Page:Augusta Seaman--Jacqueline of the carrier pigeons.djvu/148

122 his armor and sword, on the hilt of which was carved in Latin his chosen motto:—

No language could have better expressed the quiet firmness and unshaken courage of  this wonderful nobleman, even in the most  harrowing and adverse circumstances.

The sick man was gradually emerging from unconsciousness. His eyes opened widely but unseeingly, and he muttered in a  half-delirium:

“Ah, Leyden, Leyden! Would God that I might help thee! It is not true, it cannot be true that thou hast yielded to the enemy! Ah, my country! What fate is now before thee, and I so helpless to render thee aid!—Tranquil,—tranquil!—I must be tranquil  amid the billows!—Oh, thou my God, help  me!—” Again unconsciousness overcame  him, and he sank into another stupor. Gysbert’s heart ached with pity and the wild desire to tell him that his fears were groundless.