IVRY.
The day after the capture of Breda Sir Francis Vere sent for Lionel
Vickars to his quarters. Prince Maurice and several of his principal
officers were there, and the prince thanked him warmly for the share he
had taken in the capture of the town.
"Captain Heraugière has told me," he said, "that the invention of the
scheme that has ended so well is due as much to you as to him, that you
accompanied him on the reconnoitring expedition and shared in the
dangers of the party in the barge. I trust Sir Francis Vere will
appoint you to the first ensigncy vacant in his companies, but should
there be likely to be any delay in this I will gladly give you a
commission in one of my own regiments."
"I have forestalled your wish, prince," Sir Francis said, "and have
this morning given orders that his appointment shall be made out as
ensign in one of my companies, but at present I do not intend him to
join. I have been ordered by the queen to send further aid to help the
King of France against the League. I have already despatched several
companies to Brittany, and will now send two others. I would that my
duties permitted me personally to take part in the enterprise, for the
battle of the Netherlands is at present being fought on the soil of
France; but this is impossible. Several of my friends, however,
volunteers and others, will journey with the two companies, being
desirous of fighting under the banner of Henry of Navarre. Sir Ralph
Pimpernel, who is married to a French Huguenot lady and has connections
at the French court, will lead them. I have spoken to him this morning,
and he will gladly allow my young friend here to accompany him, I think
that it is the highest reward I can give him, to afford him thus an
opportunity of seeing stirring service; for I doubt not that in a very
short time a great battle will be fought. We know that Alva has sent
eighteen hundred of the best cavalry of Flanders to aid the League, and
he is sure to have given orders that they are to be back again as soon
as possible. How do you like the prospect, Lionel?"
Lionel warmly expressed his thanks to Sir Francis Vere for his
kindness, and said that nothing could delight him more than to take
part in such an enterprise.
"I must do something at any rate to prove my gratitude for your share
in the capture of this city," Prince Maurice said; "and will send you
presently two of the best horses of those we have found in the
governor's stables, together with arms and armour suitable to your rank
as an officer of Sir Francis Vere."
Upon the following morning a party of ten knights and gentlemen,
including Lionel Vickars, rode to Bergen-op-Zoom. The two companies,
which were drawn from the garrison of that town, had embarked the
evening before in ships that had come from England to transport them to
France. Sir Ralph Pimpernel and his party at once went on board, and as
soon as their horses were embarked the sails were hoisted. Four days'
voyage took them to the mouth of the Seine, and they landed at Honfleur
on the south bank of the river. There was a large number of ships in
port, for the Protestant princes of Germany were, as well as England,
sending aid to Henry of Navarre, and numbers of gentlemen and
volunteers were flocking to his banners.
For the moment Henry IV. represented in the eyes of Europe the
Protestant cause. He was supported by the Huguenots of France and by
some of the Catholic noblemen and gentry. Against him were arrayed the
greater portion of the Catholic nobles, the whole faction of the Guises
and the Holy League, supported by Philip of Spain.
The party from Holland disembarked at mid-day on the 9th of March.
Hearing rumours that a battle was expected very shortly to take place,
Sir Ralph Pimpernel started at once with his mounted party for Dreux,
which town was being besieged by Henry, leaving the two companies of
foot to press on at their best speed behind him. The distance to be
ridden was about sixty miles, and late at night on the 10th they rode
into a village eight miles from Dreux. Here they heard that the Duke of
Mayenne, who commanded the force of the League, was approaching the
Seine at Mantes with an army of ten thousand foot and four thousand
horse.
"We must mount at daybreak, gentlemen," Sir Ralph Pimpernel said, "or
the forces of the League will get between us and the king. It is
evident that we have but just arrived in time, and it is well we did
not wait for our foot-men."
The next morning they mounted early and rode on to the royal camp near
Dreux. Here Sir Ralph Pimpernel found Marshal Biron, a relation of his
wife, who at once took him to the king.
"You have just arrived in time, Sir Ralph," the king said when Marshal
Biron introduced him, "for to-morrow, or at latest the day after, we
are likely to try our strength with Mayenne. You will find many of your
compatriots here. I can offer you but poor hospitality at present, but
hope to entertain you rarely some day when the good city of Paris opens
its gates to us."
"Thanks, sire," Sir Ralph replied; "but we have come to fight and not
to feast."
"I think I can promise you plenty of that at any rate," the king said.
"You have ten gentlemen with you, I hear, and also that there are two
companies of foot from Holland now on their way up from Honfleur."
"They landed at noon the day before yesterday, sire, and will probably
be up to-morrow."
"They will be heartily welcome, Sir Ralph. Since Parma has sent so
large a force to help Mayenne it is but right that Holland, which is
relieved of the presence of these troops, should lend me a helping
hand."
Quarters were found for the party in a village near the camp; for the
force was badly provided with tents, the king's resources being at a
very low ebb; he maintained the war, indeed, chiefly by the loans he
received from England and Germany. The next day several bodies of
troops were seen approaching the camp. A quarter of an hour later the
trumpets blew; officers rode about, ordering the tents to be levelled
and the troops to prepare to march. A messenger from Marshal Biron rode
at full speed into the village, where many of the volunteers from
England and Germany, besides the party of Sir Ralph Pimpernel, were
lodged.
"The marshal bids me tell you, gentlemen, that the army moves at once.
Marshal D'Aumont has fallen back from Ivry; Mayenne is advancing. The
siege will be abandoned at present, and we march towards Nonancourt,
where we shall give battle to-morrow if Mayenne is disposed for it."
The camps were struck and the waggons loaded, and the army marched to
St. André, a village situated on an elevated plain commanding a view of
all the approaches from the country between the Seine and Eure.
"This is a fine field for a battle," Sir Ralph said, as the troops
halted on the ground indicated by the camp-marshals. "It is splendid
ground for cavalry to act, and it is upon them the brunt of the
fighting will fall We are a little stronger in foot; for several
companies from Honfleur, our own among them, have come up this morning,
and I hear we muster twelve thousand, which is a thousand more than
they say Mayenne has with him. But then he has four thousand cavalry to
our three thousand; and Parma's regiments of Spaniards, Walloons, and
Italian veterans are far superior troops to Henry's bands of riders,
who are mostly Huguenot noblemen and gentlemen, with their armed
retainers, tough and hardy men to fight, as they have shown themselves
on many a field, but without any of the discipline of Parma's troopers.
"If Parma himself commanded yonder army I should not feel confident of
the result; but Mayenne, though a skilful general, is slow and
cautious, while Henry of Navarre is full of fire and energy, and brave
almost to rashness. We are to muster under the command of the king
himself. He will have eight hundred horse, formed into six squadrons,
behind him, and upon these will, I fancy, come the chief shock of the
battle. He will be covered on each side by the English and Swiss
infantry; in all four thousand strong.
"Marshal Biron will be on the right with five troops of horse and four
regiments of French infantry; while on the left will be the troops of
D'Aumont, Montpensier, Biron the younger, D'Angoulême, and De Givry,
supported in all by two regiments of French infantry, one of Swiss, and
one of German. The marshal showed us the plan of battle last night in
his tent. It is well balanced and devised."
It was late in the evening before the whole of the force had reached
the position and the tents were erected. One of these had been placed
at the disposal of Sir Ralph's party. Sir Ralph and four of his
companions had been followed by their mounted squires, and these
collected firewood, and supplied the horses with forage from the sacks
they carried slung from their saddles, while the knights and gentlemen
themselves polished up their arms and armour, so as to make as brave a
show as possible in the ranks of the king's cavalry.
When they had eaten their supper Lionel Vickars strolled through the
camp, and was amused at the contrast presented by the various groups.
The troops of cavalry of the French nobles were gaily attired; the
tents of the officers large and commodious, with rich hangings and
appointments. The sound of light-hearted laughter came from the groups
round the camp-fires, squires and pages moved about thickly, and it was
evident that comfort, and indeed luxury, were considered by the
commanders as essential even upon a campaign. The encampments of the
German, Swiss, and English infantry were of far humbler design. The
tents of the officers were few in number, and of the simplest form and
make. A considerable portion of the English infantry had been drawn
from Holland, for the little army there was still the only body of
trained troops at Elizabeth's disposal.
The Swiss and Germans were for the most part mercenaries. Some had been
raised at the expense of the Protestant princes, others were paid from
the sums supplied from England. The great proportion of the men were
hardy veterans who had fought under many banners, and cared but little
for the cause in which they were fighting, provided they obtained their
pay regularly and that the rations were abundant and of good quality.
The French infantry regiments contained men influenced by a variety of
motives. Some were professional soldiers who had fought in many a field
during the long wars that had for so many years agitated France, others
were the retainers of the nobles who had thrown in their cause with
Henry, while others again were Huguenot peasants who were fighting, not
for pay, but in the cause of their religion.
The cavalry were for the most part composed of men of good family,
relations, connections, or the superior vassals of the nobles who
commanded or officered them. The king's own squadrons were chiefly
composed of Huguenot gentlemen and their mounted retainers; but with
these rode many foreign volunteers like Sir Ralph Pimpernel's party,
attracted to Henry's banner either from a desire to aid the Protestant
cause or to gain military knowledge and fame under so brave and able a
monarch, or simply from the love of excitement and military ardour.
The camp of this main body of cavalry or "battalia," as the body on
whom the commander of our army chiefly relied for victory was called,
was comparatively still and silent. The Huguenot gentlemen, after the
long years of persecution to which those of their religion had been
exposed, were for the most part poor. Their appointments were simple,
and they fought for conscience' sake, and went into battle with the
stern enthusiasm that afterwards animated Cromwell's Ironsides.
It was not long before the camp quieted down; for the march had been a
long one, and they would be on their feet by daybreak The king himself,
attended by Marshals D'Aumont and Biron, had gone through the whole
extent of the camp, seen that all was in order, that the troops had
everywhere received their rations, and that the officers were
acquainted with the orders for the morrow. He stayed a short time in
the camp of each regiment and troop, saying a few words of
encouragement to the soldiers, and laughing and joking with the
officers. He paused a short time and chatted with Sir Ralph Pimpernel,
who, at his request, introduced each of his companions to him.
Lionel looked with interest and admiration at the man who was regarded
as the champion of Protestantism against Popery, and who combined in
himself a remarkable mixture of qualities seldom found existing in one
person. He was brave to excess and apparently reckless in action, and
yet astute, prudent, and calculating in council. With a manner frank,
open, and winning, he was yet able to match the craftiest of opponents
at their own weapons of scheming and duplicity. The idol of the
Huguenots of France, he was ready to purchase the crown of France at
the price of accepting the Catholic doctrines, for he saw that it was
hopeless for him in the long run to maintain himself against the
hostility of almost all the great nobles of France, backed by the great
proportion of the people and aided by the pope and the Catholic powers,
so long as he remained a Protestant. But this change of creed was
scarcely even foreseen by those who followed him, and it was the
apparent hopelessness of his cause, and the gallantry with which he
maintained it, that attracted the admiration of Europe.
Henry's capital was at the time garrisoned by the troops of the pope
and Spain. The great nobles of France, who had long maintained a sort
of semi-independence of the crown, were all against him, and were
calculating on founding independent kingdoms. He himself was
excommunicated. The League were masters of almost the whole of France,
and were well supplied with funds by the pope and the Catholic powers,
while Henry was entirely dependent for money upon what he could borrow
from Queen Elizabeth and the States of Holland. But no one who listened
to the merry laugh of the king as he chatted with the little group of
English gentlemen would have thought that he was engaged in a desperate
and well-nigh hopeless struggle, and that the following day was to be a
decisive one as to his future fortunes.
"Well, gentlemen," he said as he turned his horse to ride away, "I must
ask you to lie down as soon as possible. As long as the officers are
awake and talking the men cannot sleep; and I want all to have a good
night's rest. The enemy's camp is close at hand, and the battle is sure
to take place at early dawn."
As the same orders were given everywhere, the camp was quiet early, and
before daylight the troops were called under arms and ranged in the
order appointed for them to fight in.
The army of the League was astir in equally good time. In its centre
was the battalia, composed of six hundred splendid cavalry, all
noblemen of France, supported by a column of three hundred Swiss and
two thousand French infantry. On the left were six hundred French
cuirassiers and the eighteen hundred troops of Parma, commanded by
Count Egmont. They were supported by six regiments of French and
Lorrainers, and two thousand Germans. The right wing was composed of
three regiments of Spanish lancers, two troops of Germans, four hundred
cuirassiers, and four regiments of infantry.
When the sun rose and lighted up the contending armies, the difference
between their appearance was very marked. That of the League was gay
with the gilded armour, waving plumes, and silken scarfs of the French
nobles, whose banners fluttered brightly in the air, while the Walloons
and Flemish rivalled their French comrades in the splendour of their
appointments. In the opposite ranks there was neither gaiety nor show.
The Huguenot nobles and gentlemen, who had for so many years been
fighting for life and religion, were clad in armour dinted in a hundred
battle-fields; and while the nobles of the League were confident of
victory, and loud in demanding to be led against the foe, Henry of
Navarre and his soldiers were kneeling, praying to the God of battles
to enable them to bear themselves well in the coming fight. Henry of
Navarre wore in his helmet a snow-white plume, which he ordered his
troops to keep in view, and to follow wherever they should see it
waving, in case his banner went down.
Artillery still played but a small part in battles on the field, and
there were but twelve pieces on the ground, equally divided between the
two armies. These opened the battle, and Count Egmont, whose cavalry
had suffered from the fire of the Huguenot cannon, ordered a charge,
and the splendid cavalry of Parma swept down upon the right wing of
Henry. The cavalry under Marshal Biron were unable to withstand the
shock and were swept before them, and Egmont rode on right up to the
guns and sabred the artillerymen. Almost at the same moment the German
riders under Eric of Brunswick, the Spanish and French lancers, charged
down upon the centre of the Royal Army. The rout of the right wing
shook the cavalry in the centre. They wavered, and the infantry on
their flanks fell back, but the king and his officers rode among them,
shouting and entreating them to stand firm. The ground in their front
was soft and checked the impetuosity of the charge of the Leaguers, and
by the time they reached the ranks of the Huguenots they were broken
and disordered, and could make no impression whatever upon them.
As soon as the charge was repulsed, Henry set his troops in motion, and
the battalia charged down upon the disordered cavalry of the League.
The lancers and cuirassiers were borne down by the impetuosity of the
charge, and Marshal Biron, rallying his troops, followed the king's
white plume into the heart of the battle. Egmont brought up the cavalry
of Flanders to the scene, and was charging at their head when he fell
dead with a musket-ball through the heart. Brunswick went down in the
fight, and the shattered German and Walloon horse were completely
overthrown and cut to pieces by the furious charges of the Huguenot
cavalry.
At one time the victorious onset was checked by the disappearance of
the king's snow-white plumes, and a report ran through the army that
the king was killed. They wavered irresolutely. The enemy, regaining
courage from the cessation of their attacks, were again advancing, when
the king reappeared bareheaded and covered with dust and blood, but
entirely unhurt. He addressed a few cheerful words to his soldiers, and
again led a charge. It was irresistible; the enemy broke and fled in
the wildest confusion hotly pursued by the royalist cavalry, while the
infantry of the League, who had so far taken no part whatever in the
battle, were seized with a panic, threw away their arms, and sought
refuge in the woods in their rear.
Thus the battle was decided only by the cavalry, the infantry taking no
part in the fight on either side. Eight hundred of the Leaguers either
fell on the battle-field or were drowned in crossing the river in their
rear. The loss of the royalists was but one-fourth that number. Had the
king pushed forward upon Paris immediately after the battle, the city
would probably have surrendered without a blow; and the Huguenot
leaders urged this course upon him. Biron and the other Catholics,
however, argued that it was better to undertake a regular siege, and
the king yielded to this advice, although the bolder course would have
been far more in accordance with his own disposition.
He was probably influenced by a variety of motives. In the first place
his Swiss mercenaries were in a mutinous condition, and refused to
advance a single foot unless they received their arrears of pay, and
this Henry, whose chests were entirely empty, had no means of
providing. In the second place he was at the time secretly in
negotiation with the pope for his conversion, and may have feared to
give so heavy a blow to the Catholic cause as would have been effected
by the capture of Paris following closely after the victory of Ivry. At
any rate he determined upon a regular siege. Moving forward he seized
the towns of Lagny on the Marne, and Corbeil on the Seine, thus
entirely cutting off the food supply of Paris.
Lionel Vickars had borne his part in the charges of the Huguenot
cavalry, but as the company to which he belonged was in the rear of the
battalia, he had no personal encounters with the enemy.
After the advance towards Paris the duties of the cavalry consisted
entirely in scouting the country, sweeping in provisions for their own
army, and preventing supplies from entering Paris. No siege operations
were undertaken, the king relying upon famine alone to reduce the city.
Its population at the time the siege commenced was estimated at
400,000, and the supply of provisions to be sufficient for a month. It
was calculated therefore that before the League could bring up another
army to its relief, it must fall by famine.
But no allowance had been made for the religious enthusiasm and
devotion to the cause of the League that animated the population of
Paris. Its governor, the Duke of Nemours, brother of Mayenne, aided by
the three Spanish delegates, the Cardinal Gaetano, and by an army of
priests and monks, sustained the spirits of the population; and though
the people starved by thousands, the city resisted until towards the
end of August. In that month the army of the League, united with twelve
thousand foot and three thousand horse from the Netherlands under Parma
himself, advanced to its assistance; while Maurice of Holland, with a
small body of Dutch troops and reinforcements from England, had
strengthened the army of the king.
The numbers of the two armies were not unequal. Many of the French
nobles had rallied round Henry after his victory, and of his cavalry
four thousand were nobles and their retainers who served at their own
expense, and were eager for a battle. Parma himself had doubts as to
the result of the conflict. He could rely upon the troops he himself
had brought, but had no confidence in those of the League; and when
Henry sent him a formal challenge to a general engagement, Parma
replied that it was his custom to refuse a combat when a refusal seemed
advantageous for himself, and to offer battle whenever it suited his
purpose to fight.
For seven days the two armies, each some twenty-five thousand strong,
lay within a mile or two of each other. Then the splendid cavalry of
Parma moved out in order of battle, with banners flying, and the
pennons of the lances fluttering in the wind. The king was delighted
when he saw that the enemy were at last advancing to the fight. He put
his troops at once under arms, but waited until the plan of the enemy's
battle developed itself before making his dispositions. But while the
imposing array of cavalry was attracting the king's attention, Parma
moved off with the main body of his army, threw a division across the
river on a pontoon bridge, and attacked Lagny on both sides.
When Lagny was first occupied some of Sir Ralph Pimpernel's party were
appointed to take up their quarters there, half a company of the
English, who had come with them from Holland, were also stationed in
the town, the garrison being altogether 1200 strong. Lionel's horse had
received a bullet wound at Ivry, and although it carried him for the
next day or two, it was evident that it needed rest and attention, and
would be unfit to carry his rider for some time. Lionel had no liking
for the work of driving off the cattle of the unfortunate landowners
and peasants, however necessary it might be to keep the army supplied
with food, and was glad of the excuse that his wounded horse afforded
him for remaining quietly in the town when his comrades rode out with
the troop of cavalry stationed there.
It happened that the officer in command of the little body of English
infantry was taken ill with fever, and Sir Ralph Pimpernel requested
Lionel to take his place. This he was glad to do, as he was more at
home at infantry work than with cavalry. The time went slowly, but
Lionel, who had comfortable quarters in the house of a citizen, did not
find it long. The burgher's family consisted of his wife and two
daughters, and these congratulated themselves greatly upon having an
officer quartered upon them who not only acted as a protection to them
against the insolence of the rough soldiery, but was courteous and
pleasant in his manner, and tried in every way to show that he regarded
himself as a guest and not a master.
After the first week's stay he requested that instead of having his
meals served to him in a room apart he might take them with the family.
The girls were about Lionel's age, and after the first constraint wore
off he became great friends with them; and although at first he had
difficulty in making himself understood, he rapidly picked up a little
French, the girls acting as his teachers.
"What do you English do here?" the eldest of them asked him when six
weeks after his arrival they were able to converse fairly in a mixture
of French and Spanish. "Why do you not leave us French people to fight
out our quarrels by ourselves?"
"I should put it the other way," Lionel laughed. "Why don't you French
people fight out your quarrels among yourselves instead of calling in
foreigners to help you? It is because the Guises and the League have
called in the Spaniards to fight on the Catholic side that the English
and Dutch have come to help the Huguenots. We are fighting the battle
of our own religion here, not the battle of Henry of Navarre."
"I hate these wars of religion," the girl said. "Why can we not all
worship in our own way?"
"Ah, that is what we Protestants want to know, Mademoiselle Claire;
that is just what your people won't allow. Did you not massacre the
Protestants In France on the eve of St. Bartholomew? and have not the
Spaniards been for the last twenty years trying to stamp out with fire
and sword the new religion in the Low Countries? We only want to be
left alone."
"But your queen of England kills the Catholics."
"Not at all," Lionel said warmly; "that is only one of the stories they
spread to excuse their own doings. It is true that Catholics in England
have been put to death, and so have people of the sect that call
themselves Anabaptists; but this has been because they had been engaged
in plots against the queen, and not because of their religion. The
Catholics of England for the most part joined as heartily as the
Protestants in the preparations for the defence of England in the time
of the Armada. For my part, I cannot understand why people should
quarrel with each other because they worship God in different ways."
"It is all very bad, I am sure," the girl said; "France has been torn
to pieces by these religious wars for years and years. It is dreadful
to think what they must be suffering in Paris now."
"Then why don't they open their gates to King Henry instead of starving
themselves at the orders of the legate of the pope and the agent of
Philip of Spain? I could understand if there was another French prince
whom they wanted as king instead of Henry of Navarre. We fought for
years in England as to whether we would have a king from the house of
York or the house of Lancaster, but when it comes to choosing between a
king of your own race and a king named for you by Philip of Spain, I
can't understand it."
"Never mind, Master Vickars. You know what you are fighting for, don't
you?"
"I do; I am fighting here to aid Holland. Parma is bringing all his
troops to aid the Guises here, and while they are away the Dutch will
take town after town, and will make themselves so strong that when
Parma goes back he will find the nut harder than ever to crack."
"How long will Paris hold out, think you, Master Vickars? They say that
provisions are well-nigh spent."
"Judging from the way in which the Dutch towns held on for weeks and
weeks after, as it seemed, all supplies were exhausted, I should say
that if the people of Paris are as ready to suffer rather than yield as
were the Dutch burghers, they may hold on for a long time yet It is
certain that no provisions can come to them as long as we hold
possession of this town, and so block the river."
"But if the armies of Parma and the League come they may drive you
away, Master Vickars."
"It is quite possible, mademoiselle; we do not pretend to be
invincible, but I think there will be some tough fighting first."
As the weeks went on Lionel Vickars came to be on very intimate terms
with the family. The two maid-servants shared in the general liking for
the young officer. He gave no more trouble than if he were one of the
family, and on one or two occasions when disturbances were caused by
the ill-conduct of the miscellaneous bands which constituted the
garrison, he brought his half company of English soldiers at once into
the house, and by his resolute attitude prevented the marauders from
entering.
When Parma's army approached Sir Ralph Pimpernel with the cavalry
joined the king, but Lionel shared in the disappointment felt by all
the infantry of the garrison of Lagny that they could take no share in
the great battle that was expected. Their excitement rose high while
the armies lay watching each other. From the position of the town down
by the river neither army was visible from its walls, and they only
learned when occasional messengers rode in how matters were going on.
One morning Lionel was awoke by a loud knocking at his door. "What is
it?" he shouted, as he sat up in bed.
"It is I--Timothy Short, Master Vickars. The sergeant has sent me to
wake you in all haste. The Spaniards have stolen a march upon us. They
have thrown a bridge across the river somewhere in the night, and most
all their army stands between us and the king, while a division are
preparing to besiege the town on the other side." Lionel was hastily
throwing on his clothes and arming himself while the man was speaking.
"Tell the sergeant," he said, "to get the men under arms. I will be
with him in a few minutes."
When Lionel went out he found that the household was already astir.
"Go not out fasting," his host said. "Take a cup of wine and some food
before you start. You may be some time before you get an opportunity of
eating again if what they say is true."
"Thank you heartily," Lionel replied as he sat down to the table, on
which some food had already been placed; "it is always better to fight
full than fasting."
"Hark you!" the bourgeois said in his ear; "if things go badly with you
make your way here. I have a snug hiding-place, and I shall take refuge
there with my family if the Spaniards capture the town. I have heard of
their doings in Holland, and that when they capture a town they spare
neither age nor sex, and slay Catholics as well as Protestants;
therefore I shall take refuge till matters have quieted down and order
is restored. I shall set to work at once to carry my valuables there,
and a goodly store of provisions. My warehouseman will remain in charge
above. He is faithful and can be trusted, and he will tell the
Spaniards that I am a good Catholic, and lead them to believe that I
fled with my family before the Huguenots entered the town."
"Thank you greatly," Lionel replied; "should the need arise I will take
advantage of your kind offer. But it should not do so. We have twelve
hundred men here, and half that number of citizens have kept the
Spaniards at bay for months before towns no stronger than this in
Holland. We ought to be able to defend ourselves here for weeks, and
the king will assuredly come to our relief in two or three days at the
outside."
Upon Lionel sallying out he found the utmost confusion and disorder
reigning. The commandant was hurriedly assigning to the various
companies composing the garrison their places upon the walls. Many of
the soldiers were exclaiming that they had been betrayed, and that it
were best to make terms with the Spaniards at once. The difference
between the air of quiet resolution that marked the conduct of the
people and troops at Sluys and the excitement manifested here struck
Lionel unpleasantly. The citizens all remained in their houses, afraid
lest the exultation they felt at the prospect of deliverance would be
so marked as to enrage the soldiery. Lionel's own company was standing
quietly and in good order in the market-place, and as soon as he
received orders as to the point that he should occupy on the walls
Lionel marched them away.
In half an hour the Spanish batteries, which had been erected during
the night, opened fire upon several points of the walls. The town was
ill provided with artillery, and the answer was feeble, and before
evening several breaches had been effected, two of the gates blown in,
and the Spaniards advanced to the assault. Lionel and his company, with
one composed of Huguenot gentlemen and their retainers and another of
Germans, defended the gate at which they were posted with great
bravery, and succeeded in repulsing the attacks of the Spaniards time
after time. The latter pressed forward in heavy column, only to recoil
broken and shattered from the archway, which was filled high with their
dead. The defenders had just succeeded in repulsing the last of these
attacks, when some soldiers ran by shouting "All is lost, the Spaniards
have entered the town at three points!"
The German company at once disbanded and scattered. The Huguenot noble
said to Lionel: "I fear that the news is true; listen to the shouts and
cries in the town behind us. I will march with my men and see if there
is any chance of beating back the Spaniards; if not it were best to lay
down our arms and ask for quarter. Will you try to hold this gate until
I return?"
"I will do so," Lionel said; "but I have only about thirty men left,
and if the Spaniards come on again we cannot hope to repulse them."
"If I am not back in ten minutes it will be because all is lost," the
Huguenot said; "and you had then best save yourself as you can."
But long before the ten minutes passed crowds of fugitives ran past,
and Lionel learned that great numbers of the enemy had entered, and
that they were refusing quarter and slaying all they met.
"It is useless to stay here longer to be massacred," he said to his
men. "I should advise you to take refuge in the churches, leaving your
arms behind you as you enter. It is evident that further resistance is
useless, and would only cost us our lives. The Spaniards are twenty to
one, and it is evident that all hope of resistance is at an end." The
men were only too glad to accept the advice, and, throwing down their
arms, hurried away. Lionel sheathed his sword, and with the greatest
difficulty made his way through the scene of wild confusion to the
house where he had lodged. The doors of most of the houses were fast
closed, and the inhabitants wore hurling down missiles of all kinds
from the upper windows upon their late masters. The triumphant shouts
of the Spaniards rose loud in the air, mingled with despairing cries
and the crack of firearms. Lionel had several narrow escapes from the
missiles thrown from the windows and roofs, but reached the house of
the merchant safely. The door was half opened.
"Thanks be to heaven that you have come. I had well-nigh given you up,
and in another minute should have closed the door. The women are all
below, but I waited until the last minute for you."
Barring the door Lionel's host led the way downstairs into a great
cellar, which served as a warehouse, and extended under the whole
house. He made his way through the boxes and bales to the darkest
corner of the great cellar. Here he pulled up a flag and showed another
narrow stair, at the bottom of which a torch was burning. Bidding
Lionel descend he followed him, lowered the flag behind him, and then
led the way along a narrow passage, at the end of which was a door.
Opening it Lionel found himself in an arched chamber. Two torches were
burning, and the merchant's wife and daughters and the two female
domestics were assembled. There was a general exclamation of gladness
as Lionel entered.
"We have been greatly alarmed," the mercer's wife said, "lest you
should not be able to gain the house, Master Vickars; for we heard that
the Spaniards are broken in at several points."
"It was fortunately at the other end of the town to that at which I was
stationed," Lionel said; "and I was just in time. You have a grand
hiding-place here. It looks like the crypt of a church."
"That is just what it is," the mercer said. "It was the church of a
monastery that stood here a hundred years ago. The monks then moved
into a grander place in Paris, and the monastery and church which
adjoined our house were pulled down and houses erected upon the site.
My grandfather, knowing of the existence of the crypt, thought that it
might afford a rare hiding-place in case of danger, and had the passage
driven from his cellar into it. Its existence could never be suspected;
for as our cellar extends over the whole of our house, as can easily be
seen, none would suspect that there was a hiding-place without our
walls. There are three or four chambers as large as this. One of them
is stored with all my choicest silks and velvets, another will serve as
a chamber for you and me. I have enough provisions for a couple of
months, and even should they burn the house down we are safe enough
here."