“If the truth must be told,” said Parma, “the sentries were sound asleep.”  Five hundred Zeelanders, with a strong party of sappers and miners, fairly established themselves upon the dyke, between St. George’s and Fort Palisade.  The attack, although spirited at its commencement, was doomed to be unsuccessful.  A co-operation, agreed upon by the fleet from Antwerp, failed through a misunderstanding.  Sainte Aldegonde had stationed certain members of the munition-chamber in the cathedral tower, with orders to discharge three rockets, when they should perceive a beacon-fire which he should light in Fort Tholouse.  The watchmen mistook an accidental camp-fire in the neighbourhood for the preconcerted signal, and sent up the rockets.  Hohenlo understanding, accordingly, that the expedition was on the point of starting from Antwerp, hastened to perform his portion of the work, and sailed up from Lillo.  He did his duty faithfully and well, and established himself upon the dyke, but found himself alone and without sufficient force to maintain his position.  The Antwerp fleet never sailed.  It was even whispered that the delinquency was rather intended than accidental; the Antwerpers being supposed desirous to ascertain the result of Hohenlo’s attempt before coming forth to share his fate.  Such was the opinion expressed by Farnese in his letters to Philip, but it seems probable that he was mistaken.  Whatever the cause, however, the fact of the Zeelanders’ discomfiture was certain.  The St. George battery and that of the Palisade were opened at once upon them, the balls came plunging among the sappers and miners before they had time to throw up many spade-fulls of earth, and the whole party were soon dead or driven from the dyke.  The survivors effected their retreat as they best could, leaving four of their ships behind them and three or four hundred men.

“Forty rebels lay dead on the dyke,” said Parma, “and one hundred and fifty more, at least, were drowned.  The enemy confess a much larger loss than the number I state, but I am not a friend of giving details larger than my ascertained facts; nor do I know how many were killed in the boats.”

This enterprise was but a prelude, however, to the great undertaking which had now been thoroughly matured.  Upon the 26th May, another and most determined attack was to be made upon the Kowenstyn, by the Antwerpers and Hollanders acting in concert.  This time, it was to be hoped, there would be no misconception of signals.  “It was a determination,” said Parma, “so daring and desperate that there was no substantial reason why we should believe they would carry it out; but they were at last solemnly resolved to die or to effect their purpose.”

Two hundred ships in all had been got ready, part of them under Hohenlo and Justinus de Nassau, to sail up from Zeeland; the others to advance from Antwerp under Sainte Aldegonde.  Their destination was the Kowenstyn Dyke.  Some of the vessels were laden with provisions, others with gabions, hurdles, branches, sacks of sand and of wool, and with other materials for the rapid throwing up of fortifications.