Page:Augusta Seaman--Jacqueline of the carrier pigeons.djvu/315

 OUR months had passed since the lifting of the great siege of Leyden. No sooner had the Spaniards effected their retreat than the gales shifted, the wind  changed to the east, the sea retreated and  left the waters to drain from the sodden,  half-drowned fields. In due time the work of reconstructing the dykes commenced, and  the exhausted city once more lifted up its  head, smiling to meet its renewal of life.

No one rejoiced more over the wonderful victory than did the Prince of Orange. And to express his gratitude to the citizens for  their enduring heroism during all the long  weary months, he determined to present the city with a gift. This gift was one more highly valued by the Dutch than anything