Barre evening enterprise. (Barre, Vt.) 1898-1898, 1898-04-27
A BUCCANEER BOOM.
the Brethren of the Coast Sacked Towns
When Calleons Failed Them.

When OaliPCuB E8lleu 1nems
Frank R. Stockton, writing in St.
Nicholas series of narrative sketches
of "The Buccaneers Of Our Coast"
says:
The buccaneers were afraid Of moth.
ing. They paid 10 attention to the rules
of war. A little ship would attack
big one without tho slightest hesitation,
and, more than that, would generally
take it, and il every way Spain was be-
ginning to feel as if she were acting
the part of providcr to the pirate sea-
men of every nation.
Finding that she could do nothing to
diminish tho number of the buccaneer
ing vessels, Spain determined that she
would not have so many richly laden
ships of her own upon these dangerous
seas; consequently change was made
in regard to the shipping Cf merchan-
disc and the valuable metals from
America to her homo ports The car
goes were concentrated, and what had
previously been placed upon three ships
was crowded into the holds and be-
tween the decks of ono great vessel
which was so we'll armed .i.u defended
as to make it almost impossible for any
pirate ship to capture it. III some re.
spects this plan worked very we'll, al
though when the buccaneers did happen
to pouuce upon one Of these richly laden
vessels in such numbers and with such
swift ferocity that they were able to
capture it hey reioiced over prize far
mere valuable than anything the pirate
soul had ever dreamed of before. But
it was not often that one of these great
ships Was taEen and fer time the re.
suits of 81. lish robbery and cruelty
were safely carried to Spain.
Lut it WAS very hard to get the bet
ter Of the buccaneers Their lives and
their flrluncs depended upon this boom,
and if in 'ne way they could not get
the golA out Of the spaniards, which
the latter got out Of the natives, they
would Try anotilur. When the miners in
the goldAolus fad they can no longer
wash ogt With their pans a paying
| quantity OF the precious metal, they 20
to work on tie rocks and freak them
iuto pieces and crush them into dust; so
when the buccaneers found it did not
ray to devote themselves to capturing
Spanish gold on its transit across the
ocean many Of them changed their
metEo1s Ut operation and boldly plan
ned to seize the treasures of their enc
my before it was put upon the ships
Consequently the buccaneers formed
themselves into larger Douit : command
ed Ly noted leaders and MADE attacks
upon the Spanish settlements and towns.
Many Of these were found nearly de
fcnseless, ard even those which Boosted
fortiticatiCIs often fell before the reck-
less charges Of the buccaneers. The pill
lagc, the Lurning and the cruelty Oh
shore cXcot ucd that which Lad hitherto
heen known Gil tie sea. There is gener-
ally IL great deal more in town than
there is III "a ship, aud the buccaneers
proved thoi. selves to be among the most
outrageous, eXaoting and cruz conquer
ors ever known in this world. They
were governed by no laws Of warfare.
Whatever tLsy chose TO do they did.
They IL tl,led nobody, not even them
selves uuG acted like wild beasts, with
cut the disposition which is generally
shown by Wild beast to lie down ane
60 to slpt when it has had enough.
There M.,e times when it seemed a:
though it would be safer for man who
had a regard Ter lis lie aud comfort tt
sail upon pirate ship instead OF {
Spanish ealleon or to take up his resi-
dence in &. Of the uncivilized com
munites Ct Aortuga or Jamaica instead
Of settling III well ordered Spanish
American town with its mayor, it
officials and its garrison.
1t wasu ve.y stiange nation OF marine
bandits Whlsh had thus sprung into eX
istence On tre.e taraway waters. 1t wa
Il nation of grown up men who existed
only for the purpose CT carrying Oil tina
which other people were taking away
1t was "a nation Of secondhand rObDer
who carried their operations to such al
extent that ih y threatened to DO ava.
entire iy VITA that series OF primary rob
berries to " ilioh Spain had devoted Ter
self. do not know that there were all.
companies is,rned in those days for til
prosecution ct bncCaneeling, but l an
quite sure that it there Lad been thel
stocks would have gone to high figure
Courageous IIiMdoos.