Part 22 (1/2)

”His three sons are dead; your mother and Elizabeth are therefore his heirs, and the money he transmitted to England is in itself sufficient to keep two families in comfort. What proportion of it was his and what belonged to his sons now matters not, seeing that your mother and aunt are the sole survivors of the family. As you say, it is madness for her to remain in Holland with her two girls. Were I a burgher of that town I would send my family away to Leyden or Dort and stay myself to defend the walls to the last, but I do not believe that many will do so. Your countrymen are obstinate people, Sophie, and I fear that few will send their families away.”

Upon the following afternoon Ned started with the little fleet. The wind was fair and light, and they reached the mouth of the strait leading from the Zuider Zee to Haarlem. Then suddenly the wind dropped and the vessels cast anchor. For the two or three days previous the weather had been exceedingly cold, and with the fall of the wind the frost seemed to increase in severity, and Ned, who had been pacing the deck with Peters chatting over what had happened since they last met, was glad to go into the cabin, where the new first mate and supercargo had retired as soon as the anchor was let go. They sat talking for a couple of hours until a sailor came in, and said that they were hailed by the nearest s.h.i.+p. They all went on deck. Ned shouted to know what was the matter.

”Do you not see the water is freezing? By morning we shall be all frozen up hard and fast.”

This was startling news indeed, for they were now in full sight of Amsterdam, and would, if detained thus, be open to an attack across the ice.

CHAPTER XIII

THE SIEGE OF HAARLEM

There was much shouting in the little fleet as the news spread that the sea was freezing. Boats were lowered and rowed from the s.h.i.+p to s.h.i.+p, for the ice was as yet no thicker than window gla.s.s. Ned went from the Good Venture to the craft round which most of the boats were a.s.sembling to hear what was decided. He returned in a few minutes.

”They are all of opinion that it is hopeless for us to get out of this. We could tow the vessels a short distance, but every hour the ice will thicken. They concluded that anchors shall be got up, and that the s.h.i.+ps all lie together as close as they can pack.”

”What will be the use of that?” Peters asked. ”If we are to be frozen up it makes no difference that I can see, whether we are together or scattered as at present.”

”The idea is,” Ned said, ”if we are packed together we can defend ourselves better than if scattered about, and what is more important still, we can cut through the ice and keep a channel of open water round us.”

”So we could,” Peters agreed. ”Let us to work then. Which s.h.i.+p are we to gather round?”

”The one I have just left, Peters; she is lying nearly in the center.”

For the next two hours there was much bustle and hard work. Thin as the ice was it yet greatly hindered the operation of moving the s.h.i.+ps. At last they were all packed closely together; much more closely indeed than would be possible in these days, for the bowsprits, instead of running out nearly parallel with the waterline stood up at a sharp angle, and the vessels could therefore be laid with the bow of one touching the stern of that in advance. As there was now no motive for concealment, lamps were shown and torches burned. There were thirty craft in all, and they were arranged in five lines closely touching each other. When all was done the crews retired to rest. There was no occasion to keep watch, for the ice had thickened so fast that boats could not now force their way through it, while it would not before morning be strong enough to bear the weight of armed men walking across it.

”This is a curious position,” Ned said, as he went on deck next morning. ”How long do you think we are likely to be kept here, Peters?”

”Maybe twenty-four hours, maybe three weeks, lad. These frosts when they set in like this seldom last less than a fortnight or three weeks. What do you think of our chances of being attacked?”

”I should say they are sure to attack us. The whole Spanish army is lying over there in Amsterdam, and as soon as the ice is strong enough to bear them you will see them coming out. How strong a force can we muster?”

”There are thirty craft,” Peters replied; ”and I should think they average fully fifteen men each--perhaps twenty. They carry strong crews at all times, and stronger than usual now.”

”That would give from five to six hundred men. I suppose all carry arms?”

”Oh, yes. I do not suppose that there is a man here who has not weapons of some kind, and most of them have arquebuses. It will take a strong force to carry this wooden fort.”

It was still freezing intensely, and the ice was strong enough to bear men scattered here and there, although it would not have sustained them gathered together. Towards the afternoon the captain judged that it had thickened sufficiently to begin work, and fifty or sixty men provided with hatchets got upon the ice and proceeded to break it away round the vessels. After a couple of hours a fresh party took their places, and by nightfall the s.h.i.+ps were surrounded by a belt of open water, some fifteen yards wide.

A meeting of the captains had been held during the day, and the most experienced had been chosen as leader, with five lieutenants under him. Each lieutenant was to command the crews of six s.h.i.+ps. When it became dark five boats were lowered. These were to row round and round the s.h.i.+ps all night so as to keep the water from freezing again. The crews were to be relieved once an hour, so that each s.h.i.+p would furnish a set of rowers once in six hours. Numerous anchors had been lowered when the s.h.i.+ps were first packed together, so as to prevent the ma.s.s from drifting when the tide flowed or ebbed, as this would have brought them in contact with one side or the other of the ice around them. The next morning the ice was found to be five inches thick, and the captains were of opinion that the Spaniards might now attempt an attack upon them.

”Their first attack will certainly fail,” Ned said, as they sat at breakfast. ”They will be baffled by this water belt round us. However, they will come next time with rafts ready to push across it, and then we shall have fighting in earnest.”

The lieutenant under whom the crew of the Good Venture were placed, came down while they were at breakfast to inquire how many arquebuses there were on board.

”We have ten,” the captain said.

”As I suppose you have no men who skate on board, I should be glad if you will hand them over to me.”