interest, and
for the life of me I cannot make out what this obstacle can be of
which our host speaks."
They at once set out.
John Menyn led them to a warehouse close to the western wall, and
spoke a few words to its owner, who at once took three lanterns
from the wall and lighted them, handing one to Vere, another to
John Menyn, and taking the other himself; he then unlocked a massive
door. A flight of steps leading apparently to a cellar were visible.
He led the way down, the two men following, and the boys bringing
up the rear. The descent was far deeper than they had expected,
and when they reached the bottom they found themselves in a vast
arched cellar filled with barrels. From this they proceeded into
another, and again into a third.
"What are these great magazines?" Francis Vere asked in surprise.
"They are wine cellars, and there are scores similar to those you
see. Sluys is the centre of the wine trade of Flanders and Holland, and
cellars like these extend right under the wall. All the warehouses
along here have similar cellars. This end of the town was the driest,
and the soil most easily excavated. That is why the magazines for
wines are all clustered here. There is not a foot of ground behind
and under the walls at this end that is not similarly occupied,
and if the Spaniards try to drive mines to blow up the walls, they
will simply break their way into these cellars, where we can meet
them and drive them back again."
"Excellent!" Francis Vere said. "This will relieve us of the work
of countermining, which is always tiresome and dangerous, and would
be specially so here, where we should have to dive under that deep
moat outside your walls. Now we shall only have to keep a few men
on watch in these cellars. They would hear the sound of the Spanish
approaching, and we shall be ready to give them a warm reception
by the time they break in. Are there communications between these
cellars?"
"Yes, for the most part," the wine merchant said. "The cellars are
not entirely the property of us dealers in wine. They are constructed
by men who let them, just as they would let houses. A merchant
in a small way would need but one cellar, while some of us occupy
twenty or more; therefore, there are for the most part communications,
with doors, between the various cellars, so that they can be let
off in accordance with the needs of the hirers."
"Well, I am much obliged to you for telling me of this," Captain
Vere said. "Williams and Morgan will be glad enough to hear that
there is no fear of their being blown suddenly into the air while
defending the walls, and they will see the importance of keeping
a few trusty men on watch in the cellars nearest to the Spaniards.
I shall report the matter to them at once. The difficulty," he
added smiling, "will be to keep the men wakeful, for it seems to
me that the very air is heavy with the fumes of wine."