Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1892-03-26
The BATTLE ON SKATES.

Once upon a time King Philip Of
Spain went to war with Holland. the
country where the land Is lower than
the sea-level and there have to be big
walls, called dikes, TO keep the water
from sweeping oyer the fields. This
tight was q desperate one, for King
Philip was so eager to subdue the
country that he waged the war with all
the means at his command. He sent
TO Holland, as his commander-in-chief.
The Duke of Alva, q Spanish nobleman
and a famous general. After the wal
bad been going on a long time, and
many towns had been seized, the Duke
law that if he could take Amsterdam
be could easily overcome the rest OF
Holland, but between Amsterdam and
The Kings forces lay the city Of Haar'
lem.
The Duke sent his son Don Frederick
10 capture HARLEM. The city was al
most surrounded by water, then
frozen over, as it was winter. There
were few ships lying neal HARLEM,
but they were held fast by the ice, and
might easily have been captured had
not the sailors dug a trench all around
them, and fortified them against the
enemy.
As soon as Don Frederick arrived, he
sent a body of soldiers to attack the
ships. The soldiers marched out to
the vessels, but as they came near a
body Of armed men on skates sprang
from the trench.
The Hollanders we're used TO skat-
ing from their very babyhood, for in
winter the canals and sea we're frozen
for miles around, and everybody skat-
ed. Not only did they skate for fun,
but to market and their daily business,
just az easily and far more quickly
than they could walk. They used to
have games AID sham battles on the
ice, so that when there was need for
real fighting, they knew what TO do.
But the Spaniards lived in a south
ern country where there is little ice,
and they never went sliding or skating.
When they saw the Hollanders dart
out at them, their feet shod with steel,
appearing almost to fly in the air, they
! thought the enemy must be aided by
witchcraft! They were tempted to
run, such was their amazement and
terror.
However. when the bullets came fly.
ing among them, they tried to pick up
their courage and fight. But their
efforts were feeble, for, unable to keep
their footing on the slippery surface,
they would stumble and fall, while the
Hollanders would glide by unGarmed
and send their bullets TO the mark.
The Hollanders were victorious; and,
when they drove the Spaniards off the
ice, several hundred of the enemy lay
dead, while the ~conquerors scarcely
suffered any loss. When the Duke
heard of this defeat he was much sur
prised, and decided that he would not
be beaten again In that way.
So he ordered seven thousand pairs
of skates, and commanded all the
soldiers TO learn to skate. They had
fun while learning, but not long after
ward were able to handle their weap-
ons on ice as boldly as the Hollanders.
But they had little occasion to make
use of this new accomplishment, for a
sudden thaw and flood made it posi-
BILE for the ships to sail away, and the
sailors brave spirits were much cheer
ed by the sudden frost that followed
and rendered them safe from naval
attack for a time.
The Spaniards soon after captured
Harlem, but they had to fight hard to
take it, for the city was well fortified
and the people brave.-St. Nicholas.