[Illustration: The Cocos Islands] THE GOLDEN BOOK OF THE DUTCH NAVIGATORS BY HENDRIK WILLEM van LOON ILLUSTRATED WITH SEVENTY REPRODUCTIONS OF OLD PRINTS [Illustration] NEW YORK THE CENTURY CO. 1916 Copyright, 1916, by THE CENTURY CO. * * * * * _Published, October, 1916_ FOR HANSJE AND WILLEM This is a story of magnificent failures. The men who equipped the expeditions of which I shall tell you the story died in the poorhouse. The men who took part in these voyages sacrificed their lives as cheerfully as they lighted a new pipe or opened a fresh bottle. Some of them were drowned, and some of them died of thirst. A few were frozen to death, and many were killed by the heat of the scorching sun. The bad supplies furnished by lying contractors buried many of them beneath the green cocoanut-trees of distant lands. Others were speared by cannibals and provided a feast for the hungry tribes of the Pacific Islands. But what of it? It was all in the day's work. These excellent fellows took whatever came, be it good or bad, or indifferent, with perfect grace, and kept on smiling. They kept their powder dry, did whatever their hands found to do, and left the rest to the care of that mysterious Providence who probably knew more about the ultimate good of things than they did. I want you to know about these men because they were your ancestors. If you have inherited any of their good qualities, make the best of them; they will prove to be worth while. If you have got your share of their bad ones, fight these as hard as you can; for they will lead you a merry chase before you get through. Whatever you do, remember one lesson: "Keep on smiling." HENDRIK WILLEM van LOON. Cornell University, Ithaca, New York. February 29, 1916. HISTORICAL INTRODUCTION The history of America is the story of the conquest of the West. The history of Holland is the story of the conquest of the sea. The western frontier influenced American life, shaped American thought, and gave America the habits of self-reliance and independence of action which differentiate the people of the great republic from those of other countries. The wide ocean, the wind-swept highroad of commerce, turned a small mud-bank along the North Sea into a mighty commonwealth and created a civilization of such individual character that it has managed to maintain its personal traits against the aggressions of both time and man.