September 2, 2025 • 30 mins
Set in the tumultuous 1570s, By Pike and Dyke plunges listeners into the harrowing world of the Netherlands, where the shadow of Spanish tyranny looms large. Amidst the chaos, Edward Ned‚ Martin‚a young man caught between two worlds as the son of an English captain and a Dutch lady‚takes a stand to help his mothers people and seek vengeance for his slain relatives. Joining the ranks of the revolutionary leader William the Silent, Prince of Orange, Ned embarks on perilous secret missions across occupied territories. Through narrow escapes, fierce naval battles, and heart-stopping sieges, he witnesses the stirring yet tragic birth of the Dutch republic. (Summary by D. Leeson)
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Chapter eighteen of by Pike and Dike, a Tale of
the Rise of the Dutch Republic. This LibriVox recording is
in the public domain by Pike and Dike by G. A. Henty,
Chapter eighteen, The Siege of Leiden. The Spaniards had no
sooner appeared before Leiden than they set to work to
surround it with a cordon of redoubts. No less than
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sixty two, including those left standing since the last siege,
were erected and garrisoned, and the town was therefore cut
off from all communication from without. Its defenders were few
in number, there being no troops in the town save
a small corps composed of exiles from other cities and
five companies of the Burger Guard. The walls, however, were strong,
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and it was famine rather than the foe that the
citizens feared. They trusted to the courage of the Burghers
to hold the walls, and to the energy of the
Prince of Orange to relieve them. The Prince, although justly
irritated by their folly in neglecting to carry out his oords,
sent a message by a pigeon to them, encouraging them
to hold out and reminding them that the fate of
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their country depended upon the issue of this siege. He
implored them to hold out for at least three months,
assuring them that he would within that time devise means
for their deliverance. The citizens replied, assuring the Prince of
their firm confidence in their own fortitude and his exertions.
On the sixth of June, the Grand Commander issued what
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was called a pardon, signed and sealed by the King.
In it, he invited all his erring and repentant subjects
to return to his arms and accept a full forgiveness
for their past offense, upon the sole condition that they
should once more enter the Catholic Church. A few individuals
mentioned by name were alone excluded from this amnesty, but
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all Holland was now Protestant, and its inhabitants were resolved
that they must not only be conquered, but annihilated before
the Roman Church should be re established on their soil.
In the whole province, but two men came forward to
take advantage of the amnesty. Many Netherlanders belonging to the
King's party sent letters from the camp to their acquaintances
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in the city, exhorting them to submission and imploring them
to take pity upon their poor old fathers, their daughters
and their wives. But the citizens of Leiden thought the
best they could do for these relatives was to keep
them out of the clutches of the Spaniards. At the
commencement of the siege, the citizens gathered all their food
into the magazines, and at the end of June the
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daily allowance to each full grown man was half a
pound of meat and half a pound of bread, women
and children receiving less. The prince had his headquarters at
Delft and Rotterdam, and an important fortress called the Polderrvout
between these two cities secured him the control of the
district watered by the rivers esl and Mass. On the
twenty ninth of June, the Spaniards attacked this fort but
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were beaten off with a loss of seven hundred men.
The Prince was now occupied in endeavoring to persuade the
Dutch authorities to permit the great sluices at Rotterdam, Skeedam
and delft Haven to be opened. The damage to the
country would be enormous, but there was no other course
to rescue Leiden and with it the whole of Holland
from destruction. It was not until the middle of July
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that his eloquent appeals and arguments prevailed and the estates
consented to his plan. Subscriptions were opened in all the
Dutch towns for maintaining the inhabitants of the district that
was to be submerged until it could be again restored,
and a large sum was raised, the women contributing their
plate and jewelry to the furtherance of the scheme. On
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the third of August, all was ready, and the Prince
himself superintended the breaking down of the dikes in sixteen places,
while at the same time the sluices at Skeedam and
Rotterdam were opened and the water began to pour over
the land. While waiting for the water to rise, stores
of provisions were collected in all the principal towns, and
two hundred vessels of small draft of water gathered in readiness. Unfortunately,
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no sooner had the work been done than the Prince
was attacked by a violent fever brought on by anxiety
and exertion. On the twenty first of August, a letter
was received from the town saying that they had now
fulfilled their original promise, for they had held out two
months without food and another month without food. Their bread
had long been gone, and their last food, some malt cake,
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would last but four days after that was gone, there
was nothing left but starvation. Upon the same day, they
received a letter from the Prince assuring them that the
dikes were all pierced and the water rising upon the
great dike that separated the city from the sea. The
letter was read publicly in the market place and excited
the liveliest joy among the inhabitants. Bands of music played
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in the streets, and salvos of cannon were fired. The
Spaniards became uneasy at seeing the country beyond them gradually
becoming covered with water, and consulted the country people and
the royalists in their camp, all of whom assured them
that the u the enterprise of the Prince was an impossibility,
and that the water would never reach the walls. The
hopes of the besieged fell again, however, as day after
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day passed without change, and it was not until the
first of September when the Prince began to recover from
his fever and was personally able to superintend the operations
that these began in earnest. The distance from Leiden to
the outer dike was fifteen miles. Ten of these were
already flooded, and the flotilla, which consisted of more than
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two hundred vessels, manned in all with twenty five hundred veterans,
including eight hundred of the wild sea beggars of Zeeland,
renowned as much for their ferocity as for nautical skill,
started on their way and reached without difficulty the great
dike called the land Skiding. Between this town and Leiden
were several other dikes, all of which would have to
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be taken. All these, besides the sixty two forts, were
defended by the Spanish troops four times the number of
the relieving force ned. Had been in close attendance upon
the Prince during his illness, and when the fleet was
ready to start, requested that he might be allowed to
accompany it. This the Prince at once granted, and introduced
him to Admiral Boisseau. I shall be glad if you
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will take Captain Martin in your own ship, he said,
Young as he is, he has seen much service and
is full of resource and invention. You will, I am sure,
find him of use and he can act as messenger
to convey your orders from ship to ship. The Prince
had given orders that the land s guiding, whose top
was still a foot and a half above water, should
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be taken possession of at all hazard, and this was
accomplished by surprise. On the night of the tenth the
Spaniards stationed there were either killed or driven off, and
the Dutch fortified themselves upon it. At daybreak, the Spaniards
stationed in two large villages close by, advanced to recover
the important position, but the Dutch fighting desperately drove them back,
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with the loss of some hundreds of men. The dike
was at one pace cut through, and the fleet sailed
through the gap. The admiral had believed that the land skiding,
once cut, the water would flood the country as far
as Leiden, but another dike, the Greenway, rose a foot
above water three quarters of a mile inside the land skiding.
As soon as the water had risen over the land
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sufficiently to float the ships, the fleet advanced, seized the
greenway and cut it. But as the water extended in
all directions, it grew also shallower, and the admiral found
that the only way by which he could advance was
by a deep canal leading to a large mire called
the Freshwater Lake. This canal was crossed by a bridge,
and its sides were occupied by three thousand Spanish soldiers.
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Boisseau endeavored to force the way, but found it impossible
to do so, and was obliged to withdraw. He was
now almost despairing. He had accomplished but two miles the
water was sinking rather than rising, owing to a long,
continued east wind, and many of his ships were already aground.
On the eighteenth, however, the wind shifted to the northwest
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and for three days blew a gale. The water rose rapidly,
and at the end of the second day the ships
were all afloat again. Hearing from a peasant of a
comparatively low dike between two villages, was so at once
sailed in that direction. There was a strong Spanish force
stationed here, but these were seized with a panic and
fled their courage. Unhinged by the constantly rising waters, the
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appearance of the numerous fleet, and their knowledge of the
reckless daring of the wild sailors, the dike was cut,
the two villages, with their fortifications burned, and the fleet
moved on to Northau. The enemy abandoned this position also
and fled to Zuttermire, a strongly fortified village a mile
and a quarter from the city walls. Gradually, the Spanish
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army had been concentrated round the city as water drove
them back, and they were principally stationed at this village,
and the two strong forts of Lamin and Lighterdorp, each
within a few hundred yards off the town. At the
last named post. Valdez had his headquarters, and Colonel Borgia
commanded at Lammen. The fleet was delayed at north al
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by another dike called the Kirkway. The waters, too, spreading
again over a wider space and diminished from the east.
Wind again setting in, sank rapidly, and very soon the
whole fleet was aground, for there were but nine inches
of water, and they required twenty to float them. Day
after day they lay motionless. The Prince of Orange, who
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had again been laid up with the fever, rose from
his sick bed and visited the fleet. He encouraged the
dispirited sailors, rebuked their impatience, and after reconnoitering the ground,
issued orders for immediate destruction of the Kirkway, and then
returned to Delft. All this time Leiden was suffering horribly.
The Burghers were aware that the fleet had set forth
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to their relief, but they knew better than those on
board the obstacles that opposed its progress. The flames of
the burning villages and the the sound of artillery told
them of its progress until it reached Northau. Then there
was a long silence, and hope almost deserted them. They
knew well that so long as the east wind continued
to blow, there could be no rise in the level
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of the water, and anxiously they looked from the walls
and the old tower for signs of a change. They
were literally starving, and their misery far exceeded even that
of the citizens of Haarlem. A small number of cows
only remained, and of these few were killed every day,
and tiny morsels of meat distributed, the hides and bones
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being chopped up and boiled. The green leaves were stripped
from the trees, and every herb gathered and eaten. The
mortality was frightful, and whole families died together in their
houses from famine and plague. For pestilence had now broken out,
and from six to eight thousand people died. From this alone,
Leiden abandoned all hope, and yet they spurned the repeated
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summonses of Valdez to surrender. They were fully resolved to
die rather than to yield to the Spaniards. From time
to time, however, murmurs arose among the suffering people, and
the heroic burgomaster Adrian van der Werf was at once
surrounded by a crowd and assailed by reproaches. He took
off his hat and calmly replied to them. I tell
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you I have made an oath to hold the city,
and may God give me strength to keep it. I
can die but once, either by your hands, the enemies,
or by the hand of God. My own fate is
indifferent to me, not so that of the city entrusted
to my care. I know that we shall all starve
if not soon relieved. But starvation is preferable to the
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dishonored death, which is the only alternative. Your menaces move
me not. My life is at your disposal. Here is
my sword. Plunge it into my breast and divide my
flesh among you. Take my body to appease your hunger,
but expect no surrender so long as I remain alive. Still,
the east wind continued until stout. Admiral Basseau himself on
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most despaired, But on the night of the first of October,
a violent gale burst from the northwest and then shifting
blew more strongly from the southwest. The water was piled
up high upon the southern coast of Holland and sweeping
furiously inland, poured through the ruined dikes, and in twenty
four hours the fleet was afloat again. At midnight, they
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advanced in the midst of the storm and darkness. Some
Spanish vessels that had been brought up to aid the
defenders were swept aside and sunk. The fleet, sweeping on
past half submerged stacks and farm houses, made its way
to the fresh water mirror. Some shallows checked it for
a time, but the crews sprang overboard into the water
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and by main strength hoisted their vessels across them. Two
obstacles alone stood between them and the city, the forts
of Zuttervaud and Lamin, the one five hundred and the
other but two hundred and fifty yards from the city.
Both were strong and well supplied with troops and artillery,
but the panic which had seized the Spaniards extended to Zuttervoud.
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Hardly was the fleet in sight in the gray light
of the morning, when the Spaniards poured out from the
fortress and spread along a road on the dike leading
in a westerly direction towards the Hague. The waves driven
by the wind were beating on the dike and it
was crumbling rapidly away, and hundreds sank beneath the flood.
The Zeelanders drove their vessels up alongside and pierced them
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with their harpoons, or, plunging into the waves, attacked them
with sword and dagger. The numbers killed amounted to not
less than a thousand. The rest effected their escape to
the Hague. Zouttervoud was captured and set on fire, but
Lammens still barred their path, bristling with guns. It seemed
to defy them, either to capture or pass it. On
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their way to the city. Lederdorp, where Valdez and his
main force lay, was a mile and a half distant
on the right and within a mile of the city,
and the guns of the two forts seemed to render
it next to impossible for the fleet to pass on. Bossau,
after reconnoitering the position, wrote despondently to the Prince that
he intended, if possible, on the following morning, to carry
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the fort, but if unable to do so, he said,
there would be nothing for it but to wait for
another gale of wind to still further raise the water
and enable him to make a wide circuit and enter
Laden On the opposite side. A pigeon had been despatched
by Bosau in the morning informing the citizens of his
exact position, and at nightfall the burgomaster and a number
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of citizens gathered at the watch tower. Yonder cried the magistrate,
pointing to Lammin. Behind that fort our bread and meat
and brethren in thousands. Shall all this be destroyed by
Spanish guns? Or shall we rush to the aid of
our friends. We will tear the fortress fust of fragments
with our teeth and nails, was the reply, and it
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was resolved that a sortie should be made against Lammon
at daybreak, when Wassaux attacked it on the other side,
a pitch dark knight set in a night full of
anxiety to the sp to the fleet and to Leiden.
The sentries on the walls saw lights flitting across the waters,
and in the dead of night, the whole of the
city wall between two of the gates fell with a
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loud crash. The citizens armed themselves and rushed to the breach,
believing that the Spaniards were on them at last, but
no foe made his appearance. In the morning, the fleet
prepared for the assault. All was still unquiet in the fortress,
and the dreadful suspicion that the city had been carried
at night and that all their labor was in vain
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seized those on board. Suddenly a man was seen wading
out from the fort, while at the same time a
boy waved his cap wildly from its summit. The mystery
was solved. The Spaniards had fled, panic stricken in the darkness.
Had they remained, they could have frustrated the enterprise, and
Leiden must have fallen. But the events of the two
preceding days had shaken their courage. Valdez retired from Lighterdorp
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and ordered Colonel Borgia to evacuate lammen. Thus they they
had retreated at the very moment that the fall of
the wall sapped by the flood, laid bare a whole
side of the city for their entrance. They heard the
crash in the darkness, and it but added to their fears,
for they thought that the citizens were sallying out to
take some measures which would further add to the height
of the flood. Their retreat was discovered by the boy, who,
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having noticed the procession of lights in the darkness, became
convinced that the Spaniards had retired, and persuaded the magistrates
to allow him to make his way out to the
fort to reconnoiter. As soon as the truth was known,
the fleet advanced, passed the fort and drew up alongside
the quays. These were lined by the famishing people, every man,
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woman and child having strength to stand, having come out
to greet their deliverers. Bread was thrown from all the
vessels among the crowd as they came up, and many
died from too eagerly devouring the food after their long fast.
Then the admiral stepped ashore, followed by the whole of
those on board the ships, magistrates and citizens, sailors and soldiers,
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women and children, all repaired to the Great Church and
returned thanks to God for the deliverance of the city.
The work of distributing food and relieving the sick was
then undertaken. The next day, the Prince, in defiance of
the urgent entreaties of his friends, who were afraid of
the effects of the pestilential air of the city, upon
his constitution, enfeebled by sickness, repaired to the town. Shortly afterwards,
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with the advice of the states, he granted the city,
as a reward for its suffering, a ten days annual
fair without tolls or taxes, and it was further resolved
that a university should, as a manifestation of the gratitude
of the people of Holland, be established within its walls.
The fiction of the authority of Philip was still maintained,
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and the charter granted to the university was, under the circumstances,
a wonderful production. It was drawn up in the name
of the King, and he was gravely made to establish
the university as a reward to Leiden for rebellion against himself,
Considering it said that during these present wearisome wars within
our provinces of Holland and Zealand, all good instruction of
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youth in the sciences and literary arts is likely to
come into entire oblivion considering the difference of religion. Considering
that we are inclined to gratify our city of Leiden
with its burghers on account of the heavy burdens sustained
by them during this war, with such faithfulness we have resolved,
after ripely deliberating with our dear cousin, William, Prince of
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Orange Stadtholder, to erect a free public school and university,
et cetera. So ran the document establishing this famous university,
all needful regulations for its government being entrusted by Philip
to his above mentioned dear cousin of Orange. Ned Martin
was not one of those who entered Leiden with Wassau's
relieving fleet. His long watching and anxiety by the bedside
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of the Prince had told upon him, and he felt
strangely unlike himself when he started with the fleet. So
long as it was fighting its way forward, the excitement
kept him up. But the long delay near the village
of Ao, and the deep despondency caused by the probable
failure of their hopes of rescuing the starving city again
brought on an attack of the fever that had already
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seized him before starting, And when the Prince of Orange
paid his visit to the fleet, was so told him
the young officer he had recommended to him was down
with fever, which was, he believed, similar to that from
which the Prince himself was, but just recovering. The Prince
at once ordered him to be carried on board his
own galley, and took him with him back to Delft.
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Here he lay for a month, completely prostrated. The Prince
several times visited him personally, and as soon as he
became in some degree convalescent, said to him, I think
we have taxed you too severely, and have worked you
in proportion to your zeal rather than to your strength.
The surgeon says that you must have rest for a while,
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and that it will be well for you to get
away from our marshes for a time. For two years
you have done good and faithful service, and even had
it not been for this fever, you would have a
right to rest. And I think that your native air
is best for you at present. With the letters that
came to me from Flushing this morning, is one from
your good father asking for news of you. His ship
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arrived there yesterday, and he has heard from one of
those who were with Boisseau that you have fallen ill. Therefore,
if it be to your liking, I will send you
in one of my galleys to Flushing. I thank your
excellency much, ned said, indeed, for the last few days
I have been thinking much of home, and longing to
be back. I fear that I shall be a long
time before I shall be fit for hard work again. Here.
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You will feel a different man when you have been
a few hours at sea, the Prince said kindly. I
hope to see you with me again some day. There
are many of your countrymen who, like yourself, have volunteered
in our ranks and served us well without pay or reward.
But none of them have rendered better service than you
have done. And now farewell. I will order a galley
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to be got in readiness at once. I leave myself
for Leiden in half an hour. Take this, my young friend,
in remembrance of the Prince of Orange, and I trust
that you may live to hand it down to your
descendants as a proof that I appreciated your good services
on behalf of a people struggling to be free. So saying,
he took off his watch and laid it on the
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table by Ned's bedside, pressed the Lad's hand, and retired.
He felt it really a sacrifice to allow this young
Englishman to depart. He had for years been a lonely man,
with few confidants and no domestic pleasures. He lived in
an atmosphere of trouble, doubt, and suspicion. He had struggled
alone against the might of Philip, the apathy of the
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western provinces, the coldness and often treachery of the nobles,
the jealousies and niggardliness of the estates representing cities, each
of which thought rather of itself and its privileges than
of the general good. And the company of this young Englishman,
with his frank utterances, his readiness to work at all times,
and his freedom from all ambitions or self interested designs,
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had been a pleasure and relief to him, and he
frequently talked to him, far more freely than even to
his most trusted counselors. Ever since the relief of Alkmaar,
Ned had been constantly with him, save when dispatched on
missions to various towns, or to see that the naval
preparations were being pushed on with all speed, and his
illness had made a real blank in his little circle. However,
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the doctors had spoken strongly as to the necessity for
Ned's getting away from the damp atmosphere of the half
submerged land, and he at once decided to send him
back to England and seized the opportunity directly. The receipt
of Captain Martin's letter informed him that the ship was
at Flushing. An hour later, four men entered with a litter.
The servants had already packed Ned's mails, and he was
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carried down and placed on board one of the Prince's vessels.
They rode down into their mas and then, hoisting sail,
proceeded down the river, kept outside the island to Valkerin,
and then up the estuary of the Skelt to Flushing.
It was early morning when they arrived in port. Ned
was carried upon deck and soon made out the good Venture,
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lying a quarter of a mile away. He was at
once placed in the boat and rowed alongside. An exclamation
from Peters as he looked over the side and saw
Ned lying in the stern of the boat, called Captain
Martin out from his cabin. Why, Ned, my dear boy,
he exclaimed, as he looked over the side, you seem
in grievous state. Indeed, there is not much the matter
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with me, father. I have had fever, but am getting
over it, and it will need but a day or
two at sea to put me on my feet again.
I have done with the war at present, and the
Prince has been good enough to send me in one
of his own galleys to you. We will soon get
you round again. Never, fear master, Ned Peters said, as
he jumped down into the boat to aid in hoisting
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him on board. No wonder the damp airs of this
country have got into your bones at last. I never
can keep myself warm when we are once in these canals.
If it wasn't for their skeetom, I don't believe the
Dutchmen could stand it themselves. Ned was soon lifted on
board and carried into the cabin aft. The Good Venture
had already discharged her cargo, and as there was no
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chance of filling up again at Flushing, sail was made
an hour after he was on board, and the vessel
put out to sea. It was now early in November,
but although the air was cold, the day was fine
and bright, and as soon as the vessel was under way,
Ned was wrapped in cloaks and laid on a mattress
on deck, with his head well propped up with pillows.
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One seems to breathe in fresh life here, father, he said,
it is pleasant to feel the motion and the shock
of the waves. After being so long on land, I
feel stronger already, while so long as I was at Delft,
I did not seem to gain from one day to
the other. I hope we shan't make too rapid a voyage.
I don't want to come home as an invalid. We
shall not make a fast run of it unless the
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wind changes. Ned. It blows steadily from the west at present,
and we shall be lucky if we cast Anchor under
a week in the pool. All the better, Father. In
a week I shall be on my legs again, unless
I am greatly mistaken. Ned's convalescence was indeed rapid, and
by the time they entered the mouth of the Thames,
he was able to walk from side to side of
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the vessel, and as the wind still held from the west,
it was another four days before they dropped Anchor near London. Bridge.
Ned would have gone ashore in his old attire, But
upon putting it on the first day he was able
to get about, he found he had so completely outgrown
it that he was obliged to return to the garments
he had worn in Holland. He was now more than
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eighteen years of age and nearly six feet in height.
He had broadened out greatly, and the position he had
for the last year held as an officer charged with
authority by the Prince, had given him a manner of
decision and authority altogether beyond his years. As he could
not wear his sailor dress, he chose one of the
handsomest of those he possessed. It consisted of maroon doublet
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and trunks slashed with white, with a short mantle of
dark green and hose of the same color. His cap
was maroon in color with small white and orange plumes,
and he wore a ruff round his neck. Captain Martin
saluted him with a bow of reverence as he came
on deck. Why ned, they will think that I am
bringing a court gallant with me. Your mother and the
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girls will be quite abashed at all this finery. I
felt strange in it myself at first Ned laughed, but
of course I am accustomed to it now. The Prince
is not one who cares for state himself, but as
one of his officers, I was obliged to be well dressed,
and indeed this dress and the others I wear were
made by his orders and presented to me. Indeed, I
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think I am very moderate in not decking myself out
with the two gold chains I have, the one a
present from his Highness, the other from the city of Alkmaar,
to say nothing of the watch set with jewels that
the Prince gave me. On leaving. Ned's mother and the
girls were on the lookout for the good venture had
been noticed as she passed. Ned had, at his father's suggestion,
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kept below in order that he might give them a
surprise on his arrival. I verily believe they won't know you,
he said, as they approached the gate. You have grown
four inches since they saw you last, and your cheeks
are thin and pale instead of being round and sunburnt.
This with your attire has made such a difference that
I am sure any one would pass you in the
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street without knowing you. Ned hung a little behind while
his mother and the girls met his father at the gate.
As soon as the embraces were over, Captain Martin turned
to Ned and said to his wife, my dear, I
have to introduce an officer of the Prince who has
come over for his health to stay awhile with us.
This is Captain Martin. Dame Martin gave a start of astonishment,
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looked incredulously for a moment at Ned, and then, with
a cry of delight, threw herself into his arms. It
really seems impossible that this can be Ned, he said,
as after kissing his sisters, he turned to her. Why, husband,
it is a man, and a very fine one too, wife.
He tops me by two inches. And as to his attire,
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I feel that we must all smart enough to be
fit companions to such a splendid bird. Why the girls
look quite awed by him, But you looked terribly pale,
ned and thin, his mother said, And you were so
healthy and strong. I shall soon be healthy and strong again. Mother.
When I have got out of these fine clothes, which
I only put on because I could not get into
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my old ones, and you have fed me up for
a week on good English beef, you will see that
there is no such great change in me after all,
and now let us go inside. Captain Martin said, there
is a surprise for you there. Ned entered and was
indeed surprised at seeing his aunt Elizabeth sitting by the fire,
while his cousins were engaged upon their needlework at the window.
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They too looked for a moment doubtful as he entered,
for the fifteen months since they had last seen him
when he left them at the surrender of Haarlem had
changed him much, and his dress at that time had
been very different to that he now wore. It was
not until he exclaimed, well, Aunt, this is indeed a
surprise that they were sure of his identity, and they
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welcomed him with a warmth scarcely less than his mother
and sisters had shown. Elizabeth Plomart was not of a
demonstrative nature, but although she had said little at the time,
she had felt deeply the care and devotion which Ned
had exhibited to her and her daughters during the siege,
and knew that had it not been for the supplies
of food scanty as they were, that he nightly brought in,
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she herself and probably the girls, would have succumbed to hunger.
When did you arrive aunt Ned asked when the greetings
were over four months ago. Ned life was intolerable in
Harlem owing to the brutal conduct of the Spanish soldiers.
I was a long time bringing myself to move. Had
it not been for the girls, I should never have
done so. But things became intolerable, and when most of
(30:01):
the troops were removed at the time Count Louis advanced,
we managed to leave the town and make our way north.
It was a terrible journey to Enkhausen, but we accomplished it,
and after being there a fortnight, took passage in a
ship for England, and as you see here we are
end of Chapter eighteen.
Chapter eighteen of by Pike and Dike, a Tale of
the Rise of the Dutch Republic. This LibriVox recording is
in the public domain by Pike and Dike by G. A. Henty,
Chapter eighteen, The Siege of Leiden. The Spaniards had no
sooner appeared before Leiden than they set to work to
surround it with a cordon of redoubts. No less than
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sixty two, including those left standing since the last siege,
were erected and garrisoned, and the town was therefore cut
off from all communication from without. Its defenders were few
in number, there being no troops in the town save
a small corps composed of exiles from other cities and
five companies of the Burger Guard. The walls, however, were strong,
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and it was famine rather than the foe that the
citizens feared. They trusted to the courage of the Burghers
to hold the walls, and to the energy of the
Prince of Orange to relieve them. The Prince, although justly
irritated by their folly in neglecting to carry out his oords,
sent a message by a pigeon to them, encouraging them
to hold out and reminding them that the fate of
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their country depended upon the issue of this siege. He
implored them to hold out for at least three months,
assuring them that he would within that time devise means
for their deliverance. The citizens replied, assuring the Prince of
their firm confidence in their own fortitude and his exertions.
On the sixth of June, the Grand Commander issued what
(01:26):
was called a pardon, signed and sealed by the King.
In it, he invited all his erring and repentant subjects
to return to his arms and accept a full forgiveness
for their past offense, upon the sole condition that they
should once more enter the Catholic Church. A few individuals
mentioned by name were alone excluded from this amnesty, but
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all Holland was now Protestant, and its inhabitants were resolved
that they must not only be conquered, but annihilated before
the Roman Church should be re established on their soil.
In the whole province, but two men came forward to
take advantage of the amnesty. Many Netherlanders belonging to the
King's party sent letters from the camp to their acquaintances
(02:07):
in the city, exhorting them to submission and imploring them
to take pity upon their poor old fathers, their daughters
and their wives. But the citizens of Leiden thought the
best they could do for these relatives was to keep
them out of the clutches of the Spaniards. At the
commencement of the siege, the citizens gathered all their food
into the magazines, and at the end of June the
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daily allowance to each full grown man was half a
pound of meat and half a pound of bread, women
and children receiving less. The prince had his headquarters at
Delft and Rotterdam, and an important fortress called the Polderrvout
between these two cities secured him the control of the
district watered by the rivers esl and Mass. On the
twenty ninth of June, the Spaniards attacked this fort but
(02:52):
were beaten off with a loss of seven hundred men.
The Prince was now occupied in endeavoring to persuade the
Dutch authorities to permit the great sluices at Rotterdam, Skeedam
and delft Haven to be opened. The damage to the
country would be enormous, but there was no other course
to rescue Leiden and with it the whole of Holland
from destruction. It was not until the middle of July
(03:15):
that his eloquent appeals and arguments prevailed and the estates
consented to his plan. Subscriptions were opened in all the
Dutch towns for maintaining the inhabitants of the district that
was to be submerged until it could be again restored,
and a large sum was raised, the women contributing their
plate and jewelry to the furtherance of the scheme. On
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the third of August, all was ready, and the Prince
himself superintended the breaking down of the dikes in sixteen places,
while at the same time the sluices at Skeedam and
Rotterdam were opened and the water began to pour over
the land. While waiting for the water to rise, stores
of provisions were collected in all the principal towns, and
two hundred vessels of small draft of water gathered in readiness. Unfortunately,
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no sooner had the work been done than the Prince
was attacked by a violent fever brought on by anxiety
and exertion. On the twenty first of August, a letter
was received from the town saying that they had now
fulfilled their original promise, for they had held out two
months without food and another month without food. Their bread
had long been gone, and their last food, some malt cake,
(04:23):
would last but four days after that was gone, there
was nothing left but starvation. Upon the same day, they
received a letter from the Prince assuring them that the
dikes were all pierced and the water rising upon the
great dike that separated the city from the sea. The
letter was read publicly in the market place and excited
the liveliest joy among the inhabitants. Bands of music played
(04:45):
in the streets, and salvos of cannon were fired. The
Spaniards became uneasy at seeing the country beyond them gradually
becoming covered with water, and consulted the country people and
the royalists in their camp, all of whom assured them
that the u the enterprise of the Prince was an impossibility,
and that the water would never reach the walls. The
hopes of the besieged fell again, however, as day after
(05:09):
day passed without change, and it was not until the
first of September when the Prince began to recover from
his fever and was personally able to superintend the operations
that these began in earnest. The distance from Leiden to
the outer dike was fifteen miles. Ten of these were
already flooded, and the flotilla, which consisted of more than
(05:29):
two hundred vessels, manned in all with twenty five hundred veterans,
including eight hundred of the wild sea beggars of Zeeland,
renowned as much for their ferocity as for nautical skill,
started on their way and reached without difficulty the great
dike called the land Skiding. Between this town and Leiden
were several other dikes, all of which would have to
(05:50):
be taken. All these, besides the sixty two forts, were
defended by the Spanish troops four times the number of
the relieving force ned. Had been in close attendance upon
the Prince during his illness, and when the fleet was
ready to start, requested that he might be allowed to
accompany it. This the Prince at once granted, and introduced
him to Admiral Boisseau. I shall be glad if you
(06:13):
will take Captain Martin in your own ship, he said,
Young as he is, he has seen much service and
is full of resource and invention. You will, I am sure,
find him of use and he can act as messenger
to convey your orders from ship to ship. The Prince
had given orders that the land s guiding, whose top
was still a foot and a half above water, should
(06:34):
be taken possession of at all hazard, and this was
accomplished by surprise. On the night of the tenth the
Spaniards stationed there were either killed or driven off, and
the Dutch fortified themselves upon it. At daybreak, the Spaniards
stationed in two large villages close by, advanced to recover
the important position, but the Dutch fighting desperately drove them back,
(06:56):
with the loss of some hundreds of men. The dike
was at one pace cut through, and the fleet sailed
through the gap. The admiral had believed that the land skiding,
once cut, the water would flood the country as far
as Leiden, but another dike, the Greenway, rose a foot
above water three quarters of a mile inside the land skiding.
As soon as the water had risen over the land
(07:18):
sufficiently to float the ships, the fleet advanced, seized the
greenway and cut it. But as the water extended in
all directions, it grew also shallower, and the admiral found
that the only way by which he could advance was
by a deep canal leading to a large mire called
the Freshwater Lake. This canal was crossed by a bridge,
and its sides were occupied by three thousand Spanish soldiers.
(07:41):
Boisseau endeavored to force the way, but found it impossible
to do so, and was obliged to withdraw. He was
now almost despairing. He had accomplished but two miles the
water was sinking rather than rising, owing to a long,
continued east wind, and many of his ships were already aground.
On the eighteenth, however, the wind shifted to the northwest
(08:03):
and for three days blew a gale. The water rose rapidly,
and at the end of the second day the ships
were all afloat again. Hearing from a peasant of a
comparatively low dike between two villages, was so at once
sailed in that direction. There was a strong Spanish force
stationed here, but these were seized with a panic and
fled their courage. Unhinged by the constantly rising waters, the
(08:27):
appearance of the numerous fleet, and their knowledge of the
reckless daring of the wild sailors, the dike was cut,
the two villages, with their fortifications burned, and the fleet
moved on to Northau. The enemy abandoned this position also
and fled to Zuttermire, a strongly fortified village a mile
and a quarter from the city walls. Gradually, the Spanish
(08:48):
army had been concentrated round the city as water drove
them back, and they were principally stationed at this village,
and the two strong forts of Lamin and Lighterdorp, each
within a few hundred yards off the town. At the
last named post. Valdez had his headquarters, and Colonel Borgia
commanded at Lammen. The fleet was delayed at north al
(09:09):
by another dike called the Kirkway. The waters, too, spreading
again over a wider space and diminished from the east.
Wind again setting in, sank rapidly, and very soon the
whole fleet was aground, for there were but nine inches
of water, and they required twenty to float them. Day
after day they lay motionless. The Prince of Orange, who
(09:30):
had again been laid up with the fever, rose from
his sick bed and visited the fleet. He encouraged the
dispirited sailors, rebuked their impatience, and after reconnoitering the ground,
issued orders for immediate destruction of the Kirkway, and then
returned to Delft. All this time Leiden was suffering horribly.
The Burghers were aware that the fleet had set forth
(09:52):
to their relief, but they knew better than those on
board the obstacles that opposed its progress. The flames of
the burning villages and the the sound of artillery told
them of its progress until it reached Northau. Then there
was a long silence, and hope almost deserted them. They
knew well that so long as the east wind continued
to blow, there could be no rise in the level
(10:13):
of the water, and anxiously they looked from the walls
and the old tower for signs of a change. They
were literally starving, and their misery far exceeded even that
of the citizens of Haarlem. A small number of cows
only remained, and of these few were killed every day,
and tiny morsels of meat distributed, the hides and bones
(10:33):
being chopped up and boiled. The green leaves were stripped
from the trees, and every herb gathered and eaten. The
mortality was frightful, and whole families died together in their
houses from famine and plague. For pestilence had now broken out,
and from six to eight thousand people died. From this alone,
Leiden abandoned all hope, and yet they spurned the repeated
(10:55):
summonses of Valdez to surrender. They were fully resolved to
die rather than to yield to the Spaniards. From time
to time, however, murmurs arose among the suffering people, and
the heroic burgomaster Adrian van der Werf was at once
surrounded by a crowd and assailed by reproaches. He took
off his hat and calmly replied to them. I tell
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you I have made an oath to hold the city,
and may God give me strength to keep it. I
can die but once, either by your hands, the enemies,
or by the hand of God. My own fate is
indifferent to me, not so that of the city entrusted
to my care. I know that we shall all starve
if not soon relieved. But starvation is preferable to the
(11:38):
dishonored death, which is the only alternative. Your menaces move
me not. My life is at your disposal. Here is
my sword. Plunge it into my breast and divide my
flesh among you. Take my body to appease your hunger,
but expect no surrender so long as I remain alive. Still,
the east wind continued until stout. Admiral Basseau himself on
(12:00):
most despaired, But on the night of the first of October,
a violent gale burst from the northwest and then shifting
blew more strongly from the southwest. The water was piled
up high upon the southern coast of Holland and sweeping
furiously inland, poured through the ruined dikes, and in twenty
four hours the fleet was afloat again. At midnight, they
(12:21):
advanced in the midst of the storm and darkness. Some
Spanish vessels that had been brought up to aid the
defenders were swept aside and sunk. The fleet, sweeping on
past half submerged stacks and farm houses, made its way
to the fresh water mirror. Some shallows checked it for
a time, but the crews sprang overboard into the water
(12:41):
and by main strength hoisted their vessels across them. Two
obstacles alone stood between them and the city, the forts
of Zuttervaud and Lamin, the one five hundred and the
other but two hundred and fifty yards from the city.
Both were strong and well supplied with troops and artillery,
but the panic which had seized the Spaniards extended to Zuttervoud.
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Hardly was the fleet in sight in the gray light
of the morning, when the Spaniards poured out from the
fortress and spread along a road on the dike leading
in a westerly direction towards the Hague. The waves driven
by the wind were beating on the dike and it
was crumbling rapidly away, and hundreds sank beneath the flood.
The Zeelanders drove their vessels up alongside and pierced them
(13:24):
with their harpoons, or, plunging into the waves, attacked them
with sword and dagger. The numbers killed amounted to not
less than a thousand. The rest effected their escape to
the Hague. Zouttervoud was captured and set on fire, but
Lammens still barred their path, bristling with guns. It seemed
to defy them, either to capture or pass it. On
(13:45):
their way to the city. Lederdorp, where Valdez and his
main force lay, was a mile and a half distant
on the right and within a mile of the city,
and the guns of the two forts seemed to render
it next to impossible for the fleet to pass on. Bossau,
after reconnoitering the position, wrote despondently to the Prince that
he intended, if possible, on the following morning, to carry
(14:08):
the fort, but if unable to do so, he said,
there would be nothing for it but to wait for
another gale of wind to still further raise the water
and enable him to make a wide circuit and enter
Laden On the opposite side. A pigeon had been despatched
by Bosau in the morning informing the citizens of his
exact position, and at nightfall the burgomaster and a number
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of citizens gathered at the watch tower. Yonder cried the magistrate,
pointing to Lammin. Behind that fort our bread and meat
and brethren in thousands. Shall all this be destroyed by
Spanish guns? Or shall we rush to the aid of
our friends. We will tear the fortress fust of fragments
with our teeth and nails, was the reply, and it
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was resolved that a sortie should be made against Lammon
at daybreak, when Wassaux attacked it on the other side,
a pitch dark knight set in a night full of
anxiety to the sp to the fleet and to Leiden.
The sentries on the walls saw lights flitting across the waters,
and in the dead of night, the whole of the
city wall between two of the gates fell with a
(15:10):
loud crash. The citizens armed themselves and rushed to the breach,
believing that the Spaniards were on them at last, but
no foe made his appearance. In the morning, the fleet
prepared for the assault. All was still unquiet in the fortress,
and the dreadful suspicion that the city had been carried
at night and that all their labor was in vain
(15:31):
seized those on board. Suddenly a man was seen wading
out from the fort, while at the same time a
boy waved his cap wildly from its summit. The mystery
was solved. The Spaniards had fled, panic stricken in the darkness.
Had they remained, they could have frustrated the enterprise, and
Leiden must have fallen. But the events of the two
preceding days had shaken their courage. Valdez retired from Lighterdorp
(15:56):
and ordered Colonel Borgia to evacuate lammen. Thus they they
had retreated at the very moment that the fall of
the wall sapped by the flood, laid bare a whole
side of the city for their entrance. They heard the
crash in the darkness, and it but added to their fears,
for they thought that the citizens were sallying out to
take some measures which would further add to the height
of the flood. Their retreat was discovered by the boy, who,
(16:20):
having noticed the procession of lights in the darkness, became
convinced that the Spaniards had retired, and persuaded the magistrates
to allow him to make his way out to the
fort to reconnoiter. As soon as the truth was known,
the fleet advanced, passed the fort and drew up alongside
the quays. These were lined by the famishing people, every man,
(16:40):
woman and child having strength to stand, having come out
to greet their deliverers. Bread was thrown from all the
vessels among the crowd as they came up, and many
died from too eagerly devouring the food after their long fast.
Then the admiral stepped ashore, followed by the whole of
those on board the ships, magistrates and citizens, sailors and soldiers,
(17:01):
women and children, all repaired to the Great Church and
returned thanks to God for the deliverance of the city.
The work of distributing food and relieving the sick was
then undertaken. The next day, the Prince, in defiance of
the urgent entreaties of his friends, who were afraid of
the effects of the pestilential air of the city, upon
his constitution, enfeebled by sickness, repaired to the town. Shortly afterwards,
(17:25):
with the advice of the states, he granted the city,
as a reward for its suffering, a ten days annual
fair without tolls or taxes, and it was further resolved
that a university should, as a manifestation of the gratitude
of the people of Holland, be established within its walls.
The fiction of the authority of Philip was still maintained,
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and the charter granted to the university was, under the circumstances,
a wonderful production. It was drawn up in the name
of the King, and he was gravely made to establish
the university as a reward to Leiden for rebellion against himself,
Considering it said that during these present wearisome wars within
our provinces of Holland and Zealand, all good instruction of
(18:09):
youth in the sciences and literary arts is likely to
come into entire oblivion considering the difference of religion. Considering
that we are inclined to gratify our city of Leiden
with its burghers on account of the heavy burdens sustained
by them during this war, with such faithfulness we have resolved,
after ripely deliberating with our dear cousin, William, Prince of
(18:31):
Orange Stadtholder, to erect a free public school and university,
et cetera. So ran the document establishing this famous university,
all needful regulations for its government being entrusted by Philip
to his above mentioned dear cousin of Orange. Ned Martin
was not one of those who entered Leiden with Wassau's
relieving fleet. His long watching and anxiety by the bedside
(18:54):
of the Prince had told upon him, and he felt
strangely unlike himself when he started with the fleet. So
long as it was fighting its way forward, the excitement
kept him up. But the long delay near the village
of Ao, and the deep despondency caused by the probable
failure of their hopes of rescuing the starving city again
brought on an attack of the fever that had already
(19:16):
seized him before starting, And when the Prince of Orange
paid his visit to the fleet, was so told him
the young officer he had recommended to him was down
with fever, which was, he believed, similar to that from
which the Prince himself was, but just recovering. The Prince
at once ordered him to be carried on board his
own galley, and took him with him back to Delft.
(19:37):
Here he lay for a month, completely prostrated. The Prince
several times visited him personally, and as soon as he
became in some degree convalescent, said to him, I think
we have taxed you too severely, and have worked you
in proportion to your zeal rather than to your strength.
The surgeon says that you must have rest for a while,
(19:57):
and that it will be well for you to get
away from our marshes for a time. For two years
you have done good and faithful service, and even had
it not been for this fever, you would have a
right to rest. And I think that your native air
is best for you at present. With the letters that
came to me from Flushing this morning, is one from
your good father asking for news of you. His ship
(20:19):
arrived there yesterday, and he has heard from one of
those who were with Boisseau that you have fallen ill. Therefore,
if it be to your liking, I will send you
in one of my galleys to Flushing. I thank your
excellency much, ned said, indeed, for the last few days
I have been thinking much of home, and longing to
be back. I fear that I shall be a long
time before I shall be fit for hard work again. Here.
(20:42):
You will feel a different man when you have been
a few hours at sea, the Prince said kindly. I
hope to see you with me again some day. There
are many of your countrymen who, like yourself, have volunteered
in our ranks and served us well without pay or reward.
But none of them have rendered better service than you
have done. And now farewell. I will order a galley
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to be got in readiness at once. I leave myself
for Leiden in half an hour. Take this, my young friend,
in remembrance of the Prince of Orange, and I trust
that you may live to hand it down to your
descendants as a proof that I appreciated your good services
on behalf of a people struggling to be free. So saying,
he took off his watch and laid it on the
(21:25):
table by Ned's bedside, pressed the Lad's hand, and retired.
He felt it really a sacrifice to allow this young
Englishman to depart. He had for years been a lonely man,
with few confidants and no domestic pleasures. He lived in
an atmosphere of trouble, doubt, and suspicion. He had struggled
alone against the might of Philip, the apathy of the
(21:46):
western provinces, the coldness and often treachery of the nobles,
the jealousies and niggardliness of the estates representing cities, each
of which thought rather of itself and its privileges than
of the general good. And the company of this young Englishman,
with his frank utterances, his readiness to work at all times,
and his freedom from all ambitions or self interested designs,
(22:09):
had been a pleasure and relief to him, and he
frequently talked to him, far more freely than even to
his most trusted counselors. Ever since the relief of Alkmaar,
Ned had been constantly with him, save when dispatched on
missions to various towns, or to see that the naval
preparations were being pushed on with all speed, and his
illness had made a real blank in his little circle. However,
(22:32):
the doctors had spoken strongly as to the necessity for
Ned's getting away from the damp atmosphere of the half
submerged land, and he at once decided to send him
back to England and seized the opportunity directly. The receipt
of Captain Martin's letter informed him that the ship was
at Flushing. An hour later, four men entered with a litter.
The servants had already packed Ned's mails, and he was
(22:55):
carried down and placed on board one of the Prince's vessels.
They rode down into their mas and then, hoisting sail,
proceeded down the river, kept outside the island to Valkerin,
and then up the estuary of the Skelt to Flushing.
It was early morning when they arrived in port. Ned
was carried upon deck and soon made out the good Venture,
(23:15):
lying a quarter of a mile away. He was at
once placed in the boat and rowed alongside. An exclamation
from Peters as he looked over the side and saw
Ned lying in the stern of the boat, called Captain
Martin out from his cabin. Why, Ned, my dear boy,
he exclaimed, as he looked over the side, you seem
in grievous state. Indeed, there is not much the matter
(23:36):
with me, father. I have had fever, but am getting
over it, and it will need but a day or
two at sea to put me on my feet again.
I have done with the war at present, and the
Prince has been good enough to send me in one
of his own galleys to you. We will soon get
you round again. Never, fear master, Ned Peters said, as
he jumped down into the boat to aid in hoisting
(23:57):
him on board. No wonder the damp airs of this
country have got into your bones at last. I never
can keep myself warm when we are once in these canals.
If it wasn't for their skeetom, I don't believe the
Dutchmen could stand it themselves. Ned was soon lifted on
board and carried into the cabin aft. The Good Venture
had already discharged her cargo, and as there was no
(24:19):
chance of filling up again at Flushing, sail was made
an hour after he was on board, and the vessel
put out to sea. It was now early in November,
but although the air was cold, the day was fine
and bright, and as soon as the vessel was under way,
Ned was wrapped in cloaks and laid on a mattress
on deck, with his head well propped up with pillows.
(24:39):
One seems to breathe in fresh life here, father, he said,
it is pleasant to feel the motion and the shock
of the waves. After being so long on land, I
feel stronger already, while so long as I was at Delft,
I did not seem to gain from one day to
the other. I hope we shan't make too rapid a voyage.
I don't want to come home as an invalid. We
shall not make a fast run of it unless the
(25:02):
wind changes. Ned. It blows steadily from the west at present,
and we shall be lucky if we cast Anchor under
a week in the pool. All the better, Father. In
a week I shall be on my legs again, unless
I am greatly mistaken. Ned's convalescence was indeed rapid, and
by the time they entered the mouth of the Thames,
he was able to walk from side to side of
(25:23):
the vessel, and as the wind still held from the west,
it was another four days before they dropped Anchor near London. Bridge.
Ned would have gone ashore in his old attire, But
upon putting it on the first day he was able
to get about, he found he had so completely outgrown
it that he was obliged to return to the garments
he had worn in Holland. He was now more than
(25:44):
eighteen years of age and nearly six feet in height.
He had broadened out greatly, and the position he had
for the last year held as an officer charged with
authority by the Prince, had given him a manner of
decision and authority altogether beyond his years. As he could
not wear his sailor dress, he chose one of the
handsomest of those he possessed. It consisted of maroon doublet
(26:05):
and trunks slashed with white, with a short mantle of
dark green and hose of the same color. His cap
was maroon in color with small white and orange plumes,
and he wore a ruff round his neck. Captain Martin
saluted him with a bow of reverence as he came
on deck. Why ned, they will think that I am
bringing a court gallant with me. Your mother and the
(26:27):
girls will be quite abashed at all this finery. I
felt strange in it myself at first Ned laughed, but
of course I am accustomed to it now. The Prince
is not one who cares for state himself, but as
one of his officers, I was obliged to be well dressed,
and indeed this dress and the others I wear were
made by his orders and presented to me. Indeed, I
(26:47):
think I am very moderate in not decking myself out
with the two gold chains I have, the one a
present from his Highness, the other from the city of Alkmaar,
to say nothing of the watch set with jewels that
the Prince gave me. On leaving. Ned's mother and the
girls were on the lookout for the good venture had
been noticed as she passed. Ned had, at his father's suggestion,
(27:08):
kept below in order that he might give them a
surprise on his arrival. I verily believe they won't know you,
he said, as they approached the gate. You have grown
four inches since they saw you last, and your cheeks
are thin and pale instead of being round and sunburnt.
This with your attire has made such a difference that
I am sure any one would pass you in the
(27:28):
street without knowing you. Ned hung a little behind while
his mother and the girls met his father at the gate.
As soon as the embraces were over, Captain Martin turned
to Ned and said to his wife, my dear, I
have to introduce an officer of the Prince who has
come over for his health to stay awhile with us.
This is Captain Martin. Dame Martin gave a start of astonishment,
(27:50):
looked incredulously for a moment at Ned, and then, with
a cry of delight, threw herself into his arms. It
really seems impossible that this can be Ned, he said,
as after kissing his sisters, he turned to her. Why, husband,
it is a man, and a very fine one too, wife.
He tops me by two inches. And as to his attire,
(28:11):
I feel that we must all smart enough to be
fit companions to such a splendid bird. Why the girls
look quite awed by him, But you looked terribly pale,
ned and thin, his mother said, And you were so
healthy and strong. I shall soon be healthy and strong again. Mother.
When I have got out of these fine clothes, which
I only put on because I could not get into
(28:32):
my old ones, and you have fed me up for
a week on good English beef, you will see that
there is no such great change in me after all,
and now let us go inside. Captain Martin said, there
is a surprise for you there. Ned entered and was
indeed surprised at seeing his aunt Elizabeth sitting by the fire,
while his cousins were engaged upon their needlework at the window.
(28:54):
They too looked for a moment doubtful as he entered,
for the fifteen months since they had last seen him
when he left them at the surrender of Haarlem had
changed him much, and his dress at that time had
been very different to that he now wore. It was
not until he exclaimed, well, Aunt, this is indeed a
surprise that they were sure of his identity, and they
(29:15):
welcomed him with a warmth scarcely less than his mother
and sisters had shown. Elizabeth Plomart was not of a
demonstrative nature, but although she had said little at the time,
she had felt deeply the care and devotion which Ned
had exhibited to her and her daughters during the siege,
and knew that had it not been for the supplies
of food scanty as they were, that he nightly brought in,
(29:37):
she herself and probably the girls, would have succumbed to hunger.
When did you arrive aunt Ned asked when the greetings
were over four months ago. Ned life was intolerable in
Harlem owing to the brutal conduct of the Spanish soldiers.
I was a long time bringing myself to move. Had
it not been for the girls, I should never have
done so. But things became intolerable, and when most of
(30:01):
the troops were removed at the time Count Louis advanced,
we managed to leave the town and make our way north.
It was a terrible journey to Enkhausen, but we accomplished it,
and after being there a fortnight, took passage in a
ship for England, and as you see here we are
end of Chapter eighteen.
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