By England's Aid; or, the Freeing of the Netherlands (1585-1604) Read online

  CHAPTER III

  IN THE LOW COUNTRY

  Master Lirriper had stood apart while the boys were conversing withFrancis Vere.

  "What do you think, Master Lirriper?" Geoffrey exclaimed as theyjoined him. "We have asked Mr. Vere to take us with him as pagesto the war in the Low Country, and though he said we were not tobe hopeful about his reply, I do think he will take us. We are togo round to Westminster at one o'clock to see him again. What doyou think of that?"

  "I don't know what to think, Master Geoffrey. It takes me all bysurprise, and I don't know how I stand in the matter. You see, yourfather gave you into my charge, and what could I say to him if Iwent back empty handed?"

  "But, you see, it is with Francis Vere," Geoffrey said. "If ithad been with anyone else it would be different. But the Veres arehis patrons, and he looks upon the earl, and Mr. Francis and hisbrothers, almost as he does on us; and, you know, he has alreadyconsented to our entering the army some day. Besides, he can'tblame you; because, of course, Mr. Vere will write to him himselfand say that he has taken us, and so you can't be blamed in thematter. My father would know well enough that you could not withstandthe wishes of one of the Veres, who are lords of Hedingham and allthe country round."

  "I should withstand them if I thought they were wrong," the boatmansaid sturdily, "and if I were sure that your father would objectto your going; but that is what I am not sure. He may think it thebest thing for you to begin early under the protection of MasterFrancis, and again he may think you a great deal too young for suchwild work. He has certainly always let you have pretty much yourown way, and has allowed you to come and go as you like, but thisis a different business altogether. I am sorely bested as to whatI ought to do."

  "Well, nothing is settled yet, Master Lirriper; and, besides, Idon't see that you can help yourself in the matter, and if Mr. Veresays he will take us I suppose you can't carry us off by force."

  "It is Mistress Vickars that I am thinking of more than your father.The vicar is an easygoing gentleman, but Mistress Vickars speaksher mind, and I expect she will be in a terrible taking over it,and will rate me soundly; though, as you say, I do not see how I canhelp myself in the matter. Well now, let us look at the shops andat the Guildhall, and then we will make our way down to Westminsteras we had proposed to do and see the abbey; by that time it willbe near the hour at which you are to call upon Mr. Vere."

  But the sights that the boys had been so longing to see had forthe time lost their interest in their eyes. The idea that it waspossible that Mr. Vere would take them with him to fight againstthe cruel oppressors of the Low Country was so absorbing that theycould think of nothing else. Even the wonders of the Guildhall andSt. Paul's received but scant attention, and the armourers' shops,in which they had a new and lively interest, alone sufficed todetain them. Even the gibes of the apprentices fell dead upon theirears. These varlets might laugh, but what would they say if theyknew that they were going to fight the Spaniards? The thoughtso altered them that they felt almost a feeling of pity for theselads, condemned to stay at home and mind their masters' shops.

  As to John Lirriper, he was sorely troubled in his mind, and dividedbetween what he considered his duty to the vicar and his life longrespect and reverence towards the lords of Hedingham. The feudalsystem was extinct, but feudal ideas still lingered among the people.Their lords could no longer summon them to take the field, had nolonger power almost of life and death over them, but they were stilltheir lords, and regarded with the highest respect and reverence.The earls of Oxford were, in the eyes of the people of those partsof Essex where their estates lay, personages of greater importancethan the queen herself, of whose power and attributes they had buta very dim notion. It was not so very long since people had risenin rebellion against the queen, but such an idea as that of risingagainst their lords had never entered the mind of a single inhabitantof Hedingham.

  However, Master Lirriper came to the conclusion that he was,as Geoffrey had said, powerless to interfere. If Mr. Francis Veredecided to take the boys with him, what could he do to prevent it?He could hardly take them forcibly down to the boat against theirwill, and even could he do so their father might not approve, anddoubtless the earl, when he came to hear of it, would be seriouslyangry at this act of defiance of his kinsman. Still, he was surethat he should have a very unpleasant time with Mistress Vickars.But, as he reassured himself, it was, after all, better to put upwith a woman's scolding than to bear the displeasure of the Earlof Oxford, who could turn him out of his house, ruin his business,and drive him from Hedingham. After all, it was natural that theselads should like to embark on this adventure with Mr. Francis Vere,and it would doubtless be to their interest to be thus closelyconnected with him. At any rate, if it was to be it was, and he,John Lirriper, could do nothing to prevent it. Having arrived atthis conclusion he decided to make the best of it, and began tochat cheerfully with the boys.

  Precisely at the appointed hour John Lirriper arrived with the twolads at the entrance to the house facing the abbey. Two or threeservitors, whose doublets were embroidered with the cognizance ofthe Veres, were standing in front of the door.

  "Why, it is Master Lirriper!" one of them said. "Why, what hasbrought you here? I did not know that your trips often extended toLondon."

  "Nor do they," John Lirriper said. "It was the wind and my nephew'scraft the Susan that brought me to London, and it is the will ofMr. Francis that these two young gentlemen should meet him here atone o'clock that has brought me to this door."

  "Captain Francis is in; for, you know, he is a captain now, havingbeen lately appointed to a company in the Earl of Leicester's army.He returned an hour since, and has but now finished his meal. Doyou wish to go up with these young masters, or shall I conduct themto him?"

  "You had best do that," John Lirriper answered. "I will remain herebelow if Captain Francis desires to see me or has any missive tointrust to me."

  The boys followed the servant upstairs, and were shown into a roomwhere Francis Vere, his cousin the Earl of Oxford, and CaptainAllen were seated at table.

  "Well, lads," the earl said, "so you want to follow my cousinFrancis to the wars?"

  "That is our wish, my lord, if Captain Francis will be so good asto take us with him."

  "And what will my good tutor your father say to it?" the earl askedsmiling.

  "I think, my lord," Geoffrey said boldly, "that if you yourselfwill tell my father you think it is for our good, he will say naughtagainst it."

  "Oh, you want to throw the responsibility upon me, and to embroilme with your father and Mistress Vickars as an abettor of my cousinFrancis in the kidnapping of children? Well, Francis, you had betterexplain to them what their duties will be if they go with you.

  "You will be my pages," Francis Vere said, "and will perform theusual duties of pages in good families when in the field. It isthe duty of pages to aid in collecting firewood and forage, and inall other ways to make themselves useful. You will bear the samesort of relation to the gentlemen volunteers as they do towardsthe officers. They are aspirants for commissions as officers asyou will be to become gentlemen volunteers. You must not think thatyour duties will be light, for they will not, and you will have tobear many discomforts and hardships. But you will be in an altogetherdifferent position from that of the boys who are the pages of thecompany. You will, apart from your duties, and bearing in mindthe difference of your age, associate with the officers and thegentlemen volunteers on terms of equality when not engaged upon duty.On duty you will have to render the same strict and unquestionableobedience that all soldiers pay to those of superior rank. What sayyou? Are you still anxious to go? Because, if so, I have decidedto take you."

  Geoffrey and Lionel both expressed their thanks in proper terms,and their earnest desire to accompany Captain Vere, and to behavein all ways conformably to his orders and instructions.

  "Very well, that is settled," Francis Vere said. "The earl isjourneying down to Hedingham tomorrow, and has kind
ly promised totake charge of a letter from me to your father, and personally toassure him that this early embarkation upon military life wouldprove greatly to your advantage."

  "Supposing that you are not killed by the Spaniards or carriedoff by fever," the earl put in; "for although possibly that mightbe an advantage to humanity in general, it could scarcely beconsidered one to you personally."

  "We are ready to take our risk of that, my lord," Geoffrey said;"and are indeed greatly beholden both to Captain Francis for hisgoodness in taking us with him, and to yourself in kindly undertakingthe mission of reconciling our father to our departure."

  "You have not told me yet how it is that I find you in London?"Francis Vere said.

  "We only came up for a week, sir, to see the town. We are in charge ofMaster Lirriper, who owns a barge on the river, and plies betweenHedingham and Bricklesey, but who was coming up to London in acraft belonging to his nephew, and who took charge of us. We arestaying at the house of Master Swindon, a citizen and ship chandler."

  "Is Master Lirriper below?"

  "He is, sir."

  "Then in that case he had better go back to the house and bringyour mails here. I shall sail from Deptford the day after tomorrowwith the turn of tide. You had best remain here now. There will bemany things necessary for you to get before you start. I will giveinstructions to one of my men-at-arms to go with you to purchasethem."

  "I will take their outfit upon myself, Francis," the earl said."My steward shall go out with them and see to it. It is the leastI can do when I am abetting you in depriving my old tutor of hissons."

  He touched a bell and a servitor entered. "See that these younggentlemen are fed and attended to. They will remain here for thenight. Tell Master Dotterell to come hither to me."

  The boys bowed deeply and retired.

  "It is all settled, Master Lirriper," they said when they reachedthe hall below. "We are to sail with Captain Francis the day aftertomorrow, and you will be pleased to hear that the earl himself hastaken charge of the matter, and will see our father and communicatethe news to him."

  "That is a comfort indeed," John Lirriper said fervently; "forI would most as soon have had to tell him that the Susan had gonedown and that you were both drowned, as that I had let you both slipaway to the wars when he had given you into my charge. But if theearl takes the matter in hand I do not think that even your ladymother can bear very heavily on me. And now, what is going to bedone?"

  "We are to remain here in order that suitable clothes may beobtained for us by the time we sail. Will you bring down tomorrowmorning our wallets from Master Swindon's, and thank him and hisgood dame for their hospitality, and say that we are sorry to leavethem thus suddenly without having an opportunity of thanking themourselves? We will write letters tonight to our father and mother,and give them to you to take with you when you return."

  John Lirriper at once took his departure, greatly relieved in mindto find that the earl himself had taken the responsibility upon hisshoulders, and would break the news long before he himself reachedHedingham. A few minutes later a servitor conducted the boys to anapartment where a meal was laid for them; and as soon as this wasover they were joined by the steward, who requested them to setout with him at once, as there were many things to be done and butshort time for doing them. No difficulty in the way of time was,however, thrown in the way by the various tradesmen they visited,these being all perfectly ready to put themselves to inconvenienceto do pleasure to so valuable a patron as the powerful Earl ofOxford.

  Three suits of clothes were ordered for each of them: the one suchas that worn by pages in noble families upon ordinary occasions,another of a much richer kind for special ceremonies and gaieties,the third a strong, serviceable suit for use when actually in thefield. Then they were taken to an armourer's where each was providedwith a light morion or head piece, breast plate and back piece,sword and dagger. A sufficient supply of under garments, boots, andother necessaries were also purchased; and when all was completethey returned highly delighted to the house. It was still scarcefive o'clock, and they went across to the abbey and wandered forsome time through its aisles, greatly impressed with its dignityand beauty now that their own affairs were off their mind.

  They returned to the house again, and after supper wrote theirletters to their father and mother, saying that they hoped theywould not be displeased at the step they had taken, and which theywould not have ventured upon had they not already obtained theirfather's consent to their entering the army. They knew, of course,that he had not contemplated their doing so for some little time;but as so excellent an opportunity had offered, and above all, asthey were going out to fight against the Spaniards for the oppressedpeople of the Low Countries, they hoped their parents would approveof the steps they had taken, not having had time or opportunity toconsult them.

  At noon two days later Francis Vere with Captain Allen and the twoboys took their seats in the stern of a skiff manned by six rowers.In the bow were the servitors of the two officers, and the luggagewas stowed in the extreme stern.

  "The tide is getting slack, is it not?" Captain Vere asked theboatmen.

  "Yes, sir; it will not run up much longer. It will be pretty wellslack water by the time we get to the bridge."

  Keeping close to the bank the boat proceeded at a rapid pace. Severaltimes the two young officers stood up and exchanged salutationswith ladies or gentlemen of their acquaintance. As the boatmanhad anticipated, tide was slack by the time they arrived at LondonBridge, and they now steered out into the middle of the river.

  "Give way, lads," Captain Allen said. "We told the captain we wouldnot keep him waiting long after high water, and he will be gettingimpatient if he does not see us before long."

  As they shot past the Susan the boys waved their hands to MasterLirriper, who, after coming down in the morning and receivingtheir letters for their parents, had returned at once to the cityand had taken his place on board the Susan, so as to be able totell their father that he had seen the last of them. The distancebetween London Bridge and Deptford was traversed in a very shorttime. A vessel with her flags flying and her canvas already loosenedwas hanging to a buoy some distance out in the stream, and as theboat came near enough for the captain to distinguish those on board,the mooring rope was slipped, the head sails flattened in, and thevessel began to swing round. Before her head was down stream theboat was alongside. The two officers followed by the boys ascendedthe ladder by the side. The luggage was quickly handed up, and theservitors followed. The sails were sheeted home, and the vesselbegan to move rapidly through the water.

  The boys had thought the Susan an imposing craft, but they weresurprised, indeed, at the space on board the Dover Castle. In thestern there was a lofty poop with spacious cabins. Six guns wereranged along on each side of the deck, and when the sails weregot up they seemed so vast to the boys that they felt a sense oflittleness on board the great craft. They had been relieved to findthat Captain Vere had his own servitor with him; for in talking itover they had mutually expressed their doubt as to their abilityto render such service as Captain Vere would be accustomed to.

  The wind was from the southwest, and the vessel was off Sheernessbefore the tide turned. There was, however, no occasion to anchor,for the wind was strong enough to take them against the flood.

  During the voyage they had no duties to perform. The ship's cookprepared the meals, and the officers' servants waited on them, thelads taking their meals with the two officers. Their destinationwas Bergen op Zoom, a town at the mouth of the Scheldt, of thegarrison of which the companies of both Francis Vere and CaptainAllen formed a part.

  As soon as the low coasts of Holland came in sight the boys watchedthem with the most lively interest.

  "We are passing Sluys now," Captain Vere said. "The land almostahead of us is Walcheren; and that spire belongs to Flushing. Wecould go outside and up the channel between the island and Beveland,and then up the Eastern Scheldt to Bergen op Zoom; but instead ofthat we
shall follow the western channel, which is more direct."

  "It is as flat as our Essex coast," Geoffrey remarked.

  "Aye, and flatter; for the greater part of the land lies below thelevel of the sea, which is only kept out by great dams and dykes.At times when the rivers are high and the wind keeps back theirwaters they burst the dams and spread over a vast extent of country.The Zuider Zee was so formed in 1170 and 1395, and covers a tractas large as the whole county of Essex. Twenty-six years later theriver Maas broke its banks and flooded a wide district. Seventy-twovillages were destroyed and 100,000 people lost their life. Thelands have never been recovered; and where a fertile country oncestood is now a mere swamp."

  "I shouldn't like living there," Lionel said. "It would be terrible,every time the rivers are full and the wind blows, to think thatat any moment the banks may burst and the flood come rushing overyou."

  "It is all habit," Captain Vere replied; "I don't suppose theytrouble themselves about it. But they are very particular in keepingtheir dykes in good repair. The water is one of the great defencesof their country. In the first place there are innumerable streamsto be crossed by an invader, and in the second, they can as a lastresource cut the dykes and flood the country. These Dutchmen, asfar as I have seen of them, are hard working and industrious people,steady and patient, and resolved to defend their independence tothe last. This they have indeed proved by the wonderful resistancethey have made against the power of Spain. There, you see the ship'shead has been turned and we shall before long be in the channel.Sluys lies up that channel on the right. It is an important place.Large vessels can go no further, but are unloaded there and thecargoes taken to Bruges and thence distributed to many other towns.They say that in 1468 as many as a hundred and fifty ships a dayarrived at Sluys. That gives you an idea of the trade that theNetherlands carry on. The commerce of this one town was as greatas is that of London at the present time. But since the troublesthe trade of Sluys has fallen off a good deal."

  The ship had to anchor here for two or three hours until the tideturned, for the wind had fallen very light and they could not makehead against the ebb. As soon as it turned they again proceeded ontheir way, dropping quietly up with the tide. The boys climbed upinto the tops, and thence could see a wide extent of country dottedwith villages stretching beyond the banks, which restricted theirview from the decks. In five hours Bergen op Zoom came in sight,and they presently dropped anchor opposite the town. The boat waslowered, and the two officers with the lads were rowed ashore. Theywere met as they landed by several young officers.

  "Welcome back, Vere; welcome, Allen. You have been lucky indeedin having a few days in England, and getting a view of somethingbesides this dreary flat country and its sluggish rivers. What isthe last news from London?"

  "There is little news enough," Vere replied. "We were only fourdays in London, and were busy all the time. And how are thingshere? Now that summer is at hand and the country drying the Donsought to be bestirring themselves."

  "They say that they are doing so," the officer replied. "We havenews that the Duke of Parma is assembling his army at Bruges, wherehe is collecting the pick of the Spanish infantry with a number ofItalian regiments which have joined him. He sent off the MarquessDel Vasto with the Sieur De Hautepenne towards Bois le Duc. GeneralCount Hohenlohe, who, as you know, we English always call CountHolland, went off with a large force to meet him, and we heardonly this morning that a battle has been fought, Hautepenne killed,and the fort of Crevecoeur on the Maas captured. From what I hear,some of our leaders think that it was a mistake so to scatter ourforces, and if Parma moves forward from Bruges against Sluys, whichis likely enough, we shall be sorely put to it to save the place."

  As they were talking they proceeded into the town, and presentlyreached the house where Francis Vere had his quarters. The officersand gentlemen volunteers of his company soon assembled, and CaptainVere introduced the two boys to them.

  "They are young gentlemen of good family," he said, "who will actas my pages until they are old enough to be enrolled as gentlemenvolunteers. I commend them to your good offices. Their father isa learned and reverend gentleman who was my tutor, and also tutorto my cousin, the Earl of Oxford, by whom he is greatly valued.They are lads of spirit, and have been instructed in the use ofarms at Hedingham as if they had been members of our family. I amsure, gentlemen volunteers, that you will receive them as friends.I propose that they shall take their meals with you, but of coursethey will lodge here with me and my officers; but as you are in thenext house this will cause no inconvenience. I trust that we shallnot remain here long, but shall soon be on the move. We have nowbeen here seven months, and it is high time we were doing something.We didn't bargain to come over here and settle down for life in adull Dutch town."

  In a few hours the boys found themselves quite at home in theirnew quarters. The gentlemen volunteers received them cordially,and they found that for the present their duties would be extremelylight, consisting chiefly in carrying messages and orders; for asthe officers had all servants of their own, Captain Vere dispensedwith their attendance at meals. There was much to amuse and interestthem in Bergen op Zoom. It reminded them to some extent of Harwich,with its narrow streets and quaint houses; but the fortifications werefar stronger, and the number of churches struck them as prodigious.The population differed in no very large degree in dress from thatof England, but the people struck them as being slower and moredeliberate in their motion. The women's costumes differed much morewidely from those to which they were accustomed, and their strangeand varied headdresses, their bright coloured handkerchiefs, andthe amount of gold necklaces and bracelets that they wore, struckthem with surprise.

  Their stay in Bergen op Zoom was even shorter than they hadanticipated, for three days after their arrival a boat came with aletter from Sir William Russell, the governor at Flushing. He saidthat he had just received an urgent letter from the Dutch governorof Sluys, saying that Patina's army was advancing from Bruges towardsthe city, and had seized and garrisoned the fort of Blankenburg onthe sea coast to prevent reinforcements arriving from Ostend; hetherefore prayed the governor of Flushing to send off troops andprovisions with all haste to enable him to resist the attack. SirWilliam requested that the governor of Bergen op Zoom would at onceembark the greater portion of his force on board ship and send themto Sluys. He himself was having a vessel filled with grain for theuse of the inhabitants, and was also sending every man he couldspare from Flushing.

  In a few minutes all was bustle in the town. The trumpets of thevarious companies called the soldiers to arms, and in a very shorttime the troops were on their way towards the river. Here severalships had been requisitioned for the service; and as the companiesmarched down they were conducted to the ships to which they wereallotted by the quartermasters.

  Geoffrey and Lionel felt no small pride as they marched down withtheir troop. They had for the first time donned their steel caps,breast and back pieces; but this was rather for convenience ofcarriage than for any present utility. They had at Captain Vere'sorders left their ordinary clothes behind them, and were now attiredin thick serviceable jerkins, with skirts coming down nearly tothe knee, like those worn by the troops. They marched at the rearof the company, the other pages, similarly attired, following them.

  As soon as the troops were on board ship, sail was made, and thevessels dropped down the stream. The wind was very light, and itwas not until thirty hours after starting that the little fleetarrived off Sluys. The town, which was nearly egg shaped, lay closeto the river, which was called the Zwin. At the eastern end, in thecentre of a detached piece of water, stood the castle, connectedwith the town by a bridge of boats. The Zwin formed the defenceon the north side while the south and west were covered by a verywide moat, along the centre of which ran a dyke, dividing it intotwo channels. On the west side this moat extended to the Zwin, andwas crossed at the point of junction by the bridge leading to thewest gate.

  The walls inclosed a considera
ble space, containing fields andgardens. Seven windmills stood on the ramparts. The tower of thetown hall, and those of the churches of Our Lady, St. John, andthe Grey Friars rose high above the town.

  The ships from Flushing and Bergen op Zoom sailed up together, andthe 800 men who landed were received with immense enthusiasm bythe inhabitants, who were Protestants, and devoted to the causeof independence. The English were under the command of Sir RogerWilliams, who had already seen so many years of service in theLow Countries; and under him were Morgan, Thomas Baskerville, andHuntley, who had long served with him.

  Roger Williams was an admirable man for service of this kind. Hehad distinguished himself by many deeds of reckless bravery. Hepossessed an inexhaustible fund of confidence and high spirits,and in his company it was impossible to feel despondent, howeverdesperate the situation.

  The citizens placed their houses at the disposal of their new allies,handsome quarters were allotted to the officers, and the soldierswere all housed in private dwellings or the warehouses of themerchants. The inhabitants had already for some days been workinghard at their defences, and the English at once joined them in theirlabours, strengthening the weak portions of the walls, mountingcannon upon the towers, and preparing in all ways to give a warmreception to the Spaniards.

  Captain Vere, his lieutenant and ensign and his two pages, werequartered in the house of a wealthy merchant, whose family did allin their power to make them comfortable. It was a grand old house,and the boys, accustomed as they were to the splendours of HedinghamCastle, agreed that the simple merchants of the Low Countries werefar in advance of English nobles in the comforts and conveniencesof their dwellings. The walls of the rooms were all heavily panelled;rich curtains hung before the casements. The furniture was not onlyrichly carved, but comfortable. Heavy hangings before the doorsexcluded draughts, and in the principal apartments Eastern carpetscovered the floors. The meals were served on spotless white linen.Rich plates stood on the sideboard, and gold and silver vessels ofrare carved work from Italy glittered in the armoires.

  Above all, from top to bottom, the house was scrupulously clean.Nor a particle of dust dimmed the brightness of the furniture, andeven now, when the city was threatened with siege, the merchant'swife never relaxed her vigilance over the doings of her maids, whoseemed to the boys to be perpetually engaged in scrubbing, dusting,and polishing.

  "Our mother prides herself on the neatness of her house," Geoffreysaid; "but what would she say, I wonder, were she to see one ofthese Dutch households? I fear that the maids would have a hardtime of it afterwards, and our father would be fairly driven outof his library."

  "It is all very well to be clean," Lionel said; "but I think theycarry it too far here. Peace and quietness count for something, andit doesn't seem to me that Dutchmen, fond of it as they say theyare, know even the meaning of the words as far as their homes areconcerned. Why, it always seems to be cleaning day, and they mustbe afraid of going into their own houses with their boots on!"

  "Yes, I felt quite like a criminal today," Geoffrey laughed, "whenI came in muddy up to the waist, after working down there by thesluices. I believe when the Spaniards open fire these people willbe more distracted by the dust caused by falling tiles and chimneysthan by any danger of their lives."

  Great difficulties beset the Duke of Parma at the commencement ofthe siege. Sluys was built upon the only piece of solid ground inthe district, and it was surrounded by such a labyrinth of canals,ditches, and swamps, that it was said that it was almost asdifficult to find Sluys as it was to capture it. Consequently, itwas impossible to find ground solid enough for a camp to be pitchedupon, and the first labour was the erection of wooden huts for thetroops upon piles driven into the ground. These huts were protectedfrom the fire of the defenders by bags of earth brought in boatsfrom a long distance. The main point selected for the attack wasthe western gate; but batteries were also placed to play upon thecastle and the bridge of boats connecting it with the town.

  "There is one advantage in their determining to attack us at thewestern extremity of the town," John Menyn, the merchant at whosehouse Captain Vere and his party were lodging, remarked when hisguest informed him there was no longer any doubt as to the pointat which the Spaniards intended to attack, "for they will not beable to blow up our walls with mines in that quarter."

  "How is that?" Francis Vere asked.

  "If you can spare half an hour of your time I will show you," themerchant said.

  "I can spare it now, Von Menyn," Vere replied; "for the informationis important, whatever it may be."

  "I will conduct you there at once. There is no time like thepresent."

  "Shall we follow you, sir?" Geoffrey asked his captain.

  "Yes, come along," Vere replied. "The matter is of interest, andfor the life of me I cannot make out what this obstacle can be ofwhich our host speaks."

  They at once set out.

  John Menyn led them to a warehouse close to the western wall, andspoke a few words to its owner, who at once took three lanternsfrom the wall and lighted them, handing one to Vere, another toJohn Menyn, and taking the other himself; he then unlocked a massivedoor. A flight of steps leading apparently to a cellar were visible.He led the way down, the two men following, and the boys bringingup the rear. The descent was far deeper than they had expected,and when they reached the bottom they found themselves in a vastarched cellar filled with barrels. From this they proceeded intoanother, and again into a third.

  "What are these great magazines?" Francis Vere asked in surprise.

  "They are wine cellars, and there are scores similar to those yousee. Sluys is the centre of the wine trade of Flanders and Holland, andcellars like these extend right under the wall. All the warehousesalong here have similar cellars. This end of the town was the driest,and the soil most easily excavated. That is why the magazines forwines are all clustered here. There is not a foot of ground behindand under the walls at this end that is not similarly occupied,and if the Spaniards try to drive mines to blow up the walls, theywill simply break their way into these cellars, where we can meetthem and drive them back again."

  "Excellent!" Francis Vere said. "This will relieve us of the workof countermining, which is always tiresome and dangerous, and wouldbe specially so here, where we should have to dive under that deepmoat outside your walls. Now we shall only have to keep a few menon watch in these cellars. They would hear the sound of the Spanishapproaching, and we shall be ready to give them a warm receptionby the time they break in. Are there communications between thesecellars?"

  "Yes, for the most part," the wine merchant said. "The cellars arenot entirely the property of us dealers in wine. They are constructedby men who let them, just as they would let houses. A merchantin a small way would need but one cellar, while some of us occupytwenty or more; therefore, there are for the most part communications,with doors, between the various cellars, so that they can be letoff in accordance with the needs of the hirers."

  "Well, I am much obliged to you for telling me of this," CaptainVere said. "Williams and Morgan will be glad enough to hear thatthere is no fear of their being blown suddenly into the air whiledefending the walls, and they will see the importance of keepinga few trusty men on watch in the cellars nearest to the Spaniards.I shall report the matter to them at once. The difficulty," headded smiling, "will be to keep the men wakeful, for it seems tome that the very air is heavy with the fumes of wine."