in 1697 Peter the Great lived to see how the Dutchmen built
their ships. The belief that no other motive than the inspection of
this very uninteresting cottage could bring a stranger hither is
a tenet of faith to which the Zaandamer is bound with shackles of
iron. The moment one disembarks the way to Peter's residence begins
to be pointed out. Little boys run before; sturdy men walk beside;
old men (one with a wooden leg) struggle behind. It was later that
the Czar crossed to England and worked in the same way at Deptford;
but no visitor to Deptford to-day is required to see his lodging there.

The real interest of Zaandam is not its connection with Peter the
Great but the circumstance that it was the birthplace of Anton Mauve,
in 1838. He died at Arnheim in 1888, Neither Zaandam nor Arnheim
honours him.

Chapter XIV

Alkmaar and Hoorn, The Helder and Enkhuisen

To Alkmaar by canal--The Cheese Market--The Weigh House
clock--Buyers and sellers--The siege of Alkmaar--To
Hoorn by sea--A Peaceful harbour--Hoorn's explorer
sons--John Haring's bravery--The defeat of De Bossu--Negro
heroes--Hoorn's streets--and museum--Market day--and
Kermis--Nieuwediep--The Helder--The Lighthouse--Hotel
characters--The praise of the porter--Texel--Medemblik--King
Radbod's hesitancy--Enkhuisen--Paul Potter--Sir William Temple
and the old philosopher--The Dromedary.

If the weather is fine one should certainly go to Alkmaar by canal. The
journey by water, on a steamer, is always interesting and intensely
invigorating. It is only one remove from the open sea, so flat is
the country, so free the air.

Alkmaar's magnet is its cheese market, which draws little companies of
travellers thither every Friday in the season. To see it rightly one
must reach Alkmaar on the preceding afternoon, to watch the arrival
of the boats from the neighbouring farms, and see them unload their
yellow freight on the market quay. The men who catch the cheeses are
exceedingly adroit--it is the nearest thing to an English game that
is played in Holland. Before they are finally placed in position the
cheeses are liberally greased, until they glow and glitter like orange
fires. All the afternoon the boats come in, with their collections
from the various dairies on the water. By road also come cheeses in
wagons of light polished wood painted blue within; and all the while
the carillon of the beautiful grave Weigh House is ringi