their own ships.  It was a hazardous stroke, for the passage was narrow, but entirely successful.  One of the four galleons, carrying the admiral’s flag, was sunk, the other three struck.  Taking to their launches, the Dutchmen now fiercely assailed the other vessels, and in a very short time were masters of twenty-two prizes.  It was a difficult task to carry them off at the ebb-tide, and it was not achieved without loss.  Hein’s own ship, the Amsterdam, grounded and had to be burnt, and another ship by some mischance blew up.  The total loss, except through the explosion, was exceedingly small.  The captured vessels contained 2700 chests of sugar, besides a quantity of cotton, hides and tobacco.  The booty was stored in the four largest ships and sent to Holland; the rest were burnt.

Hein now made a raid down the coast as far as Rio de Janeiro and then returned.  The “Sea Terror of Delft” for some weeks after this remained in unchallenged mastery of the bay, picking up prizes when the opportunity offered.  Then he sailed by the West Indies homewards and reached Dutch waters on October 31, 1627, having during this expedition captured no less than fifty-five enemy vessels.  The value of the booty was sufficient to repay the company for their great outlay, and it was wisely used in the equipment of fresh fleets for the following year.

This next year, 1628, was indeed an annus mirabilis in the records of the Dutch West India Company.  On January 24 two fleets put to sea, one under Dirk Simonsz Uitgeest for the coast of Brazil; another under Pieter Adriansz Ita for the West Indies.  Both were successful and came back laden with spoil.  It was reserved, however, for the expedition under Piet Hein to make all other successes seem small.  This fleet, consisting of thirty-one ships of war, left Holland at the end of May for the West Indies with instructions to lie in wait for the Spanish Treasure Fleet.  Many attempts had been made in previous years to intercept the galleons, which year by year carried the riches of Mexico and Peru to Spain, but they had always failed.  After some weeks of weary cruising, Piet Hein, when off the coast of Cuba, was rewarded (September 8) by the sight of the Spanish fleet approaching, and at once bore down upon them.  After a sharp conflict, the Spaniards took refuge in the bay of Matanzas and, running the galleons into shoal-water, tried to convey the rich cargoes on shore.  It was in vain.  The Dutch sailors, taking to their boats, boarded the galleons and compelled them to surrender.  The spoil was of enormous value, comprising 177,537 lbs. of silver, 135 lbs. of gold, 37,375 hides, 2270 chests of indigo, besides cochineal, logwood, sugar, spices and precious stones.  It brought 11,509,524 fl. into the coffers of the company, and a dividend of 50 per cent, was paid to the shareholders.  It was a wrong policy thus to deal with the results of a stroke of good fortune not likely to be repeated.