Volume Ii Part 3 (1/2)

Our readers then will vouchsafe to recollect of what importance, as a seaport, Ostend is, and ever has been considered, being only second in rank to Dunkirk. Indeed the possession of Ostend in every war has been always accounted of the highest consequence by every belligerent power, as well as by the sovereigns too of the Low Countries. The oriental situation of Ostend has given to it its name, by which one might express _a port which looks to the east_; and its armorial bearing[12] implies that it is one of the princ.i.p.al keys of Austrian Flanders.

[12] ”The armorial escutcheon of Ostend bears a chevron sable on a gold ground, charged with three keys, sable blazoned on the dexter and sinister chiefs, and on the middle base point of the s.h.i.+eld.

The supporters a seaman and a mermaid.”--_Les Delices des Pays Bas._

Ostend had formerly been the simple station of fishermen, established between Nieuport and Helvoetsluys; but, increasing from various combining events, it gradually arose to consequence, numerous causes having co-operated to its enlargement. The origin of the civil wars--the fears created by the numerous pirates throughout the entire provinces of the Low Countries, &c., these gradually led to its increase, and Ostend became a place of strength and importance; her port enriching her trade and revenue by bringing home the merchandize of Europe; while her strong fortifications protected and secured the inhabitants from the machinations of their enemies; and, finally, the peace of Ghent having completely established the power of the confederated states.

At the period of which we speak Ostend was progressively recovering from the fatal effects of a protracted siege, conducted by the Spaniards under Spinola, which had lasted for the s.p.a.ce of three years; and upon the last day of the siege it was as uncertain as upon the first whether it would be captured by the Spaniards or not; or to which side victory finally would belong. The account of the loss of lives on the part of the besiegers and the besieged in this disastrous siege, is truly most formidable; it is computed that fifteen thousand of the latter perished; some slain by the sword of war, others fell by pestilence, and others perished the victims of the marshy climate of Ostend, from fatigue of the siege, the sorties, engagements, and fire of the enemy; while the Spaniards suffered the severe loss of upwards of seventy-eight thousand men.[13]

[13] See ”Grotius Annales et Histoires des Troubles du Pays Bas,”

lib. X. p. 491. See also the ”Cardinal Bentivoglio,” lib. III. p.

6. And see ”Histoire des Provinces Unies, par M. Le Clerc,” vol.

I. p. 215, 229, Amsterdam, folio, 1723. In these three works will be found a full account of Spinola's attempt on Ostend, and the reader will be tempted to exclaim:--Unhappy Belgium! whose beauteous domains have been doomed to blaze beneath the torch of war, from the days of Tiberius down to those of Napoleon!

But we must now return to the detail of our voyagers, who having ate a hearty supper at their hotel, soon retired to repose in their respective chambers. Oh, how refres.h.i.+ng to the wearied spirit is the renovating balm of sleep; and how invigorating is a night's undisturbed repose! And how great, how unspeakable the change, and how joyful the contrast, from the almost certain expectancy of death by a watery grave, it is upon the succeeding morning to awake, as if from the tomb, upon a bed of down, and to hail the blessed cheering light of morning! Who could forbear to raise the adoring eye and the grateful heart to heaven, for an escape so unexpected and providential! All this they deeply and devoutly felt.

The morning succeeding their preservation, while they were actively and busily occupied in the important despatch of an incomparable breakfast, and the fellow-sufferers were pa.s.sing a high and well deserved eulogium on some excellent Malines ham, to their great surprise and dismay a party of _Gens d'Armes_, as has been before remarked, arrived at their hotel, when (the three of them) the colonel, his servant, and Doctor M'Kenzie, were arrested under suspicion of being spies, and were thrown into prison.

”This is somewhat too hard,” observed Doctor M'Kenzie, ”not to be allowed to swallow our rations of excellent ham! A few hours ago to have escaped the whirlpool of Charybdis, and this morn to be s.h.i.+pwrecked on the rock of Scylla! The sea was well nigh swallowing us yesterday, and to-day we are to be immured in prison on suspicion of being spies;

'Dextrum Scylla latus, laevum implacata Charybdis Obsidet.'”

”Yes, my Reverend Friend,” replied the colonel, ”this is all but too true, we have had our share of suffering indeed; but while we feel it as men, let us also bear it like men, and hope the best! For my own lot I care not; to me death, not captivity, would be welcome!”

To account for this arrest we must apprise our readers that Marshal de Rantzau had made a desperate attempt with only two thousand French troops, a very few years previous to the period of which we now speak.

But eventually the French force was put to flight, with the loss of twelve hundred brave and gallant men, who fatally fell in this rash attempt. And this event it was which caused such alertness and suspicion regarding strangers to be adopted by the government and garrison of Ostend.

The prisoners were marched along under a strong escort of the _Gens d'Armes_, and were conducted to the chief prison, and handed over to the surveillance of the head gaoler, Mr. Phelim O'Neale, who, by the way, happened to be a countryman of the Reverend Doctor M'Kenzie. At that period the janitor of a gaol did not enjoy the present high diplomatique distinction of being termed the _governor_ or _warder_ of a grated citadel.

While Mr. Phelim O'Neale was showing his prisoners the apartments allotted to them, he said, addressing the Reverend Clerk:--”I know that your Riverence is my countryman, and perhaps I know still more; I therefore feel all the respect and affection which I ought to do for a countryman in a foreign land. My life has been a varied and changeable one, and it may perchance beguile away an hour of captivity, that you should deign to listen to my story. Och, I was once a roving and untamable bird, wild as the haggard-hawk[14] of my native hills, that is ever on the excursive wing; and like to it, I was not to be tamed at all; but now, in troth, I am tame enough, any how! For the present I shall only say, that from peculiar and urgent circ.u.mstances I was compelled to leave my native land. I embarked from the bay of Tyrconnel in Ireland, in a vessel bound for Virginia; at sea I was taken prisoner by the fleet and squadron of Marshal de Rantzau; and with the force of his Highness I was landed at this good city, ould Ostind. Well here I was a wandering raw recruit on Flemish ground, an unknown exile and outcast, forsaken by all, from Dan to Beersheba! Howsomdever, I was shortly thrown in the way of my brave countryman, Count Dillon, whom I knew when I was a gossoon. He was a lieutenant curnell, sarving under the marshal; and he was not slow in discovering that I possessed both cuteness and genus.--_Vous avez razon mun infant!_ he would often say to me, (he had lived for years in France,) and yit, by my blessed sowl, I often thought that his honourable wors.h.i.+p himself had no razon at all, at all!”

[14] Haggard, in falconry, means a hawk or falcon not taken in the nest, but after she had been inured to liberty, and preying for herself. Haggard-hawks are hard to be tamed and brought under discipline. The haggard-falcon is also called _Peregrine-falcon_, pa.s.senger and traveller, from its wandering more than any other sort of its kind; it is strong, courageous, hardy, and persevering. This bird is distinguished from the common falcon as being larger, &c. &c. The haggard-falcon, when wild and unreclaimed, takes the greatest liberty of all other birds, living either by land or sea; and formed of such absolute power, that wherever she comes all flying fowl stoop under her subjection.

”Fie, fie! Mr. Phelim O'Neale; swear not at all! it is a work of supererogation for selling yourself, both body and soul, gratis to the infernal power! Let me hear no more of it.”

”Well, your Riverence, no sooner said than done,” says poor Phelim O'Neale; ”by ---- I will swear no more!”

”There again!--swearing an oath that you will not swear! Who ever heard the like before;--what impious inconsistency!”

”Your pardon, Riverend Father, for this time, and you shall no more catch me tripping, nor stumbling, nor swearing. Och, murder! although I have endured enough to make any feeling Christian swear hard enough--at times, any how, to be sure! by ---- I mean maybe through a thick deal board itself! Well, your Riverence, to continue the thrid of my story:--Count Dillon one day took me aside, and said, 'Phelim, I clearly persave that you are a quick, cute lad, and you must a.s.sist me in a plan which I have in disjunction joined with the Marshal Rantzau, for suddenly surprising Ostind, and taking it by a parabolous stratagism, the most admirable and intripid that was ever known, thought of, or yet imagined by any bould pioneer,' as your Riverence shall hear anon. It was in the month of June, and upon the memorable fifteenth day thereof, in the year 1600 and--though I can't precisely recollect the date upon which we resolved for the execution of this intended daring and glorious enterprise, for our attacking force consisted of but two thousand men.

Our stratigismus was to surprise Ostind by the gate of Nieuport, which lay upon the land side, and next to the town of Nieuport. We hoped that by the introduction of a large body of men we might possibly, perhaps certainly, possess ourselves of the town and citadel of ould Ostind.

Accordingly, to be sure, with this intint, we well surveyed the gate; and before that we had geoggraphyz'd the intire country, and all the roads and pa.s.ses disjacent, whersomby that by every measure and means, and all due secrecy, that our attacking force might be intraducted, and back our n.o.ble and elegant enterprise. Accordingly some half dozen soldiers, clad in garb of Flemish peasants, in their blue caps and blue frocks; and wherewithal supporting upon their backs sacks well stored with chesnuts, walnuts, &c., were to seem as if they had brought them for sale into town; and thin, upon an appointed signal, (the sacks loosely tied,) the pretinded peasants were to let them fall, (accidently on purpose no doubt,) and scatter their contints around upon the ground, which was to cause a general scramble, and take off the attention of the guard from the object which we had in view. This having taken place, the fore-said soldiers, or disguised peasants, were to rally around a waggon, or, as they call it here, a charabbon, under the same pretence, laden with baskets of fruit and vegetables, strawberries, cherries, peas, beans, &c. &c. The thing was so managed that within the waggon there were concealed about thirty soldiers. As being the chief projector, the honourable post of heading this desperate attempt, (which, if it succeeded, was soon to be followed by a powerful force,) was consigned, gentle Sirs, to your intripid and very devoted sarvant, Phelim O'Neale.”

”And pray, Mr. Phelim O'Neale, if it be not taking too great a liberty, may I inquire what induced Count Dillon to place such confidence in _you_, and make _you_ the head of the pioneers, or of this stratagem, upon the success of which, it would appear, turned the entire success of the attack?”

”Och, botheration! and that too I will confiss to your Riverence. 'I think,' says I, Curnell, plaze your worthy honour's wors.h.i.+p, that I could suggist a matter to your grace's judgment that would, all in all, carry the day, and, in troth, we should soon be in possession of ould Ostind!'

”'Indeed! Mr. Phelim O'Neale; pray tell, are you on the staff?--I suppose a general at least!' said he.