Bio[]
Henry von Rootbaum is a Dutch hero who Mrs. Howell compares the Skipper to after he rescues Mary Ann from drowning the lagoon. According to her, he was the boy who stuck his finger in the dike that saved the city of Amsterdam.
Trivia[]
- The story of the boy at the dike is not a Dutch legend; it is actually an American story from "Leak at the Dyke," a piece of poetry by Phoebe Cary taken from "Hans Brinker," a novel by writer Mary Maples Dodge.
- Mrs. Howell also compares the Skipper's bravery to John Paul Jones and Horatio Hornblower.