and both rolled to the ground. A fortunate carbine-shot
from one of the Dutch captain’s comrades went
through the Spaniard’s head. Meantime the
little band, so insignificant in numbers, was driven
out of the citadel. Mol fell to the ground with
a shattered leg, and reproached his companions, who
sought to remove him, for neglecting their work in
order to save his life. Let them take the fort,
he implored them, and when that was done they might
find leisure to pick him up if they chose. While
he was speaking the principal tower of the fortress
blew up, and sixty of the garrison were launched into
the air. A well-directed shot had set fire to
the magazine. The assault was renewed with fresh
numbers, and the Dutch were soon masters of the place.
Never was a stronghold more audaciously or more successfully
stormed. The garrison surrendered. The women
and children, fearing to be at the mercy of those
who had been depicted to them as cannibals, had already
made their escape, and were scrambling like squirrels
among the volcanic cliffs. Famine soon compelled
them to come down, however, when they experienced
sufficiently kind treatment, but were all deported
in Dutch vessels to the Philippine islands. The
conquerors not only spared the life of the King of
Tydor, but permitted him to retain his crown.
At his request the citadel was razed to the ground.
It would have been better perhaps to let it stand,
and it was possible that in the heart of the vanquished
potentate some vengeance was lurking which might bear
evil fruit at a later day. Meantime the Portuguese
were driven entirely out of the Moluccas, save the
island of Timos, where they still retained a not very
important citadel.
The East India Company was now in possession of the
whole field. The Moluccas and the clove trade
were its own, and the Dutch republic had made manifest
to the world that more potent instruments had now been
devised for parcelling out the new world than papal
decrees, although signed by the immaculate hand of
a Borgia.
During the main operations already sketched in the
Netherlands, and during those vastly more important
oriental movements to which the reader’s attention
has just been called, a detached event or two deserves
notice.
Twice during the summer campaign of this year Du Terrail,
an enterprising French refugee in the service of the
archdukes, had attempted to surprise the important
city of Bergen-op-Zoom. On the 21st August the
intended assault had been discovered in time to prevent
any very serious conflict on, either side. On
the 20th September the experiment was renewed at an
hour after midnight. Du Terrail, having arranged
the attack at three different points, had succeeded
in forcing his way across the moat and through one
of the gates. The trumpets of the foremost Spaniards
already sounded in, the streets. It was pouring
with rain; the town was pitch dark. But the energetic
Paul Bax was governor of the place, a man who was