The St. Charles herald. [volume] (Hahnville, La.) 1873-1993, 1898-01-08
IopIclN OF TAE BUCCANEERS.

ORIGIN or The BUCCANEERS.
PeaceabIe Beef Traders
- E,rst Until Prosecuted by Spain.
The first pirates who made them1
selves known in American waters were
the famous buccaneers. Iney pesan
their career in very commonplace anu
,,,ohiectionable manner, and the name
Nv which they were known had origl- 4
nallv no piratical significance 1t was
derived from the French WORD Doura-
n;er sionifying .a drier of beef.
some of the West Indian islanas,
especially San Domingo, were Amos.
overrun with wild cattle OF various
kinds: and this was owing to the TACT
that the Spaniards had killed of near
" all the natives, and SO had left the
interior of the islands to the herds
Of cattle, which had increased rapidly
There were few settlements on the
sen coast; but the Spaniards did not
allow the inhabitants of these to trace
with any nation but their own, ana
consequently the people were Daoly
supplied with the necessaries of life.
But the trading vessels which salieo
from Europe to that part OF the Carp
bean sea were manned by bold and
daring sailors; and when they knew.
that San Domingo contained an album
dance of beef cattle, they did not hesi-
tate to stop at the little seaports to
replenish their stores. The natives OF
the island were skilled in the art OF
preparing beef by smoking and drying
| livery much in the same way in which
our. Indians prepare "jerked meat" for
winter use.
But SO many vessels came to San
Domingo for beef that there were not
enough people on the island to do all
/ the hunting and drying that was nefesT
4 sary: so these trading vessels frequene-
~ anchored in some quiet cove, ana
i fhe crew went on shore and devoteo
i themselves 10 securing cargo OF peer
mot only enough for their own use'
but for trading purposes; and thus they
became known as 'beef-dricrs, or buc-
cancers.
When the Spaniards heard OF TINS
new industry which had arisen WITHIN
the limits of their possession, they pur-
sued the vessels of the buccaneers
q wherever they were seen, and relent'
81 lesslv DESTROYED them and their crews
But there were not enough Spanish YES
sells to put down the trade in dried beer;
: more European vessels, generally Eng
tlish and French, stopped at San 10
/. rningo, and more bands OF nm finl
4 sailors made their way into the in
f terror. When these daring fellow
a knew that the eSpaniards were deter
:. mined to break up their trade, the
) became more determined that it shout
: not be broken up; and they .arme
e themselves and their vessels SO tina
S they might be able to make a defens
/ against the Spanish men-of-war.
r Thus gradually and almost impe1
e ceptibly a state of maritime war1ar
f GREW ND in the waters of the West In
h dies between Spain and the beef-trader
e If other nations; and from beins
r obliged to fight, the buccaneers becam
e glad to fight, provided that it was
4 Spain they fought. True to her policy
:. of despotism and cruelty when dealing
e with her American possessions, Span
I waged a bitter and bloody war agains
the UuccraeeTs
e with the commercial relations betwee
ID herself and her West India colonies
Is and in return the buccaneers were Jus
n as bitter and savage in their warfa1
= against Spain. From defending then
o. selves against Spanish attacks, they D
can to attack Spaniards wherever thel
IS was any chance of success, at tlrst on
W upon the sea, but afterward on land.-
7. Frank r. Stockton, in St. Nicholas