day.

"What? Not cheer Van der Werf?" cried Ben, indignantly. "One of the
greatest chaps in history? Only think! Didn't he hold out against
those murderous Spaniards for months and months? There was the town,
surrounded on all sides by the enemy; great black forts sending fire
and death into the very heart of the city--but no surrender! Every man
a hero--women and children, too, brave and fierce as lions, provisions
giving out, the very grass from between the paving stones gone--till
people were glad to eat horses and cats and dogs and rats. Then came the
plague--hundreds dying in the streets--but no surrender! Then when they
could bear no more, when the people, brave as they were, crowded about
Van der Werf in the public square begging him to give up, what did the
noble old burgomaster say? 'I have sworn to defend this city, and with
God's help, I MEAN TO DO IT! If my body can satisfy your hunger, take
it, and divide it among you, but expect no surrender so long as I am
alive.' Hurrah! hur--"

Ben was getting uproarious; Lambert playfully clapped his hand over his
friend's mouth. The result was one of those quick India-rubber scuffles
fearful to behold but delightful to human nature in its polliwog state.

"Vat wash te matter, Pen?" asked Jacob, hurrying forward.

"Oh! nothing at all," panted Ben, "except that Van Mounen was afraid of
starting an English riot in this orderly town. He stopped my cheering
for old Van der--"

"Ya! ya--it ish no goot to sheer--to make te noise for dat. You vill
shee old Van der Does's likeness mit te Stadhuis."

"See old Van der Does? I thought it was Van der Werf's picture they had
there."

"Ya," responded Jacob, "Van der Werf--vell, vot of it! Both ish just ash
goot--"

"Yes, Van der Does was a noble old Dutchman, but he was not Van der
Werf. I know he defended the city like a brick, and--"

"Now vot for you shay dat, Penchamin? He no defend te city mit breek,
he fight like goot soltyer mit his guns. You like make te fun mit
effrysinks Tutch."

"No! No! No! I said he defended the city LIKE a brick. That is very high
praise, I would have you understand. We English call even the Duke of
Wellington a brick."

Jacob looked puzzled, but his indignation was already on the ebb.

"Vell, it ish no matter. I no tink, before, soltyer mean breek, but it
ish no matter."

Ben laughed good-naturedly, and seeing that his cousin was tired of
talking in English, he turned to his friend of