The Captives of Castle Dreken.

Auckland Star, Volume XXII, Issue 247, 17 October 1891, Page 3 (Supplement)

The Captives of Castle Dreken.

A True Story of Old Holla__d,

By T. C. Harbaugh,

I take ib for granbed thab you have heard of bhe cruel Duke of Alva, who, 300 years ago marched into the Low Countries ab the head of a great army to oppress the people who were worshipping God according to the commands of bhe Bible. He was bhe very man bo carry oub the commands of Philip, his royal master, and as soon as he entered Holland he commenced his cruel work. Everywhere thousands fled to escape torture and death. Many found their way to England, where they were safe; others fled to secret caverns and hid themselves there ; but thousands perished by fire and sword, and the beautiful Low Countries, wibh their once happy homes, were devastated and rendered unfit for people to inhabit any longer. High above the banks of the Rhine, and nob very far from bhe place whore ib enters the North Sea, stood, at the time of the invasion, an old structure called Castle Dreken. It was.a picturesque pile of stone, and in the days of its glory had witnessed some stirring and magnificent events. Bub now it was nob inhabibed, its line of Dukes having expired, and for some bime ib had been bhe abode of the owl and bhe bat. One day the soldiers of the Duke ofj_lva made their appearance in the district thab surrounded Casble Dreken and spread conebernabion among bhe humble inhabitants. Among bhese were bwo orphan children named Caspar and MargarebGrossen. They were prebby libble Hollanders with healthy complexions aud clear blue eyes, and could eing like larks. Caspar was twelve, and jusb one year older bhan his sisber, bub Margaret was quite as tall as he, so that many who did nob know their ages thought thentwins. The children had heard so much about bhe cruel Duke of Alva that when thoy heard that he had actually marched into the disbricb bhey planned to escape. Far above their humble home towered the Castle Dreken. They knew the narrow path which led up to it, for they had often hunted to the very gates of the old pile for flowers of a kind which the lower lands did nob produce; and once they entered the castle and climbed to its decaying towers. It was natural, therefore, that the children should think Castle Dreken a safe retreat from the Duke and his Dillaging soldiers, and one day they stole from the cottage, where they lived with an old lady who had sheltered them from the day of their orphaning, and went up the cliffs to the castle. Margaret carried in her apron some cakes and her knitting, while Casper before departing had slipped into his bosom several leaves of the psalms, the last gift of his dying mother. Thus equipped the little fugitives fled from before the Duke of Alva, and after a hard journey, reached the grim old castle and entered. ' They won't look for us here,' said Casper, merrily, when they had ascendod the rickety steps to the lofty keep where bhere was a libble chamber which looked very much like a prison. 'We can live here unbil tho Duke rides away with his men, and then we will surprise Aunb Gretchon by returning suddenly to the cobbage.' 'Do shub bhe door if you can, Casper,' said Margareb. 'The wind blows cold up here and I am chilly.' Casper applied himself bo the task, but the heavy door bad stood open so long that it was hard to shut, and Margareb had to come bo his assistance. The two childron tugged hard ab the door, bub at last thoy shut ib ;~ but when they had done so they looked at each other with frightened faces. ' Did you hear it, sister ?' asked Casper. 'The strange sound that followed the shutting of the door ?' * Yes, it sounded to me like the moving of a bolt into its place. Whab if bhe old door haß a secret lock ?' Casper sprang forward and seized the heavy iron latch. Then he braced himself and tugged at the door with all his mighb, bub hia strength was insufficient to move ib an inch, and he burned to his sister with a look of despair. ' Though we ate locked in, God will nob deserb us,' said Margareb, cheerfully, and after awhile she took oub her knitting and, standing by the iron-barred window, plied her needles as if she were working in the sun before the cottage far beneath; The little captives of Castle Dreken saw the day fade and night approach. Now and then they noticed a fire far away, and in the light they could, see moving figures like those of mounted men. ' Look, Margaret,' cried Caspar. ' The torch of the cruel Duke is at work, bub he musb nob bhink bhab he can sbamp oub the people's religion by such means.' Ib was too dark for the children to read the leaves of the Biblo which Caspar had brought to the old castle, bub bhey had read the psalms together so often thab they did not need a light for this purpose, and while they watched the work of the army in the low lands they repeated some of the sweetest chapters in concert. Sitting on the hard floor they ate some ot Margaret's cakes, and, tired and sleepy, ab last lay down and, with their caps for pillows, slept the sleep of the innocent. Early the nexb morning the two orphans were awake, and, after singing a song of praise, they tried the door again, bub it would nob move. They could see thab the soldiers were sbill in bhe district, but towards noon the whole troop rode away across the country, and Caspar and Margareb wabched them oub of sight. Ib was plain to thetn that the soldiers had left for good, but thi3 did not put an end to their imprisonment. They were still the captives of Castle Dreken. That night they devoured last of libtft Margareb's cake, and Caspar sighed deeply when he scraped bogether bhe last crumbs and offered them to his sister. 4 We must send a message to the people below,' said Margaret. 'Nobody will think of looking for us here, for Castle Dreken is said to be haunted.' 'But fche message, Margareb ? How will we send ib ?' The children thoughb of several plans, only to abandon all; bub Casper ab lasb book one of bhe Bible leaves from his bosom and began to prick little holes in it around the margin. « What are you doing ?' cried Margaret, watching him curiously for some time. •I am writing the message. Do you take off one of my shoes while I work, so bhab we will loose no bime. Margareb looked ab Caspar amazed, bub obeyed, and when he had finished his bask, which he had been enabled bo complebe by the aid of a splinter he had plucked from the floor he read what he had written, as follows : 'We aro prisoners in the keep of Castle Dreken. The door has a secret- lock and we cannot geb out. We are praising God all the time, for he has preserved us from the cruel Duke of Alva. " Blessed be His holy name. • CASKS*. AND MAItGAItET.'

Casper folded the leaf carefully and placed it in his wooden shoe, which Margareb had removed while he wrobe wibh bhe splinber. He then bore some lining from his jackeb which he also stuffed inbo bhe.shoe bo keep bhe paper from falling out, and bhe next moment he had thrown the message from bhe window, and they were watching it fall down, down toward the river which ran so far below. • Ib may nob be found,' said Margaret. ' Or ib may roll inbo the river.' 'In that case ib will fioab,' quickly responded Caspar. 'Ib will be like casting bread upon the waters. Please God, we shall hear from our message ere long.' Night once more spread her dark wings over Castle Dreken and its litble captives. They saw bhe last rays of light fade with no little sorrow, but hand in hand by the window they stood, and sang the sweet songs of their native land until, tired oub, bhey sank bo sleep. They were compelled bo go to bed hungry, for Margaret's cakes had disappeared, and unless help came soon, bhey would never go back to Aunb Gretchen's cottage at the edge of the wood beneath. Meantime the shoe containing the message of the captives of the castle had fallen on the steep bank of the Rhine and rolled from, the place of its striking into the river. For a second ib was complebely submerged, bub coming to the surface again, ib floated away, bounding hither and thither like a libble boat. Ab lasb bhe shoe washed ashore a long way down bhe river, and when daylight came ib was picked up by a half-witted fisher boy called Joost. Joosb laughed a good deal over his prize, and running across the field with ib showed it to Aunb Grebchen, who turned pale the moment she saw ib, and asked whore he had found it. .' Ib is my Caspar's shoe!' exclaimed bhe old lady, and bhen, to the boy's astonishmenb she pulled bhe woollen from ib and broughb forth the message pricked into the leaf from bhe Bible. In a short time the excited dame had called in somo neighbours, all of whom agreed from the tirsb bhab bhe leaf bore some kind of a message from bhe losb children, and ib was nob unbil bho school-master had joined the party thab the mystery was solved. ' They musb have found bhe shoe and its message!' cried Caspar at the window, when he saw a number of people running toward the foot of the narrow path up the cliff, and then he and Margaret watchhd the eager men in silence. By and by they disappeared, bub then came loud shouts in the old castle, and ere long tho keep rang with the blows the peasants wero Bhowering on the door with the secret lock. It required a good deal of hammering to break down the strong portal, but it yielded at laab, and bhe little captives of Castle Dreken were released. The rescuers received them with shouts of delighb and escorted them down in triumph, and in Aunb Gretchen's cottage there was a happy time which I shall nob attempt to describe. Caspar and Margaret lived many years after their thrilling adventure, and preserved bo tho lasb the wooden shoe and the message which had saved them from perishing in the old castle while hiding from the wicked Duko of Alva.