THE BOOK OF
EXPLORERS
Portugal gets discouragedThe French settle for leftovers
Chapter 14
The Dutch started out much better than the Danish, ocleverly deciding that the best way to go east to pIndia was by sailing east to India.
2When it turned out that India was right where they thought it was, they made some good money trading in spices.
3Getting adventurous, they then sailed west with the idea of arriving at a destination in the west,q
4Having decided that they’d found a solid approach to the discovery business.
5But a lot like the aPortuguese, the Dutch also failed to become a Chosen Nation,
6Because they forgot that the purpose of history was to make history,
7bNot just money,
8And therefore failed to do enough of the right colonial things,
9cLike convert all the Indians,
10dAnd help themselves to vast chunks of territory,
11Until it was really too late,
12And the only remaining unappropriated land was the land nobody else wanted,
13Like a little Guiana on the edge of South America,
14And eSouth Africa.
15And so, with the exception of some fslave trading and a war or two along the way, the Dutch also stopped making history and decided to be picturesque instead,
16With a lot of windmills,
17Tulips,
18And gwooden shoes.
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