The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1874-12-13
THE
LION OF FLANDERS;
OR THE
OR THE
BATTLE OF THE GOLDEN SPURS.
BY HENDRIX CONSCIENCE.
CONTINUED
CHAPTER XVIII.

Two years had gone by since the foreigner
had set foot in Flanders, and cried: "Bow Your
heads, ye Flemings! ye sons of the north, yield
to the children of the south, or die" Little
thought they that there had been born in
Bruges q man endowed with large sagaoity,
and inspired with heroic courage; man who
shone forth as q bright light amongst his
contemporaries and to whom, as to His
servant Moses, God had said; ego, and deliver
thy brethren, the children of Israel, from the
thraldom of Pharao."
When the desolating bands of the French
first trod tho soil of his fatherland, and dark
eped the horizon with the dust of their march,
q secret voics spoke in Deconincks soul, ana
said:
take heed, these are in quest of slaves !"
At its sound, the noble citizen quivered with
anguish and wrath:
"Slaves! ice slaves" groaned he; forbid 1t,
O Lord our God The blood of our free-born
fathers hath flowed in defence of Thine affairs;
they have died on the sands Of Arabia with
Thy Holy Name on their lips. o, suffer not
their sons to bear the debasing letters of the
alien suffer not the temple which they have
raised unto Thee to have boudsmen for wor-
shippers"
| Decopipck had breatbed this prayer from
bis deepest soul, aud ell bis heart lay open TO
his Creator. He found therein all the noble
courage and energy wherewith He had en-
| doyed the Fleming; and He cent down an an
swering ray of trust and hope. Instantly
filed with q secret strength, Deconinck felt 90
though ell his capacities Of thought and action
were doubled in energy; and, impeiled by
true inspiration, he cried:
"Yea, Lord, have felt Thy strong and Thy
streng thening hand; yes, shall ward Oh thia
degradation from my fatherland; the graves
of Thy servants, my fathers, shall never be
| trodden down by the foot Of the alien. BLESSED
art Thou, my God, who hast called me to
this"
| From that moment one only feeling, one
only deep yearning lived in Deconinck's heart
his every thought, his every faculty, all were
cousecrated to the great word-my fatherland'
Business, family, repose, all were banished
| from his ample heart which held bat one
| one ouly affection-his love for the native soil
| of the Lion. And what man more truly noble
than this Fleming, who a hundred times risked
| life and liberty itself for the freedom OF
FIapdersf what man was ever endowed with
more ample sagscity I Alono and unaided, in
havo sold their country's freedom, he 1t wa'
| who baf1sd the efforts of the King of France
he alone it was who preserved for his brethren
a lions heart even under the chains Of slavery
and thus gradually achieved their deliveranos
The French know this we'll well they knew
him who at every moment shattered tbs
Ubeels of their trinmphal chariot. Gladly
would they have rid themselves Of this guar
dian of his country's veal; but with the Gun
nipR he combined perfectly the prudence Of
the serpent. He had raised mp for himself
secure rampant and defence in the love OF biz
brethren; and the stranger well knew that
dire and bloody revenge would follow any
attempt upon him. During the time that the
French ruled all FLANDERS with the rod Of
1 Tyranny, Deconinck lived in entire freedom
amongst his towusmen; and he was indeed
the master of his rulers, for they feared hin
much more than he feared them.
And now seven thousand Frenchmen had OF
ono day atoned with their lives for the oPprss
sions of two long years; not single foreigDei
breathed within Bruges, the vietorious Hnd
free; the city echoed the joyous lays WHARF