Breydel, for his part, listened to the horrible recital dispassionately enough, for all was as nothing to him after the murder of her who had given him birth; but Deconinck's emotion sensibly increased as each scene in the hideous tragedy was unrolled before him. It was not the details of the narrative, however, exciting as they were, that thus affected him: patriotism and love of liberty were the two mainsprings of his soul, and in these all his energies were concentrated. He felt that the latest moment had arrived for commencing in earnest the work of regeneration; that moment must not be lost, or the event of that day would spread terror through the Flemish people, and utterly subdue their spirit. The necessary information obtained, he dismissed the craftsman, and sat for some time silent, his head supported on his hand, while Breydel awaited impatiently the result of his cogitations.
Suddenly he started from his reverie. "Friend," he exclaimed, "sharpen your ax; chase sorrows from your heart! Up; we will break the chains from off our country's neck!"
"What is it you mean?" inquired Breydel.
"Listen: the husbandman waits till the cold of the morning has driven the caterpillars into their nest, then he plucks it from the tree, sets his foot upon it, and with one stamp of his heel crushes the whole brood. Do you understand me now?"
"Apply your parable," replied the Butcher. "Oh, my friend, a bright gleam of hope breaks in upon me through my dark despair. But go on, go on!"
"Well, then, the French tyrants have preyed upon our country like noisome insects; and like them they shall be crushed—ay, as though a mountain had fallen upon them. Cheer up, Master Jan; judgment is gone forth against them.
Your mother's death shall be requited with usury, and the blood we will shed shall wash the stain of slavery from the Flemish name."
Breydel's eyes wandered restlessly round the tent, seeking in vain for his ax; at last he remembered that it had been taken from him. Seizing Deconinck's hand:
"My friend!" he said wifh strong emotion, "more than once you have been my preserver; but hitherto it was life alone I owed you; henceforth I shall be your debtor for all its peace and joy. But now make haste, and tell me by what means you meditate accomplishing this vengeance, that my satisfaction may be unalloyed, and free from any lingering doubt."
"Have patience for a moment, you will soon hear all; for I must immediately lay my project before a general council of the Deans, which I am now about to call."
He hurried out, and despatched one of the sentinels through the encampment, to summon the superior officers to meet at Breydel's tent. Shortly afterward, they all stood before it in a circle, to the number of thirty, when Deconinck thus addressed them:
"Comrades! the solemn hour is come, which must bring us liberty or death. Long enough have we borne the brand of shame upon our foreheads; it is time that we demand from our tyrants an account of our brothers' blood; and if it shall so be that we lose our lives in our country's cause—remember, comrades, that the slave drops his fetters on the threshold of the tomb; we shall sleep with our fathers, free, and without reproach. But no; we shall conquer—I feel it, I know it: the Black Lion of Flanders shall not die! Right and justice, I need not tell you, are all on our side. The strangers have plundered our land; they have imprisoned our Count, with all the nobles that were true to their prince and their country; the Lady Philippa they have poisoned; our good city of Bruges they have laid waste with the sword; and on our own proper soil and territory they have hung up our brethren as infamous malefactors. The blood-stained corpses of those who were nearest and dearest to our friends lie even now unburied among us; unhappy victims of these foreign despots, they have voices which cry in your hearts for vengeance! Well then, now to the purpose for which I have called you together; but remember, what I say to you you must bury in your hearts, as in the depths of the grave. The French garrison have wearied themselves out with this day's wicked work; they will sleep soundly—most of them only to wake, I trust, on the day of judgment. Say nothing to your men; but to-morrow morning, two hours before sunrise, have them ready under arms in the wood behind St. Cross. I shall myself proceed instantly to Ardenburg, to make my arrangements there, and to send the necessary orders to Dean Lindens at Sluys; for I must be in Bruges before the day is over. I see you are surprised; well, one thing there is that we must not forget; there is a Frenchman in Bruges whom we may not harm, for his blood would assuredly be upon our heads."
"The Governor De Mortenay," here interrupted several voices.
"The same," pursued Deconinck; "he has ever treated us with consideration, and shown that he feels for the calamities of our country. Many a time he has restrained that execrable wretch. Van Gistel, in his persecutions, and obtained pardon or mitigation of sentence for such as were condemned to suffer. We must not sully our rightful arms with the blood of the just; and it is to provide
