ing.

"Meantime it had grown tolerably light--we heard them calling to and
fro from the ditch, and just as Allertssohn was turning away, an officer
sprang into the meadow, exclaiming: 'Stand, braggart, and draw your
blade.'

"The captain drew his Brescian sword, bowed to his enemy as if he were
in the fencing-school, bent the steel and closed with the Castilian. The
latter was a thin man of stately figure and aristocratic bearing, and
as it soon appeared, a dangerous foe. He circled like a whirlwind, round
the captain with bounds, thrusts and feints, but Allertssohn maintained
his composure, and at first confined himself to skilful parrying. Then
he dealt a magnificent quarte, and when the other parried it, followed
with the tierce, and this being warded off, gave with the speed of
lightning a side-thrust such as only he can deal. The Castilian fell on
his knees, for the Brescian blade had pierced his lungs. His death was
speedy.

"As soon as he lay on the turf, the Spaniards again rushed upon us, but
we repulsed them and took the officer's body in our midst. Never have I
seen the captain so proud and happy. You, Junker von Warmond, can easily
guess the cause. He had now done honor to his series in a genuine
duel against an enemy of equal rank, and told me this was the happiest
morning of his life. Then he ordered us to march round the ditch and
attack the enemy on the flank. But scarcely had we begun to move, when
the expected troops from Leyderdorp pressed forward, their loud San Jago
resounding far and wide, while at the same time the old enemy rose from
the ditch and attacked us. Allertssohn rushed forward, but did not reach
them--oh, gentlemen! I shall never forget it, a bullet struck him down
at my side. It probably pierced his heart, for he said: nothing but:
'Remember the boy!' stretched out his powerful frame and died. We wanted
to bear his body away with us, but were pressed by superior numbers,
and it was hard enough to come within range of Junker von Warmond's
volunteers. The Spaniards did not venture so far. Here we are. The
Castilian's body is lying in the tower at the Hohenort Gate. These are
the papers we found in the dead man's doublet, and this is his ring; he
has a proud escutcheon."

Peter Van der Werff took the dead man's letter-case in his hand, looked
through it and said: "His name was Don Luis d'Avila."

He said no more, for his wife had seen Henrica's head stretched far out
of the window,