“There is no question of their bravery,” replied Mr. Bickford, “and L’Ollonois was an exceptionally cruel villain. But as a rule the buccaneers were no more cruel or bloodthirsty than the Spaniards or even their more respectable countrymen. You must remember that human standards have changed a great deal since the days of the buccaneers. In their time human life was held very cheaply. The theft of a few cents’ worth of merchandise was punishable by death. Men and women had their ears cut off, their tongues pierced or their eyes put out for most trivial crimes, and torture by rack, wheel or fire was considered a perfectly legitimate means of securing confessions of guilt from suspected persons. We must not therefore judge the buccaneers too harshly. To us they appear inhuman monsters, but in their days they were no worse than the usual run of men. Moreover, you must remember that their crews were made up of the roughest, toughest element. Renegades, fugitives from justice, criminals, cut-throats and thieves, and that they looked upon the Spaniards as natural enemies and worthy of no more pity or consideration than wild beasts. Finally, consider the temptation that ever spurred them on and excited their passions and their worst instincts. Gold and riches were to be had for the taking, the Dons were legitimate prey, and they were beyond the pale of the law, if not actually protected by the authorities. Take a crowd of sailors to-day, give them arms and a ship, and license to kill, rob and destroy, and you would find them as reckless, as cruel and as devilish as the old buccaneers, if not more so. And much of their success depended upon the reputation they had for cruelty. The very mention of some of the more famous pirates’ names would create a panic among the Dons and make victory comparatively easy, and for this reason the buccaneers practiced cruelties that were absolutely uncalled for, but which they looked upon as a part of their profession.” “It seems to me the Spaniards were awful cowards,” said Fred, as his uncle paused. “They were always licked by the buccaneers, although there were more of them.”