le
wall and sailed for Germany, leaving his wretched soldiers to withstand
the siege. If ever there was a cowardly, bustling, impotent,
insignificant adventurer, Berent von Mehlen was that man. During his two
years' stay in Sweden he had dabbled in every project that arose, and he
had accomplished absolutely nothing. He had been the hero of a six
months' bloodless siege, that left matters precisely as they had begun;
and he had set on foot a conspiracy that had no object and that ended in
the air. It is a pleasure to dismiss him from our thoughts. His
subsequent career in Germany was of a piece with his career in Sweden.
He scurried about from one court to another, endeavoring to raise an
army with which to conquer Sweden. But nothing came of any of his
projects, and after a short period oblivion settled on his name.[120]

Gustavus now learned definitely that Norby, ever since his fleet left
Gotland, had been in secret conspiracy with Mehlen. He determined,
therefore, that, since the pirate had gained a foothold on the mainland,
Kalmar must be secured at any risk. So he collected men from every
quarter and sent them down to Kalmar to reinforce the town. Some few
weeks later, as the castle had not yielded, he proceeded to the town
himself. The burghers, hoping the conflict would now be ended, welcomed
him with joy. But the garrison still believed in Mehlen, and confidently
awaited his return with aid. Gustavus sent an envoy to the castle, to
persuade the garrison to yield. The answer was, the garrison would not
be yielded till every one of them was dead. But one course, therefore,
was open to the monarch,--the castle must be stormed. This, with the
guns which he possessed, demanded almost more than human strength. The
castle was surrounded on all sides by a moat, beyond which rose a
perpendicular wall of masonry twenty feet in height. This rampart was
washed on three sides by the sea, and on the other was protected by a
broad deep dike and then an outer wall. From within, the rampart was
guarded by eight huge towers that stood out from the castle-walls, and
the four corners of the ramparts were further strengthened by four more
towers with apertures for crossbows, cannon, and muskets. Such was the
fortress that Gustavus, late in July, resolved to storm. He began by
throwing up a line of earthworks, behind which he placed his heavy guns,
hoping to batter down the towers and ramparts, while his pikemen and
halberdiers were