"All right; we will be ready as soon as he is. What's the row on deck?" continued Perth, rising from his seat, as a group of students gathered in the rigging, and on such elevations as would enable them to see over the bulwarks.
"Only one of Mapps's long yarns," answered Wilton.
"I'm going down to see what it is."
Perth went down, but Wilton had not the slightest interest in anything Mr. Mapps had to say; and he stretched himself on the jib, which had been cast loose ready to hoist, in case it should be required.
"This is the place where the Duke of Parma built his great bridge over the Scheldt," said the professor of history, as the students gathered around him.
"What did he build the bridge for?" asked one of them.
"In order to close the navigation of the river, and thus prevent the people of Antwerp from obtaining provisions, which came to them from Holland. When the Prince of Orange was assassinated, the Duke of Parma was making his preparations to subdue the country. By the death of the prince Holland was left without an effective leader, while in the duke Spain had one of the most accomplished and energetic generals of his age. Parma saw that Antwerp was the key to the situation, and he directed his whole attention to its capture.
"Before this time the Prince of Orange had realized that the loss of Antwerp would be the loss of the whole of the region which is now called Belgium; and when it was clear in what direction his skilful antagonist proposed to operate, he had advised the cutting of the dike on your right, which would lay the country under water, and open a channel of communication with Holland and Zealand by water. Unfortunately, his advice was disregarded till the duke had secured the dikes—a neglect which caused the loss of Antwerp, and with it the whole of Flanders.
"Though Parma had erected forts all along the banks of the river, the hardy Dutchmen ran the gantlet of them, and Antwerp was well supplied with food, the price being four times as much as in Holland. The people of the city, and even their leaders, ridiculed the idea of constructing the bridge, and took no steps to prevent it. The death of Orange caused a panic throughout the Netherlands, of which the shrewd Parma took advantage, and urged on his preparations. Though crippled in a measure by the neglect of his sovereign to supply him with men and money, the bridge was completed in the face of tremendous obstacles. It was twenty-four hundred feet long, and composed of thirty-two boats, or vessels, bound together by hawsers, cables, and beams. On each side was a wall of timbers, and on the structure guns were planted for its defence. A fort was erected at each end, heavily armed and manned.
"When the bridge was finished, the Antwerpers, who had laughed to scorn the idea of such a structure, found that their supplies were cut off. They made two attempts to break through the bridge, but failed in both, though in one of them they made a breach by exploding a fire-ship, and destroyed nearly a thousand Spanish soldiers, and Parma himself was knocked senseless. The attempt was not followed up with sufficient energy, and the Spaniard had time to repair the work. Antwerp, deprived of provisions by the skill and determination of the duke, was starved out and compelled to surrender. The country continued under the Spanish yoke, while the United Provinces maintained their independence."