The Golden Grasshopper Part 21

While Captain Radford and Aveline were conversing together, Master Clough made further inquiries concerning what had occurred, and begged that I would accompany him to the place of meeting, to ascertain what had become of the prisoners. Of course, though the risk was very great, I consented immediately, and Captain Radford also desired to accompany us. "My daughter will be safe here, and I cannot let you go alone, my friend," he said. "As Englishmen, we shall not be interfered with."

The two gentlemen put on their cloaks, and taking their swords, we all three sallied out together, and made our way directly to the house I have spoken of. As we approached it, we saw torches blazing up, and found a guard of musketeers at the door. Pretending ignorance of what had happened, we inquired why the guard was posted at the house.

"Some Anabaptists or other heretics have been holding one of their a.s.semblies in this house, and have all been seized, and are about to be carried off to prison," answered the sergeant of the guard.

"Did they yield willingly, or was any resistance made?" I asked, anxious to ascertain, if possible, who had been hurt.

"Indeed there was, and four or five met their deaths in consequence. It was through their own folly. However they have saved the executioner some trouble," answered the soldier.

Deeply grieved at these words, and anxious for the fate of our friends, I inquired if we could see the dead people.

"If it will please you, you are welcome," said the sergeant roughly; "it will be a lesson to the heretics not to hold illegal meetings again. If they wanted really to pray, there are the churches, and there is the ma.s.s for them; what more can they desire, unless they are really children of Satan?"

Taking Master Clough's arm, Captain Radford and I led him upstairs after the soldier. We entered a room near the hall. A ghastly sight met our eyes. Thrown carelessly on the floor, in a row, were eight dead bodies, just as they had been dragged out of the hall. Two were females, the rest were men. There had been many more men than women in the room, and, as might have been expected, a greater number of the former had suffered. The scene was one that might have sent a cold shudder through the hearts of people less interested than we were. Poor Master Clough could scarcely force himself to look at the dead bodies. We had to move one of the females to examine her countenance, as she had been thrown down with her face to the ground. Master Clough breathed more freely when he found that neither his wife nor Margery were among them. I was deeply thankful also to find that my friend A'Dale had escaped, dangerous as his position might be. This sad task performed, we hastened below, to inquire of the Spanish sergeant what had become of the prisoners.

"Have you any friends among them?" he asked.

"Yes, my friend, we have," answered Master Clough; "and we will recompense you if you will enable us to see them."

"You Englishmen have no lack of gold, and you will have no lack of friends wherever you go," answered the sergeant. "For the present I cannot leave my post; but I shall very likely be on guard at the prison to-morrow, and then I will a.s.sist you, if you will make it worth my while."

"But in the meantime can you tell us where our friends are to be found?"

I asked.

"I will send one of my men, and he will show you," whispered the sergeant. "I am prohibited telling you, but you will understand."

He gave a peculiarly knowing look as he spoke. I doubted much whether the fellow was to be trusted; and yet we might obtain what we desired through his a.s.sistance. It was important also to find a man so willing to be bribed. By managing him properly, I saw that we might make him of use. The sergeant, telling us to wait, called one of his men, and whispered for some time in his ear.

"It is all arranged," he said, at length; "and you will remember that I consider you my debtors. I am pretty well able to look after my own interests--you will understand that."

We guessed clearly what he meant. However, as much depended upon the amount of gold Master Clough was able to expend, we knew that we should have little difficulty on that score. Should he bribe high enough, not only would the prison doors be open, but the gates of the city likewise, and not only our friends, but others in a like predicament, might be able to make their escape. Antwerp had become every day less and less fitted for our residence; and I knew that, as nearly all my patron's affairs had been wound up, we should have no difficulty in quitting the place at a very short notice. Following our guide, we pa.s.sed through several streets till we arrived at one of the many new jails which had of late years been established in that unfortunate city. The soldier knocked at the gate. A warder, armed to the teeth, opened it.

"What, more prisoners?" he exclaimed.

"No," answered the soldier, and whispered a few words. "They pay well, though."

I began rather to doubt whether some trick had not been intended, and suggested to my companions that we should be cautious.

"Have two English ladies and a gentleman been brought here?" asked Master Clough.

"We recognise in this place neither ladies nor gentlemen nor nationalities. If we have here any prisoners you may desire to see, we may perchance enable you to accomplish your wish, provided always that you satisfy my just demands for any trouble you may give me."

Knowing well what the man meant, we bestowed on him a gold piece, having given a smaller one to the soldier, who immediately took his departure.

We described to the warder the prisoners we desired to see.

"I will speak first to the governor of the jail," answered the man; "for myself, you will understand I can do nothing."

I saw by the leer in his eyes that he knew pretty well that he had us in his power.

"Well," I said, "we will not be ungrateful to the governor either, if he allows us to communicate with our friends."

In a short time the man returned, saying that the governor would speak with us himself, and desired us to follow him. He showed the way upstairs, through several pa.s.sages, to a room, where, before a well-spread board, at which stood several flagons of wine, we found that functionary, seated in a well-stuffed high-back chair, a large napkin being placed under his chin, and fastened over his shoulders. His height was not great, but his size was prodigious; his cheeks swelling out on either side, scarcely allowed his small grey eyes to be visible.

A large dish was on the table, from which he appeared to have helped himself abundantly. We stood before him with our hats in our hands.

"You want to see some prisoners?" he asked, in a somewhat inarticulate voice. "You are all honest men. Well, then, to be frank with you, I should like to see the value you set on them."

At this, without further ado, Master Clough placed several pieces of gold before the governor, who now smiled blandly.

"I see you are sensible men," he observed. "Here, Gruginback, take these people to the room where the last lot of prisoners were placed."

The governor, anxious no longer to be interrupted in his supper, which, for some reason, had been much later than usual, waved his hand, and we, taking our leave of him, followed Gruginback out of the room. With his lantern in his hand, the man led the way down numerous stairs and various pa.s.sages, till we arrived at the door at the end of a vaulted corridor.

"This is one of our best rooms," he said, as he selected a key from his bunch and at length opened the door.

It was filled almost to suffocation. Some of the people within were lying down, leaning their backs against the walls. Others were sitting in various postures, to occupy as little s.p.a.ce as possible. A few were standing up, although there was but little room for them to move. As we entered, from one of the corners where a group of females was collected, Madam Clough, uttering a cry of joy, hurried to meet her husband. She was followed by Margery and A'Dale, who had been sitting near her. He, I saw, was very pale, and from the blood on his arm and over one side of his dress, I feared that he had been wounded.

"Have you come to take us out of this horrid place?" exclaimed Madam Clough. "How brave and loving an act!"

Master Clough, of course, said that he hoped to do so ere long. After comforting our friends as well as we could, Captain Radford and I, accompanying Master Clough, set off to call on the Civil Governor of the city, to obtain from him their liberation. That functionary--Vander Vynck--a creature of Alva, received us with but little ceremony. He was about retiring to bed, after his supper, and did not appear pleased at being disturbed.

"If people attend unlawful meetings, they must take the consequences,"

he observed, when Master Clough made his report.

"But the meeting was held by an Englishman, and those for whom I plead are all English," answered Master Clough.

"Yes, but natives attended, as can very well be proved," exclaimed the governor. "The report has already reached me. It will go hard with them, for they have no excuse to offer. If you English come into this country, you must abide by its laws. For the security of our holy religion, such meetings are prohibited, and it matters not whether they are held by Englishmen or others. They will shortly be tried; and if, as I doubt not, they are found guilty, they will probably lose their lives. You have had my answer."

Poor Master Clough could say nothing more.

Greatly out of spirits at the ill success of our visit, we left the governor's house.

"We must unlock their prison doors with golden keys," at length said Master Clough. "I have seldom found that fail; but I fear it will go hard with the preacher. If our friend Overton cannot be liberated, these people, who have executed so many others for less offences, will shortly put him to death."

"If we cannot bribe his guards, we must carry him off by force," said Captain Radford. "I shall not lack support; and such a mode of proceeding is more to my taste than bribing these villains."

But the difficulty was to find out where Master Overton was shut up. It might have been in the same prison as the rest of our friends, though it was more probable that he had been carried to some securer jail.

Finding nothing more could be done that night, we turned our steps homeward. On entering the house, we found the porter standing pale and trembling, and wringing his hands, while the other servants came hurrying into the hall in a state of the greatest trepidation and alarm.

"What is the matter--what else has happened?" asked Master Clough.

"They have carried her off! It was not our fault--they deceived us.

They have borne her away!"

It was now my turn to be anxious.

"Who? who?" I asked, scarcely able to utter the words.

"It is the young lady--Mistress Radford," answered one of the servants.