Part 2 (1/2)
When Caspar Gaill found what had taken place, he was in despair. He felt inclined to throw himself into the Meuse, and there end his life.
He accused himself, very justly, of having caused the destruction of one he professed to love.
Might he yet do anything to save Gretchen? She might, perhaps, be got off, though it was not likely that her father would be allowed to escape. At first he thought of trying to get Father Quixada to plead for Gretchen, but he shuddered when he remembered the character of the man, and felt that even should the priest get her off, her condition would possibly not be improved. At last he bethought himself of consulting Peter Kopplestock. He had already told him of his love for Gretchen, he might possibly induce the ferryman to a.s.sist in her escape--no easy task, however, and one full of perils. Peter had not before heard of the seizure of the merchant Hopper and his daughter. He was naturally indignant in the extreme against all concerned.
”We must be cautious, however,” he said at length, recovering his calmness. ”I tell you, however, Caspar Gaill, I believe you have had something to do with it. You may be sorry now when it is too late.
However, you must now exert yourself. Your father and the Bishop of Mons are old friends. You must endeavour to get the execution of these people deferred for a few days. That will give me more time to devise a scheme for their escape. A little bribery will probably have considerable effect. You have plenty of wealth, expend it liberally in this cause; you may thus somewhat repair the harm you have done.”
Caspar promised to follow the advice of Peter, declaring that he would spend every guilder he possessed to aid his object. Day after day pa.s.sed by, the accused refused to recant, and the Inquisitor declared that he could not ”longer delay affording the true Catholics in the place the pleasure of seeing their Protestant fellow-citizens committed to the flames.”
Caspar bribed liberally as he promised, but though his money was taken there was no good result. At length the day arrived when the executions were to take place. A stage was erected with a gibbet on it and huge casks of water. Below, on the solid ground, stakes with chains were driven into the ground; while near the gibbet was a post with a chain in which those who were to be mercifully strangled before being thrown into the flames were to be placed. It was a fearful-looking spectacle-- fearful from its very simplicity. There was no parade nor decoration, nothing to conceal the naked horror of the work.
CHAPTER FOUR.
THE BEGGARS OF THE SEA--PETER CHERISHES NEW HOPES--PETER IS SENT AS AN ENVOY FROM THE ROVERS--THE EXECUTIONS ARE SUSPENDED, AND CASPAR SENT TO TREAT WITH THE BEGGARS--CASPAR RESIGNS GRETCHEN TO DIEDRICH--THE BEGGARS OF THE SEA ATTACK BRILL--DIEDRICH VISITS THE INQUISITION--FATHER QUIXADA ATTEMPTS TO KEEP HIS PRISONERS, BUT IS DEFEATED--BRILL IS CAPTURED BY THE PROTESTANTS--AND BECOMES THE CRADLE OF THE DUTCH REPUBLIC.
Peter Kopplestock was in despair. He had in vain attempted to obtain an interview with his young niece, or to send her any message. The prisoners were so strictly watched that he was unable even to send her a message. Her death and that of her worthy father seemed sealed. Peter in despair returned to his post; it was time for him to be ready to ferry pa.s.sengers across the river. He had taken one party across, and was returning once more to Brill, when down the river a fleet of several large vessels was seen standing up towards the town. Peter watched them with interest. That they were not merchant vessels, he was well aware.
They were not Spanish s.h.i.+ps either. He came to the conclusion, therefore, that they must be the Beggars of the Sea. Concealing his own feelings, he informed his pa.s.sengers, who wished to know his opinions.
They were the powerful fleet of those redoubted rovers, and there could be little doubt that they had come up to attack Brill. By the time he had fully worked upon the fears of his pa.s.sengers, they arrived at the landing-place on the side of the city. Instantly the whole party rushed up towards the town, spreading the alarming information they had received. He told them also that for their sakes he would venture down the river, and try and ascertain more particulars. Some urged him not to run so great a risk. He laughingly answered that it mattered little, that they could but hang him if he was caught, and that many an honest man was every day suffering a worse fate than that, thanks to the Duke of Alva.
Peter rowed away down the river as hard as he could urge on his boat.
As he approached the fleet he was more convinced than ever that he was right. The first vessel he hailed was commanded, he was told, by William de Blois, Seigneur of Treslong, a n.o.ble whose brother had been executed by the Duke of Alva, and who had himself fought by the side of Count Louis at Yemmingen, where he was desperately wounded.
Kopplestock was an old acquaintance of his, and was immediately recognised. Treslong welcomed him warmly; he was the very man he wished to meet. Peter, nothing loth, communicated at once the events going forward in the city, and urged an immediate attack. Here was a means, he hoped, of saving his friends.
”Depend upon it we are not anxious to delay, for the honest truth is, we have scarcely a piece of biscuit or a lump of cheese remaining on board any of the s.h.i.+ps in the fleet. Our fellows are literally starving, and land we must, somewhere or other, and forage for food. However, come, my friend, we will go on board the admiral's s.h.i.+p, and hear what he says to the proposal of an immediate attack.”
Treslong, getting into Peter's boat, proceeded forthwith to the s.h.i.+p of Admiral De la Marck. The first person Peter caught sight of on board was Diedrich Megheni. Even Peter thought he had never seen a wilder set of ruffians than the crew of the flag-s.h.i.+p, but they were all far surpa.s.sed by the admiral himself. His hair was long and s.h.a.ggy, his beard hung down over his chest, joined by his whiskers, pendant from his cheeks, while his huge moustache projected out far on either side. He was in no ways loth to attack the place. ”My jolly Beggars will soon make themselves masters of the town,” he observed; ”but as you wish it, Treslong, we will see what diplomacy will do first. Who will take a message to the magistrates of the city?”
”Our worthy friend Peter Kopplestock will do so,” observed Treslong.
”Here, take my ring; it will accredit you as our envoy. If the town will surrender, we promise to treat all the inhabitants with consideration and tenderness; if not, they must take the consequences.”
Peter, receiving further directions, jumped into his boat, and hurried back towards the town.
The hour for the execution of the condemned heretics was approaching.
If he could work upon the fears of the Inquisitor, they might yet be saved.
While Peter is rowing with all his might up towards Brill, the sudden appearance of the s.h.i.+ps of the Sea-beggars must be accounted for. The fleet of De la Marck had been lying for some time in different ports in the south of England, sallying forth occasionally and making prizes of Spanish s.h.i.+ps. It was the policy of Queen Elizabeth and her Government at this time to remain at peace; and the Duke of Alva's commissioners had been urging on her that the continued countenance afforded by the English to the Beggars of the Sea must inevitably lead to a war with Spain. Towards the end of March, therefore, De la Marck received a peremptory order from Elizabeth to quit the sh.o.r.es of England, while her subjects were forbidden to supply them with meat, bread, beer, or any other necessaries. The rover fleet set sail, therefore, from Dover, on one of the last days in March, with scarcely any provisions on board.
They stood over, accordingly, towards the coast of Zealand; and finally entered, as has been described, the river Meuse.
Peter quickly reached the town, and pushed through the crowd of inhabitants, who came round him, asking him all sorts of questions, to none of which he would reply, except to say that a large force of the Water-beggars, some thousands, as far as he could tell, were about to enter the city, and cut all their throats if they were opposed, or if they found that any of their friends had been injured.
”Take care what the Inquisitors are about,” he added. ”If these people whom they have condemned to death are executed, depend upon it the Water-beggars will put every man and woman in the place to death. Just see about that matter.”
Pus.h.i.+ng on, he made his appearance in the town-house, where the magistrates were a.s.sembled. He told them that he had been sent by the fierce Admiral De la Marck, and by Treslong, who was well known to them; that two commissioners on the part of the city should be sent out to confer with them. He had to a.s.sure them that the deputies would be courteously treated, and he was ordered to say that the only object of those who had sent him was to free the land, and to overthrow the tyranny of the Spaniards.