Santa Fe daily New Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1885-1897, 1897-01-04
THE BUTTERED SHIP,

tured the pirate ship and saved bis own
vessel with a tub of butter? 1t is story
that would do credit to the ingenuity of
one of our own Yankee shippers, as well as
the trick by which he won prize and
made capture at sea yet never wasted
pound of powder.
After all, now one comes to think OF IT,
Michel Adrianzoon de Ruyter the great
est of the Dutch naval heroes very nearly
resembles some of our best men-George
Washington, Andrew Jackson and Com
modore Perry, for instance. Like them, he
came of poor parents and made his way
by sheer grit; but, unlike them, De Ruyter,.
in his youth, was famous for the extraor-
binary scrapes he was continually falling
into.
Not that he was really bad boy, only
very lazy, SO mischievous he was turned
out of every workshop where his father,
poor brewer, apprenticed him and SO noisy
and fun loving he was continually in dis
grace.
just for lark he climbed the church
steeple in his native town Of Flushing
pretended to dance hornpipe around the
weathercook and came down by knocking
holes in the slate shingles to form sort
of ladder.
But his father and the dignified grown
folks looked upon the steeple prank with
very much less admiration. You may be
sure sound birching was administered
by way of reward, and then poor Mrs de
Ruyter had to consent to 11-year-old
Michiel's being bundled off as cabin
boy on merchant vessel bound for the
African coast.
This all happened in the year 1877, and
no doubt good many otherwise kind
hearted folk in Flushing rather hoped
that hungry savages and fierce storms
might indefinitely postpone Michiel's re-
turn to his native land, so peaceful did the
docks and streets seem after his departure.
They were doomed to disappointment,
however, for Michel Adrianzoon did
come back, no longer cabin boy, but
live young sailor, entirely satisfied with
his new life on the broad, dangerous high
seas.
At II the cabin boy became q Junior
officer, and at 81 there was no more trust
ed, skillful young captain in the Dutch
merchant marine
Oddly enough, Captain de Ruyter didn't
care very much for fighting, though in
that day all the European nations were in
tested with pirates, pompous English mer-
chantmen, Spanish frigates, ready to
pounce on Dutch vessels, and French mem
of-war, looking out for fat prizes. De
Ruyter was busy making money, perfect
ing himself in mathematics, drawing
maps. and he always preferred slipping
| neatly through his enemies clutches to
| provoking II quarrel.
Once a big Spanish man-ofwar did
overhaul his peaceful trading ship, and
! after putting up the best fight possible De
Ruyter was obliged to yield and was pop
! ped into black Spanish prison. He es-
| capped, however, and as a barefoot beggar,
| walked all the way home to Flushing.
| Never again did he fall into SO sad a
| plight, and when on his way home from
| Ireland with cargo Of butter he saved
| his ship and won prize by the following
| device:
When half way home, a pirate gave
| chase, and not able to escape by aid of the
wind, our brave young captain was at a
loss how to avoid capture. He neither
had the men nor guns with which to offer
effective resistance, but a happy thought
came.
Ordering up barrel of butter, he di-
stockings, grease down decks, companion
| way, ropes, ETC., open wide all portfolios,
and then, their arms concealed about
them, wait for the worst.
When nearly every inch Of the ship had
been literally buttered, he obediently
hove to in response to a cannon shot
across his bows and meekly pretended his
readiness to deliver up lives and cargo as
gracefully as possible.
So enchanted were the pirates with
their easy victory and SO greedily eager
to seize the victims and stores that, COM
ing alongside De Ruyter's ship, they crowd
ed noisily on to his deck.
But CONSERVATION overlook them. The
first man whose foot touched the Dutch
ship, slid, like one ON a toboggan, head
foremost down the companionway. There,
as he lay stunned, the cabin boy bound
and sat on him.
Two more flew over the deck and shot
out through the portfolios into the sea,
while the remainder glided about, help
lessly butting into the bulwarks at every
heave Of the waves or dropped to their
backs, unable to get q foothold and rise
again.
Those who did remain erect, shook with
horror, thinking the ship bewitched, and
in trice the pirates were bound, their
vessel taken in tow, and, chuckling with
delight, De Ruyter sailed home to report a
complete victory.
Once again the young captain over
whelmed pirate in the English channel
| at less outlay even than tub Of butter.
| This time, when big new ship was un-
der his command, he came up with pi-
rate towing q handsome trading vessel
| just captured.
Though not anxious to fight, De Ruyter
| could not resist the temptation to make
another fine haul. With the same audacity
| that had led him to dance a hornpipe on
the steeple he clapped on all SAIL mustered
| his men and hoisted the colors of Dutch
| admiral
Thinking that nothing less than great
| man-of war was bearing down upon them
| the pirates made hot haste for the French
coast, forsaking their prize to vessel their
! guns could have blown into the air.
Not many years after this De Ruyter be-
came an admiral III the Dutch navy, and
! fearful even to read about were the battles
he fought against French, Swedes, Span
| ish and the British. In one engagement
| six vessels In turn were sunk under him,
and once he filled all England with fear
| by sailing straight up the Thames river,
seizing ships and even threatening Lon
/ don.
At last, in great battle against the
! French, he received three terrible wounds
4 and died, crying out cheerfully through
| the roar of cannonading Keep courage
boys, keep courage; that is the way to win