n
a two-hour fight at close quarters eight of the Spanish ships were
captured, seven destroyed, and 1200 Spaniards killed. The Spanish
commander, Julian Romero, escaped through a port-hole, is said to
have remarked afterwards, "I told you I was a land fighter and no
sailor; give me a hundred fleets and I would fare no better."

In September following, Admiral Boisot brought some of his victorious
ships and sailors to the relief of Leyden, whose inhabitants and
garrison had been reduced by siege to the very last extremities.
The campaign that followed was typical of this amphibious war.
Boisot's force, with those already an the scene, numbered about
2500, equipped with some 200 shallow-draft boats and row-barges
mounting an average of ten guns each. Among them was the curious
_Ark of Delft_, with shot-proof bulwarks and paddle-wheels turned
by a crank. As a result of ruthless flooding of the country, ten
of the fifteen miles between Leyden and the outer dyke were easily
passed; but five miles from the city ran the Landscheidung or inner
dyke, which was above water, and beyond this an intricate system
of canals and flooded polders, with forts and villages held by a
Spanish force four times as strong. The most savage fighting on
decks, dykes, and bridges marked every step forward; the Dutch in
their native element attacking with cutlass, boathook and harpoon,
while the superior military discipline of the Spanish could not
come in play. But at least 20 inches of water were necessary to
float the Dutch vessels, and it was not until October 3 that a
spring tide and a heavy northwest gale made it possible to reach the
city walls. In storm and darkness, terrified by the rising waters,
the Spanish fled. The relief of the city marked a turning-point in
the history of the revolt.

During the six terrible years of Alva's rule in the Netherlands
(1567-1573) the Dutch sea forces contributed heavily toward the
maintenance of the war, assured control of the Holland and Zealand
coasts, and more than once, as at Brill and Leyden, proved the
salvation of the patriot cause. Holland and Zealand, the storm-centers
of rebellion, were not again so devastated, though the war dragged
on for many years, maintained by the indomitable spirit of William
of Orange until his assassination in 1584, and afterward by the
military skill of Maurice of Nassau and the aid of foreign powers.
The seven provinces north of the Scheldt, separating from the Cat