Belding banner. (Belding, Mich.) 1889-1918, 1898-07-07
A CASH. OF BUTTER.
sail on the sterboard bow z,

terszoon. looking anNicusly in that di-
rection, for in the cas farn seas 200 years
AGO every strange sal was "A terror to
the captain OF well laden Dutch mer-
chantman.
Cant cutie make her out yet" an
swered tho lookout at the masthead.
Looks like % brigantine-very ralsish
cut altogether.
The captains face darkened, and his
Inns frightened still moro few minutes
later when the lookout hailed again.
"She's an armed brigantine, bearing
right down upon us.
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 moment
what was before them. They were about
to be attacked by pirates and there was
not a single cannon-not even an old
musket-aboard the vessel.
1t was a terrible moment for them all
moro terrible still for the poor cap
tain. For years he had been toiling and
saving, bearing every kind of hardship
and facing every kind Of danger, until
he had enough money TO become part
owner Of the ship that he commanded.
He had made three successful trips
in her and was now going home for
good, TO settle himself in snug little
house on the great canal at Amsterdam
with rosy checked Gredel Goort, his
old neighbours only daughter for his
wife. And now, all in moment, he
found himself face to face with a hid
eous peril, which threatened him with
the loss of all he had in the world and
his life to boot.
The crew stood looking modify at
the approaching vessel, which came
sweeping over the bright blue sea with
its huge white sails outspread like the
wings of n swami p RECT picture of
beauty, though it brought death along
with il.
Some of the holder spirits were al
ready beginning TO mutter to each other
that it would be better to set fire to
their own ship and die like men than
be flung into the sea like dogs, when
tho captains gloomy face suddenly
! lighted up as nobody had ever seen it
light 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 yet.
Come, knock the head out Of that cask
of butter and smear the deck with it
sharp, now !"
The men only stared blankly at him,
thinking he had gone mad, and even the
stolid mate opened his heavy mouth in
amaZement.
"Do you hear?" shouted the captain.
"Looli sharp, will you? There's no time
TO lose. Grease the whole deck fore and
aft, and che rigging, too, as high as
you can reach. Wen give these rascals
a slippery job of it anyhow. "
Then the sailors began to understand,
and the shout of laughter that broke
forth would have nightly astonished
the pirates had they been within hear
ing In twinkling the deck was greas-
ed until it fairly shone, bulwarks and all.
"Now, boys, +" cried the captain, ION
with your sea boots and put sand on
the soles to keep you from slipping, and
then each of you take handspike and
be ready"
The piret e was now so near that they
could see quite plainly the rabble of
gaunt sinewy Malays, woolly headed
negroes and sallow, black haired Por-
tuguese that crowded her decks
A few minutes more and she ran
alongside and almost before the two
vessels had touched three wild figures
leaped from the pirates rigging upon
the merchantlnan' S deck.
But it was very unlucky jump for
all three. The first man spun across the
slippery deck us if it had been u skating
rink and went right ont into the sea on
the other side. The second tumbled
headforemost down the hatchway into
the cook galley, where the black cook
considerably piled heap of iron pans
OH him to keep him quiet.
The third pirate had leaped on board
as fiercely as if he meant to kill the
whole crew at one blow, but the only
man he hurt was himself, for he hit his
head such whack against the mast
that he almost knocked his brains out
and fell down, roaring with pain.
All this so frightened the other pi-
rates that they thought the ship must
be bewitched, and rushing back to their
own vessel with howl of dismay made
off as fast as possible
For many years after one of the ia
miliar sights of Amsterdam was "a port
ly old gentleman with jolly red face,
at sight of whom the boys used to be-
gin singing:
Captain Martin Pieterzoon
Made his ship buttered bum
And his wife was never tired Of
showing the huge silver butter dish
presented to him in honor of his re-
pulse of the pirate with cask of but