The Ferryman of Brill | Page 9

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 noble 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 ships 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 ship, and hear what he says to
the proposal of an immediate attack."
Treslong, getting into Peter's boat, proceeded forthwith to the ship 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-ship, but they were all far
surpassed by the admiral himself. His hair was long and shaggy, 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 ships 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 ships. 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 shores 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."
Pushing on, he made his appearance in the town-house, where the
magistrates were assembled. 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 assure them that the deputies would be
courteously