The Dutch (27 page)

As the sun rose that next morning, a group of Amsterdam's gemstone merchants arrived at the dock to examine the contents of the five treasure chests. They were predominately Jewish and accompanied by scribes. The group carefully examined the contents of each chest, while a description of each item and its value was recorded. There were many objects in each chest and it was midday before the evaluation was completed. The merchants clustered together examining the figures the scribes had recorded. The richest merchant, the leader of the group, gave Jon what he described as a most generous tentative offer. It was an enormous sum in Dutch guilders, but the merchant had left room for further negotiations. He explained the value of a few gold and silver items needed clarification because of artistic value. He seemed unsurprised when Jon informed him that another group planned to appraise the chests but made sure Jon understood his group might raise their initial offer. The group Reylana had recommended came two days later. After a succinct process, they placed a bid a quarter again over the offer from their peers in Amsterdam. The Amsterdam group, informed of a higher bid, countered with a bid half again larger than their original offer, which Jon accepted. The revenue produced by the chests and prize meant each crew member would net eight year's worth of wages in guilders; the officer's portion would make each financially independent for life. Secrets are hard to keep aboard a ship and the crew knew Reylana's suggestion had yielded the equivalent of two extra years of wages for each man. Gustoff's mother Reylana became a very popular person in the eyes of the crew.

The next day, Jon received a written dispatch from the Estates General. It contained an official proclamation lauding the ship's accomplishments and ordered him to deliver
Abraham's Youngest Son
to a dry dock facility in Amsterdam. The last few lines of the dispatch were even more surprising. “Captain Jon van Weir and First Officer Gustoff Roulfs are relieved of their duties at the request of Baron Clifford van Weir and reassigned to his command. The Dutch People will be forever grateful for your service.” Since Jon had envisioned sailing the Jachtschip against the enemy privateers blockading many of the Netherlands's ports, he was truly surprised by the news. Why had his father requested their removal? Unpredictably, when Jon read the letter to Gustoff, he was the one who reacted with calmness for he suspected something amiss when his parents returned so rapidly to Rotterdam. His own father had made no effort to inspect the alterations made to the ship in Venice. They both went to see the Baron, who was still in Amsterdam. The Baron met them without the usual cordial greeting. He simply said, “The Droger Land is in danger, and you are needed.”

Jon's father went on to explain that the crafty Duke of Parma was secretly enlisting new mercenary forces in Germany, in addition to the sixty thousands troops he already commanded. Catholic and Lutheran princes, financed by Parma and promised the spoils of war, were recruiting men for a surprise winter campaign against Central Holland. Parma's goal was to force open Holland's side door. The Baron explained the path chosen ran through the once impassable Great Swamp that divided Germany from the Netherlands. The ever colder winters froze enough of the swamplands to make a mid-winter passage feasible. Parma had carved a route that ran directly through the once impregnable Droger Land. He thought subduing the historic place would shatter morale and inflict a fatal psychological and military defeat upon the Dutch. Once the Droger Land was taken, Parma planned to use the Duchy's plentiful food stores to feed his victorious troops, allowing further strikes into the heart of Holland. The Dutch would be forced to weaken their overall defenses, transferring troops north to meet this new threat. Once the southern defensive perimeter was weakened, Parma could justify the use of the troops prematurely massed for the invasion of England, for a quick and decisive conquest of Holland and Zeeland. He could promise Phillip II the final termination of the Dutch rebellion. Dutch spies were reporting that Spanish ships were using the few ports they held in the Northern Quarter to funnel huge amounts of munitions to this assembling army, which was accompanied by Spanish engineers who had the skills needed to build the causeways and bridges to span the swampland.

Sadly, the Droger Land was being offered little help by the Dutch politicians at The Hague, who were recommending its evacuation. They thought it better to meet this new threat in the more defensible marshlands, as Lady Hester van Weir had once done. The young men didn't need to be told the idea of surrendering the homeland without a fight was preposterous. They only needed to be told the role they were expected to play. The usually stoic Baron could not resist a smile as he told them the initial defense would begin on water. Jon would take command of the existing gunboat fleet and defend Lake Derick while coordinating a series of early ambushes deep inside the swamp. Despite the help from Spanish engineers, it was not easy for the German mercenaries to build a road across the swamplands, and the Baron trusted his son would make it even more difficult.

Gustoff began to understand why his father's seemed disinterested in the Jachtschip as the Baron explained his role. Gustoff would command a brand new fleet that Henri was already building in Rotterdam. This fleet would have awesome firepower. It would be Gustoff's job to assist his father with the construction of the boats which the Baron described as floating gun platforms. Some cannons had already been acquired, but it would also be Gustoff's responsibility to find more. He would also have the responsibility to train local volunteers to man the new fleet. The Baron told Gustoff he had six weeks to complete his assigned tasks and he was to leave for Rotterdam immediately. The Baron smiled as he issued a command. “Admiral Gustoff Roulfs, you are dismissed for your immediate departure.”

The rush to reach Rotterdam became an endurance test for “Admiral” Gustoff Roulfs. He had hardly adjusted to walking on dry ground when suddenly he'd been forced to endure straddling a saddle. The Baron ensured his swift departure and safe arrival by dispatching a few of his best cavalrymen to accompany him and possibly to protect the saddlebag on his horse which was filled with guilders. After those months at sea, the long ride became painful as Gustoff struggled to keep pace with the expert horsemen. Despite the soreness, Gustoff, clad in his naval uniform and mounted on a magnificent Frisian charger, made an impressive sight as he entered Rotterdam's main gate. It was apparent that the population had grown, as had so much of Holland, during his absence. The ensuing construction boom was evident as Guild members worked at a frenzied pace to build homes for refugees. Every parcel of dry ground was being utilized. The population was also swelled by unemployed sailors, whose slower merchant ships were confined to port lest they become victims of faster Spanish privateers and warships. The streets near the Rotterdam market place were crowded with shoppers, a sure sign that the local economy was thriving. Gustoff was greeted warmly by the predominately female bystanders. Some older women yelled, “Remember Gustoff, Rotterdam is your home, no matter what Amsterdam is proclaiming!” The city seemed pleased with his return, but like other smaller Dutch cities, the people were a bit jealous of Amsterdam's rapid growth in wealth and power.

After the long ride, Gustoff felt obligated to treat his escorts to the traditional Dutch midday meal. The tavern he chose was a gathering place for the city's shipwrights, who greeted him as a returning hero. Some questioned him about the voyage to Venice, but most wanted to gossip about his father's more recent behavior. At a time when most forests in Holland wee stripped of their hard wood, and the Rhine River deliveries of oak had been blocked by the war, rumors were running amok that his father was making frivolous use of the last oak trees in the Netherlands. These shipbuilders, forced to import timber from sources as far away as the Scandinavian countries, watched enviously as barge load after barge load of oak timber arrived at his father's shipyard from the Droger Land. Rumors abounded that the treasured oak was being used to build common barges. Such vessels were always made of lowly pine wood. They transported livestock and produce from countryside to the marketplaces in the towns and cities. Henri's peers were even more amazed when a few other prominent shipwrights abandoned their own projects to help fabricate these “pig barges”. With that kind of assistance, Gustoff knew his father needed little help from him in completing the fleet. Building
Abraham's Youngest Son,
had taught his father the stress discharging cannons brought upon a vessel's frame. Gustoff surmised he had been sent to arm the fleet, not help build it. It was the reason the Baron had entrusted him with the huge amount of Dutch guilders with instructions to use his own judgment when making purchases. Gustoff knew the Baron was able to buy a number of cannons in Amsterdam and planned to “borrow” the ten from the Jachtschip. Once Gustoff saw the new fleet, he would know the exact number still needed.

Following the mid-day meal with his escorts, Gustoff's arrival at the shipyard went almost unnoticed. Everyone's attention was focused on the launch of the first barge into the estuary. At first glance, Gustoff was taken by the sheer brilliance of the design. The vessel did look like a common barge from a distance. The hull had the usual shape of an elongated pentagon but this was not a common barge. It rode lower in the water and the flat-bottomed, oval interior caught his attention. His father had installed a firing platform at the bow. The oval-shaped interior allowed space for two gun placements mid-ship. Three guns could be fired in the same direction with enough space for the crews to load them simultaneously. This gave each barge the capacity to fire their cannons in chorus at a single target. The bow sat squat in the water which meant it provided a low silhouette for the enemies return fire. The three powerful guns would make every barge an offensive weapon, capable of bringing a terrible cascade of cannon fire to any battle. The distribution of weight would allow it to be easily beached. Once run aground, a few of these boats could form a defensive perimeter, as galleys often did in the Mediterranean. Such placement would allow them to defend themselves against superior opponents with concentrated fire. For propulsion, a triangular sail was placed near the stern, and the sheer weight of the heavy oak mast gave balance to the weight of the cannon at the bow when underway. He noticed his father had added an assortment of iron rings to the frame to secure the ropes needed to temper the recoil of the guns. When he visited the boathouses, where other barges were in various stages of construction, he noticed another brilliant innovation. The inner wall of each barge was being reinforced with strips of copper and linen, giving crewmen added protection from small arms fire. It was an innovation prompted by his father's own experience on Lake Derick. Gustoff realized that three cannons were needed to arm each of the ten barges. He knew the Baron had purchased six and plans to borrow ten from the Jachtschip. Gustoff reasoned he needed to find fourteen more to fully equip the fleet. His first thought was: “Where do you find that many cannons in the middle of a war?”

That night his family celebrated his return. Gustoff was exhausted after the somewhat painful journey but anxious to speak privately with his parents. He enjoyed bantering with his older brothers but hoped they would soon leave. Gustoff knew the time had come to mend some fences. When his brothers left, he astonished his mother by asking her to manage the enormous sum of guilders he personally received from the voyage. He went on to tell his father the world renowned shipbuilders at the famous Venetian Arsenal thought
Abraham's Youngest Son
was the finest warship in the world. It was obvious that both his parents were pleased with his words.

Before he knew what was happening, his insistent parents ushered him into a little Kaag on the estuary. They sailed a distance behind a brisk wind which attempted to carry the little boat to the sea. His father fought the wind and steered the little boat to shore near the Great Mound. Gustoff knew his parents always liked this place and had no idea they had recently discovered the Great Mound and the surrounding countryside were for sale. Nor did he know they had decided to use the remaining diamonds to buy the property. In the bright moonlight, his parents motioned for him to follow them as they climbed to the top of the mound. Gustoff knew his parents enjoyed the magnificent view. When they reached the summit, Reylana and Henri informed Gustoff they had purchased the Mound and the adjacent property for him. Gustoff was rendered speechless by the magnitude of the gift. Later he told his parents he would build a home on the land but the mound and the view would forever belong to them alone.

The next morning, a still tired Gustoff was reunited with Hector and Kahili. The old Friesian warrior was still an impressive sight, still wearing his chain mail against his bare skin. Hector had been mentoring Kahili as he had once done for Gustoff and the boy looked anything but a slave. Reylana had the former stowaway dressed in the apparel of a young burger. A beaming smile told Gustoff that the boy had adjusted to his new surroundings, as he had done on the Jachtschip. Gustoff remembered it had only taken the boy a few days to win over the crew that originally wanted to toss him overboard. Kahili had a certain magnetism that transcended the language barriers. In those first days aboard the ship, he taught the crew to prepare Moroccan food in a manner more palatable to Dutch appetites. Kahili had magically transformed the coarse North African flour received from the Moors into digestible flat bread. He also showed the crew how to convert exotic fruits, such as dates, into tasty nutritious cakes and jams. The fresh food ended the initial stages of scurvy and the ailing crew members credited the boy for their swift recoveries. Kahili also won some praise for the role he played in deceiving the Spanish fleet. While he was not voted a share of the ship's prize money, the boatswain passed a seamen's cap on his behalf and everyone was remarkably generous to the boy. It was obvious that Gustoff's parents liked him too. Gustoff requisitioned Hector's services from his father and took Kahili along as he began the difficult mission of finding cannons. It was Hector who reminded Gustoff that an unusually large number of merchant vessels were confined to port by the threat of faster privateers. All Dutch ships carried some type of armament for protection. Hector surmised they would find a few captains stressed enough financially to part with a cannon or two. They began visiting the ships and were able to purchase four suitable cannons and an assortment of small arms in exchange for guilders. Hector did most of the negotiating for his intimating presence yielded the best price. Whatever weapons they acquired was loaded on the empty timber barges returning to the Droger Land. As the word spread among the moored ships, that guns could be exchanged for guilders, three more cannons and other smaller arms were purchased.

Gustoff's oldest brother Teewes, a fine shipwright himself, was given the responsibility of refurbishing the fleet of existing gunboats in the Droger Land. The old boats were well maintained but were aging. The fresh water of the lake had a less corrosive effect than sea water, yet time and use would have taken its toll on even the dense' oak timber. Sebastian planned to replace planking and reinforce each frame so larger caliber swivel guns could be mounted on both the bow and stern. A second swivel for the boats was first proposed by the Baron many years before. Gustoff hoped to accompany his brother. He knew he needed time to turn farmers and merchants into sailors and artillerymen. It was then that his mother, who still had contacts among the maritime community, including smugglers, volunteered to find the cannons still needed to fully arm the barges.

Meanwhile, Jon delivered
Abraham's Youngest Son
to a dry dock in Amsterdam after off-loading the last of the cannons on a barge bound for the Droger Land. With his ship secure, he bid farewell to his few remaining crew members and joined his father for the trip home. In many ways, father and son, were strangers. By aristocratic standards, Jon van Weir was properly raised, even if his Uncle Karl had been the only father figure he knew during his adolescent years. Leaving a family and going to war was, by law and tradition, proper for the nobility, but Jon found it anything but proper. His father's legendary status made the young man duty bound to accept the situation. Yet it bothered him that his father never had spoken to him about his mother. Most of the things Jon knew of her came only from childhood memories. His father and even his uncle never mentioned his mother in his presence. Only Sara, on rare occasions, would tell him a story or two about his mother. To Jon's surprise, his father ended his silence. It came as they sat at the bow of a barge overflowing with military supplies. This awaited discussion would be in reality a narrative, his father speaking, and Jon listening.

His father began, “Some of these Germans invaders are from Lower Saxony, your mother's people. We might have an old family score to settle with one or two of the princes who might lead them. These German nobles come to battle with a banner bearing a white horse on a red background. It is the ancient honored Saxon Coat of Arms. Some of the princes do not deserve the veneration of that sacred standard.”

Jon knew his mother, Lillian of Emsland, had descended from the prominent Wettin line of Electors in Saxony, one of eleven noble families who elected the German Emperor. He was aware Prince Fredrick, his German grandfather, had a conversion to Lutheranism that conflicted with the religious viewpoint of the then reigning Catholic sovereign Charles V. The estrangement only worsened when Charles V was crowned Holy Roman Emperor without Fredrick's support. As the new emperor, Charles planned a preemptive strike against the Lutheran princes to re-establish one universal Catholic Church within his realm. He thought the reformation princes not just heretics, but hypocrites, who used their affiliation with the new religion to steal church property. He assumed military pressure would return them to the universal church, if they were allowed to keep some of what they had already stolen from the church. Charles decided one of Luther's fervent followers needed to be militarily humiliated to provide a lesson to the rest.

Because Fredrick was one of the most respected leaders of the heretical princes, the emperor's lesson began with an unexpected attack on Fredrick's homeland of Emsland. Charles V led an overwhelmingly powerful imperial force of trained and well-armed soldiers, expecting a quick victory. Instead, Fredrick and his subjects ferociously defended themselves against the onslaught of the imperial army. They fought on hopelessly and alone while other Protestant princes, paralyzed by fear, sent no assistance. For three improbable weeks, against incalculable odds, Fredrick held his castle and his walled towns. His forces inflicted so many casualties on the Imperial Army that Charles V was forced into a more benevolent posture. The Emperor proposed honorable terms that spared the people and offered freedom of religion to Emsland until the issue was decided for the entire German nation. In the end, it was a glorious defeat, but nevertheless a defeat for Fredrick. He had little choice to accept Charles's terms which included a term of exile in Italy, battling foreign enemies. Charles V took control of Emsland but pledged to return the ancestral homeland to Fredrick when the campaign on the Italian Peninsula ended. Fredrick's only heir, thirteen year old Princess Lillian, was taken as a hostage by Charles to assure her father's compliance. A year later, Fredrick died battling the Emperor's enemies near Rome, unquestionably keeping his commitment. The Emperor never had any intention of keeping his.