The Dutch (22 page)

The morning after their incredible victory, a sense of pure invincibility enveloped the crew of
Abraham's Youngest Son,
boosted by the presence of the surviving young, pretty, and extremely grateful Italian women. Having escaped a life of servitude in a Turkish harem, their deliverance made each looked upon the crew as heroic figures. The young women were in remarkably good shape, considering the ordeal they endured since their capture on the mainland. The grace of God and the value each held in an Ottoman auction had kept them well fed and less abused than one might expect. The victory made the crew believe that God had preordained they would reach Venice safely. Confidence was further elevated when the freed Venetians informed them they had sunk one of the most feared sea raiders in the entire Ottoman fleet. This galley was part of the new Moorish Fleet built after the Battle of Lepanto and had a history of terrorizing the Ionian Sea with impunity. It had captured many Christian ships and led Moorish slavery expeditions that were depopulating parts of the Italian coastline. The freed galley slaves, many once skilled Venetian sailors, were as surprised as their Turkish masters that a little ship like
Abraham's Youngest Son
could have such unexpected firepower. They had never seen cannons used so effectively in a sea battle.

The crew affectionately began calling
Abraham's Youngest Son
a true Jachtschip. They thought their ship a true hunter, because Jon and Gustoff had seemingly laid an ambush for the more powerful galley when everyone else felt all hope was lost. An infection of affection spread throughout the crew for their beloved Jachtschip. The drudgery of constantly washing down the decks with sea water to keep the wood moist and the ship watertight now became a ritual of love in which even the passengers participated. The females were made comfortable on the far end of gun deck and sail cloth was hung to give them some privacy. With the women below deck, near-naked men carefully spruced up
Abraham's Youngest Son.
Every plank was moistened with sea water, and fish oil was applied to the dryer masts and wooden parts of the rigging. Sails were cleaned and mended, hatches were opened and fresh sea air was directed into the ship's interior. Accumulated human waste was removed from the hole, and the bilge was flushed clean with a mixture of vinegar and sea water, removing most of the foul odors that all wooden ships acquired on long voyages. Gun crews polished and re-polished each cannon until green gave way to bronze, which shined golden through the open gun ports. Because of the women on board, the ships officers, crew, and even the diplomats spontaneously began to cleanse themselves. The men helped each other take sea-baths, while their soiled clothes were cleaned by trailing them in nets behind the ship. A little precious fresh water was used to rinse them. Individual bedding was given the same treatment without the rinse. Soon the crew, like the ship, was refreshed. Their hard work had created a better environment. Though the ship was extremely overcrowded, the victory and the cleaning had made the ship a more pleasant place for everyone. The normal irritating sounds of the Son: groaning wood, creaking riggings and flapping sails, became music for everyone on board.

Because good fortune sometimes comes in bunches, they soon encountered a relatively lightly armed carrack flying the flag of the Kingdom of Naples, a loyal Spanish Dominion on the lowest portion of the Italian Peninsula. At first Jon used the threat of the ship's guns to negotiate a purchase of fruit, vegetables, and fresh water from the Carrack's captain who upon hearing the details of the encounter with the Ottoman galley refused all payment for the food and water and willingly gave up a part of his own captain's stores. The Carrack's captain considered his status as a Christian sailor above any allegiance to a far-away king in Spain. Jon declined his offer to deliver the freed slaves to the Italian mainland. It was a decision he would soon question. The fresh food revived everyone's strength and spurred social interaction between the ladies and the crew. It became apparent to Jon; it was the women who were initiating these intimate contacts. Since the overcrowded conditions left little room for privacy, it forced him to repeat his warning regarding fraternization. The women, in better physical shape than the galley slaves, found a spirit of recklessness had come with liberation. To give the females something more constructive to do, Jon allowed them to take over the preparations of the meals, which delighted everyone. He reminded the women that
Abraham's Youngest Son
was a good Christian ship, and that God would only bless their mission if the passengers and crew behaved in an appropriate manner. Jon thought to himself that the ancient gods of his homeland would have expected such behavior. The captain told the women, “When they reach the shore, you are free to behave anyway you want, but on board such conduct must be restrained.” The women began to fear the angry young captain would return them to the sea and the intimate fraternization ceased. Yet even with this distraction, the ship sailed on with a new confidence, secure enough to occasionally sail within plain sight of the Italian coast line.

The morning fog was lifting when the lookout spotted a great fleet of ships across the distant horizon and the sentinel matter-of-factly relayed the news to the quarterdeck. The pilot climbed to the topmast and immediately proclaimed for all to hear “It is a Venetian fleet and it seems to be moving away from us. I can see a large banner with a Venetian lion flying from the top mast of the biggest galley; it must be the flagship.” The Captain ordered the sails reconfigured for more speed, hoping to swiftly overtake the fleet. He had the flag of the House of Prince William of Orange proudly raised to Jachtschip's topmast. Jon and Gustoff hurriedly dressed in their drab charcoal uniforms, while the diplomats, soldiers, freed captives, and the rest of the crew made themselves as presentable as possible. The Jachtschip closed half the distance between them before a Venetian lookout on the fleet's highest mast spotted
Abraham's Youngest Son
and gave the alarm
.
The gigantic galley was the first ship to came about, a difficult maneuver for a ship of that size. It was clear that she was moving to intercept
Abraham's Youngest Son
while signaling for the rest of the Venetian fleet to follow. Jon ordered his own ship's sails furled and the gun ports closed to show peaceful intent. He also had the liberated women brought to the quarterdeck where they could be seen and had the launch made ready for duty and lowered into the water. The boatswain was ordered to deliver the rescued Venetians sailors to the advancing fleet. The Jachtschip drifted leeward while all hands eyed the excitement, as the former galley slaves scrambled aboard the flagship from Venice. The Venetians soon dropped their sails and the distance between them and Jachtschip became stationary. Finally, after excited activity on the Flagship's main deck, two young well-dressed Venetian officers entered the Dutch launch for a return trip to
Abraham's Youngest Son
. One of the officers attached a large Venetian flag to the launch's stern, a signal for all to see that the Dutch boat was now under the protection of the Republic of Venice.

For centuries, that same standard bearing the Venetian Lion had flown over all Venetian ships, marking Venice as the true queen of the Adriatic Sea. The Venetian Republic had grown strong controlling the lucrative trade between Europe and Asia, and the independent city-state became wealthy and powerful, building an empire in the process. Because of Venice's importance in funneling trade from the east to the rest of Europe, this relatively small Italian state became a world power whose ambassadors exerted influence in all the Royal Courts of Europe. That dominance only increased when Venice, because of its geographical location, became the departure point for Christian Crusaders on the way to war in the Holy Land. The Venetians were paid handsomely in gold when their fleets ferried various Crusader armies to the holy battlefields. For three hundred years, and many waves of crusades, Venetian leaders had manipulated each new surge of holy warriors to serve its political and military ambitions. Sometimes the price for transporting a holy army was not only gold but the assistance of Crusader armies in defeating other Christian rivals of Venice.

One could argue that the fall of Constantinople to the Turks in 1453 A.D., while giving the Venetians a windfall of new land holdings along the Adriatic Sea, marked the beginning of a decline in Venetian power. The desire for less restrictive trade had motivated Venice too foolishly align itself with the Ottoman Turks which helped the Moors capture Christian Constantinople. Soon irreconcilable religious differences lost the newly Moorish city as Venice's major trading partner. The gains in territory along the Adriatic that came with the short-lived alliance only brought them into closer proximity to the Ottoman Empire that eventually led to confrontations with the followers of Islam. The aggressiveness of the Ottomans forced the independent Venetians to seek strong allies among the major Christian powers like France, Spain, and coalitions of Italian city-states under the influence of the Pope. Only thirteen years earlier, the eminent loss of the Venetian-controlled island of Cyprus forced an alliance with Spain and the Pope against an Ottoman onslaught from the sea. In the famous naval battle of Lepanto in 1571, Venice and her Christian allies met the Moorish fleet in one of the largest sea battles in history. The two fleets of over two hundred galleys each were equally matched, but the Christian Alliance prevailed by capturing or destroying most of the Ottoman ships. Many thought the triumph ended the Muslim supremacy in the Mediterranean Sea. All knew a squadron of gigantic Venetian galleys, recently built at the famed Arsenal, had played the pivotal role in the Christian victory. Yet, with the Islamic threat diminished, Christian unity evaporated, as did Spanish support, and the former Venetian-controlled island of Cyprus would never be recaptured by the Venetians. It also angered Venice that procrastination by her allies, particularly the Spanish King, had allowed the Ottoman Turks the time needed to rebuild their destroyed navy. The lack of a commitment by her allies for the re-conquest of Cyprus caused Venetian relations with Spain to cool, making new trade agreements with the independent Dutch Republic a distinct possibility. Before the war of independence from Spain, Dutch ships, as part of the Habsburg Empire, had carried on a highly profitable trade in Italy. It was the prime goal of Prince William of Orange, the Estate General, and the three Dutch diplomats on board, to revitalize that lucrative trade, particularly for the commercial fleets of Holland and Zeeland, which were by now financing most of the cost of the Dutch revolt.

The Venetian officers were welcomed aboard
Abraham's Youngest Son
with as much ceremony as the young captain could provide. A seaman beat the ship's only drum and the dozen soldiers provided a guard of honor as Jon and Gustoff individually welcomed each officer to the ship. The young officers came from distinguished Venetian families. Each congratulated Jon and Gustoff for their victory against the hated Ottomans. They brought cordial greetings from Grand Admiral Antonio Schraldi, who had captained a new Venetian galley at Lepanto, but now commanded the main Venetian battle fleet. The two officers also brought an invitation from the Admiral for the officers and representatives of the Dutch government to dine with him on his flagship. At the Venetian's request, the women, still on board, were transferred. Jon allowed the two Englishmen and a Genoa seaman to remain on the Jachtschip. Jon knew the English sailors needed to return home and that the antagonistic relationship between Genoa and Venice would cost the Italian sailor either his life or a return to slavery. A number of small boats arrived from the fleet bearing gifts of fresh water, wine, cheese and even freshly baked loaves of bread. The two visitors, ignoring the constant queries from the three Dutch diplomats, requested a tour of the gun deck, which was granted. They seem fascinated when everyone referred to
Abraham's Youngest Son
as a Jachtschip and it was obvious they had orders from the admiral to be good observers.

The Dutch knew the Venetians to be a proud and sometimes overly pompous people, whose ambassadors provided the leaders of Venice with vital and detailed intelligence. The pageantry of a Venetian welcome could only be surpassed by the knowledge they possessed about the current events in Europe. It was no surprise when they were welcomed aboard the Venetian flagship by the sound of drums and a cascade of cannon fire. The flagship was well adorned with banners, and the main deck filled with the fleet's captains and a host of Venetian nobles dressed in their finest armor. Every uniform featured the famous red and white stripes that always distinguished their troops in battle. As Jon stepped onto the flagship, bugles blared and the new flag of the Dutch Republic, which Jon and Gustoff had never seen, was raised on the foremast. A long rectangular table stretched almost the entire length of the deck. Admiral Antonio Schraldi, a fifty year old noble from one of the republic's most distinguished families was adorned in splendid armor and seated at one end of that table. A less adorned civilian commissioner of Venice, one of the twenty wise men who ruled the Venetian Empire was sitting at the other. The Dutch officers were placed near the admiral, while the three diplomats were greeted by the commissioner and were sat beside him.

Admiral Schraldi welcomed Jon and Gustoff with a toast to their ship and its spectacular victory over the Moors. He surprisingly raised his glass in a second toast to Jon's father, the Baron Clifford van Weir, whom the admiral called the “Savior of Amsterdam.” For a time he questioned Jon about his father's exploits and the tactics the Baron employed against the bandits and the Spanish. It was obvious the admiral had followed the events in the Netherlands quite closely and admired the Dutch resistance to the invasion of their homeland. Yet the grand admiral always returned the conversation to the Jachtschip and the unexpected victory over the Ottoman galley. After many rounds of the best Venetian wine, the admiral, who thought such a victory unlikely, implied that fate had intervened with a lucky shot.

Gustoff Roulfs, who had remained silent during the entire meal, replied in his best French with a word universally understood by all, “Bullshit!”

That one derogatory term began a fiery conversation about the use of cannons in sea battles. The admiral believed that such weapons should only be used to clear enemy decks, allowing a boarding party to decide the issue. Gustoff kept to his premise that a well-aimed volley of cannon fire, a broadside, could severely damage or sink most vessels. Jon supported his friend, making sure the admiral knew of Gustoff's accomplishments against the bandits. Jon said Gustoff had been right to shoot at the trees and certainly correct when he aimed his cannons at a single area of the oncoming Moorish hull. He went on to elaborate about Gustoff's idea of arming
Abraham's Youngest Son
with light weight but powerful bronze cannons and called it another right decision. Some of the admiral's senior officers, who also spoke French, waded into the conversation supporting their admiral's perception. The two young Dutch officers pugnaciously defended their position. The Venetian Admiral, not used to having such young officers openly disagree with him, found the young men refreshing and invited them to spend the night on his ship where the argument continued, sometimes playfully into the morning hours. The admiral took a sincere liking to both young men. He particularly liked Jon's warrior spirit and calm demeanor, which he assumed he inherited from his father and appreciated Gustoff's knowledge of munitions. Meanwhile, the three Dutch diplomats were already being transported to Venice on the fleet's fastest ship.

A few days later,
Abraham's Youngest Son
accompanied the admiral's flagship into the Port of Venice despite the protests of the city's Catholic patriarch. Jon immediately noted that Venice, like the Droger Land, was an island, but surrounded by a large lagoon. The admiral told him Venice had once been nothing more than a marsh containing a few barely habitable small islands. Those marshes had many times given refuge to people from the mainland; fleeing barbarian invaders after the collapse of the Roman Empire. Because the danger of living on the mainland became so constant, people decided to settle on the wet ground and make their living from the sea. The entire city was built upon wooden stakes driven into the mud as the foundation of the magnificent buildings that were built over hundreds of years. Most Venetians openly boasted they and their ancestors had gloriously recreated the long-lost city of Atlantis.

Abraham's Youngest Son
and its crew were greeted warmly by a Venetian population well aware they had sunk the infamous Ottoman raider. The ship docked in the famous “Arsenal” where Venetians built their warships and had developed their military weaponry for centuries. Admiral Schraldi immediately ordered the Dutch ship refitted for the return voyage by the skilled workers at the arsenal. While it was a nice gesture, Jon and Gustoff knew the admiral wanted the Arsenal's skilled shipwrights to closely examine the Jachtschip. The Venetians were so pleased by the Moorish defeat that they gave each member of the Dutch crew a small bag of silver coins. It was the same reward their own seamen received for any victory against the Turks. During the refitting, the Venetians arranged for the crew to be housed in barracks near the Arsenal and granted the Dutch sailors free reign of the wondrous city. Gustoff was delighted when Admiral Schraldi told him he would be welcome to visit the Arsenal whenever he wished. Jon and Gustoff never saw the inside of a barrack as the Admiral insisted they stay at his luxurious villa with his family. After the docking, he had them escorted to his home. They arrived by gondola after sunset and sleepy servants led Jon and Gustoff to spacious quarters on the ground floor, well lit by crystal chandeliers. Cheese, wine, fresh fruit and bread were brought to the room. While Gustoff slept soundly that night, Jon had difficulty adjusting to the ground after so many months of resting on rolling seas. As the sun rose, a sleepless Jon decided to explore the elegant garden, leaving Gustoff to rest peacefully.

It was during Jon's walk among the gardens that he came upon the admiral's youngest daughter, Maria Teresa, turning moist soil among a bed of roses. Jon instantly had a feeling he knew this girl, although they had never met. He was thunderstruck with this sense of familiarity. He casually reached out a hand to her, taking her muddied palm in his own which he held tightly. The girl did not pull away but smiled and squeeze his hand as their fingers became entwined. Jon was startled when she spoke to him in his language. He would later learn that, by chance, she had studied the Dutch language with a Catholic Canton who once lived in Antwerp. The Canton was one of many tutors charged with enriching her learning. In fact, Maria's father paid many of the best scholars in Venice handsomely to help with his daughter's education.