Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1881-12-14

''Sail on the sta-board bow !"

sail on the sta-board bow
s'What is she Z" asked Captain Martin
Pieterszoon, looking anxiously in that dl-
rection; for In the Eastern seas two hum
dred years ago, every strange sail was q
terror TO the captain of well-laden Dutch
merchantmen. ''Can't quite axe her out
vet" answered the lookout at the mast
head. Looks like brigantine-very
rakish cut, altogether. The captaiu's
face 6srkened and his lIps frightened They
frightened still more few minutes later,
when the lookout hailed again, ''She's an
armed brigantine, bearing right down upon
u.s."
Every face among the crew seemed to
harden suddenly, but no one spoke In
deed, what need was there of words All
on board understood in a moment what
was before them. They were about to be
attacked by pirates; and there was not
single cannon, not an old musket aboard
the vessel.
II was terrible moment for them al
the more terrible for the poor captain. For
years he had been tollIng and saving, bear
ing el cry kind of hard hip, and facing
every kind of danger until he had made
money enough to become part owner of the
ship he commanded. He had made three
successful trips In snug little house on
the great canal at Amsterdam, with rosy
checked Gredel Wort, his old neighbor' s
oily daughter, for his wife. And now, all
in moment he found himself face to face
with hideous peril, which threatened him
the loss of all he lad in the world and his
life to boot.
The crew stocd looking moodily at the
approaching vessel, which came sweeping
oyer the bright blue sea, with its huge
sails outspread like the wings of swan, a
perfect picture of beauty, though it brought
death along with it. Some of the bolder
spIrits were beginning TO mutIer to each
other that il would be better to set fire to
their own ship and die Ike dogs, when the
captains gloomy face suddenly lighted up
as nobody had evCr Seen IT hight up yet,
and he burst into such loud, hearty
laugh that the doomed men stood amazed
to hear him. .-Cheer up, lads" he cried,
still laughing. .'All's not over with us
vet. Come, knock the head out of that
cask of butter. and smear the deck with 1t.
Sharp now."
The men only stared blankly at him,
thinking he had gone mad. and even the
stolid mate opened Lis mouth In amaze
menf. .'Do you hear? ?" shouted the cap
tain. 'Look sharp, wi you? Th,re Is no
time 10 loose. Grease the whole deck, fore
ard aft, aud The rigging, too, as high as you
can reach. Well give the rascals slip
pery job Of it, anyhow"
Tha, ha cotlarc ha-oa IN understand .
and the shout of laughter that broke forth
would have nightly astonished the pirates,
had they been within hearing. In twink.
ling, the deck was creased until 1t fairly
shone, bulwarks and all. SHOW. boys, "
cried the captain, ION with yonr sea boots,
and put sand on the soles to keep you from
slipping, and then each of you take hand
spike and be ready.
The pirate was now so near that they
could see plainly the rabble of gaunt, slnewy
Malays and sallow, black haired Portu-
guese that crowded her decks. A few
minutes more, and sne ran alongside, and
almost before the two vessels haG touched,
three wild figures lesped from the pirate S
rigging upon the merchautman's Geek. But
it was very unlucky jump for all three.
The first man spun across the slippery deck
as if 1t had been a skating-rink, and went
out on the other side The second tumbled
head foremost down the hatchway into the
cooks galley, where the cook CONSIDERABLY
piled a heap of iron pans on him to keep
him quiet. ''Aha, Massa Pirate. SAID he,
grlnnIng, ''dIs ship not de Flying Dutch
man. him de Sliding Duichran'!"
The third pirate had leaped on board as
fiercely as If he meant TO kill tie whole
crew at one blow; but the only man he
hurt was himself. for he hit his head such
whack ag inst the mast that he almost
knocked his brains out, and fell down
roaring with pain. All this SO frightened
the other pirates that they thought the ship
must be bewitched and rushing back tO
their vessel with howl of dismay, made
off as fast as possible. For many years af-
ter, one of the familiar sights of Amster-
dam was portly old gentleman with q
jolly red face, at sight of which the boys
used to begin singing
''Csptain Martin PietersZoon.
Made Lis ship buttered bun"
AnO his wife was never tired of showing
the huge silver butter dish presented te
him in honor of his repulse of the pirate
with cask of butter.