"
As soon as they were landed they made a wide detour to avoid the town,
and coming down again upon the river above it, followed its banks for
three miles, when they put up at a little inn in the small village of
Leur on its bank. They had scarcely sat down to a meal when a man came
in and called for supper. The landlord placed another plate at the
table near them, and the man at once got into conversation with them,
and they learnt that he was master of a peat-boat that had that morning
left Breda empty.
"We were in Breda ourselves this morning," Captain Heraugiere said,
"and saw a peat-boat unloading there. There seemed to be a brisk demand
for the fuel."
"Yes; it is a good trade at present," the man said. "There are only six
of us who have permits to enter the port, and it is as much as we can
do to keep the town supplied with fuel; for, you see, at any moment the
river may be frozen up, so the citizens need to keep a good stock in
hand. I ought not to grumble, since I reap the benefit of the Spanish
regulations; but all these restrictions on trade come mighty hard upon
the people of Breda.
Pages:
357
358
359
360
361
362
363
364
365
366
367
368
369
370
371
372
373
374
375
376
377
378
379
380
381