Carrier pigeons

Carrier pigeons are presented as messengers whose letters helped sustain communication during the siege of Leiden. In the novel, their reported preservation in the town hall turns them from instruments of wartime news into tangible witnesses to the city’s relief.

Service During the Siege

Ben recalls that the pigeons bore letters between people during the crisis at Leiden. He links their service to the city’s eventual relief: the wind changed, water flooded the Spanish positions, and Dutch boats were able to sail across the land to the city’s gates with men and provisions. The pigeons did not bring those boats, but their messages made them part of the remembered story of how the besieged city endured and received aid.

Preservation in the Town Hall

Ben has read that the pigeons were cared for reverently after the relief and, when they died, were stuffed and placed in the town hall for safekeeping. His account is presented as something he has read, rather than as a firsthand recollection. Lambert van Mounen confirms that the birds are there, in the same building as Van der Werf’s portrait, making them accessible to the boys during their visit to Leiden.

Historical Memory

Ben’s eagerness to see the birds shows how historical memory attaches itself to particular surviving objects. The pigeons embody the less visible work of carrying letters, while their preserved bodies offer a physical counterpart to the town’s public commemoration. Their presence also prompts a comparison between the sieges of Leiden and Haarlem: the birds belong to Leiden’s story, which Ben respects, even as he argues that Haarlem showed an even braver resistance.