The county record. [volume] (Kingstree, S.C.) 1885-1975, 1897-12-30
ORIGIN THE BUCCANEERS

Iney were t'''s 'AN"'h'io -
First Until I'rr>+cntcti ~ spain.
Mt. Frank r Stockton contributes
to st. Nicholas Il sCIlCS CT sketches
of 1.-The EUccarcers Of OCr Coast. "
In his first article lii. Stockton says:
The first pirates who made them
telves known III America waters
were the famous hECca12e:s. They
began their career II very Gem
monrlace ard unol jecticnGLle man
ner, and the name Ly which they
were known had originally no ii
ratical significance. II was derived
from the French wC,d lol,canier,
sicnifylr, ;; "a dlier OF beef.
Scme cf the West Indian islands,
especially Saato Domingo, were al
most orerrun with wild cattle CT
various kinds, and tbs was ewing
to the fact that the SpaniaIGs had
killed of nearly AL tie natives, and
so had left the lL:elior Cf lie Is
lands TO the herds of cattle. which
had increased rapidly. iLtIc were
few settlements Gu tie se&Co&st,
but the SpGni&rds d!d not allow Ike
inhabitants Of these to trace with
any nation but their own. and cCn-
sequently the people wee h.Gly
supplied with the necessalIeS OF life.
But the trading vessels Which
sailed from Eurcle TO that pat Oi
the Caribbean sea were manned IL
bold and daring sailors, ard Wien
they knew that Santo Domingo con-
tained an abundance Of beef cattle,
they did not hesitate to step at tie
little seaports to relleniSh their
stores. The natives CT the island
were skilled in the art of preparing
beef by smoking and drying it
very much in the sane way III
which our Indians prepare ''jerked
meat" for winter use.
But so many vessels came to S:nto
Domingo for Eeef that thele were
not enough people on tie island to
do all tAe/huntins and drying that
were necessary so these tracing YES
sells frequently anchored i'll sc,no
quiet cove, and the, crews wertcn
shore and devoted themselves 70 &C.
curing a cargo of best, rot oG!y
enough for their own use, hut tor
trading purposes, and thus they lie!
came known as beef Crie1s," Or
buccaneers.
When the Spaniards heard CT this
new industry which had arisen
within tie limits of their losses!
sions, they pursaed the vessels Of
the buccaneers wherever they were
seen aEd lelentlessly destroyed them
and their crews. But thero were
not enough Spanish vessels to put
down the trade III dried beef. More
European vessels, generally English
and French, stopped at Santo Donin-
go, and nore EanGs of hunting sail
ors made th.ir way into the inte:ior.
When these daring fellows haew
that the Spaniards were det( rmined
to break UP their trade, they became
more determined that il shc-lG not
be broken up, and they armed ten
selves and their vessels so that ley
might be able to make d defense
against the Spanish men-of-War.
Thus gradually ard almost in!per-
ceptibly a state ot maritime warfare
grew up in the waters of the West
Indies between Spain and the beef
traders of other nations. AID, from
being obliged to fight, the bueca-
neers became glad TO fight, provided
that it was Spain they fought. True
to her policy cf dcspotisn and cruel
ty when dealirgwith her American
possessions, Spain waged bitter
and bloody war against the bucca-
neers who dared to interfere with
the commercial relations between
herself and her West India colonies,
and in return the buccaneers were
just as bitter and savage in their
warfare against Spain. From de-
Tending themselves against Spanish
attacks they began TO attack span
iards whenever there was any
chance of success, at first only upon
the sea. but afterward ON land.