286 OUR HERITAGE THE SEA 



of another country, with which their own might be, 

 if not actually at war, at least on bad terms. Also 

 they were fully aware how slowly the privateer and 

 armed merchantmen of other nations would assimilate 

 the new idea ; indeed, it was difficult to imagine 

 international law running upon the high seas, where 

 the primitive 



"... good old rule, the simple plan ; 

 That he should take who has the power, 

 And he should keep who can," 



still held, and seemed likely to hold, undisputed sway. 

 Moreover, there was always the pirate, the real pirate, 

 who was the Ishmael of the sea, and who owned no 

 country ; whose crews were composed of the reckless 

 villains of all nationalities, ripe for any deed of 

 savagery, if only opportunity offered. The horrible 

 deeds of the pirates excite our indignation so much 

 that we are apt to forget that they were the lineal 

 descendants of the heroes of history, of the Vikings, 

 for instance, who had absolutely no excuse for their 

 deeds of rapine and plunder save the lust for wealth 

 and cruelty, and whose only virtue was the one that 

 all pirates have been credited with that they willingly 

 risked their lives and endured incredible hardships in 

 the pursuit of their dreadful profession. Reading 

 history, one can only come to the inevitable con- 

 clusion that the ancient kings and rulers, as far back 

 as we can get, were simply pirates and brigands on 

 a grand scale, but with less heroism than the pirates 

 of the Middle Ages in that they risked their own lives 

 but seldom, preferring to compel their unfortunate 

 subjects to do their dread bidding while they lolled 

 in luxury, receiving the plunder. Still, their piracies 



