The Penang Pirate | Page 2

can't hurt nobody, I s'pose--that them silly artful Chinese

mounted in the Bogue forts to frighten us, as they thought, when we
went to war with 'em last time, you know."
"But, talkin' about h'executions, Bill, ain't talkin' of pirates, is it, bo?
P'raps those poor ignorant chaps you seed have their heads chopped off
mightn't no more a' been pirates than you or I."
"Mightn't they!" ejaculated the boatswain of the Hankow Lin in the
most indignant tones. "Much you know about it, you son of a sea-cook,
that's all! Why, Jem, I could tell you stories about them cut-throats of
the sea in these here waters as would make your hair stand on end. No
pirates in the China seas, you say, my joker?"
"I didn't say as there wasn't any. I said as there mightn't ha' been."
"Well, and wot's the difference, I'd like to know?"
"Belay that, and bouse away, old ship, with that yarn o' yours that's
going to fright my hair off. I ain't quite frightened yet, I tell you."
"Wait a minute, then, bo," said the other, who was suddenly called aft
by the officer of the watch to have some order given him for the
morning which had been forgotten; and on his return to the foc's'le Jem
was all attention for him to proceed with his promised yarn about the
real pirates of whom he had spoken, the worthy seaman continuing to
express a strong disbelief in their entity.
"Heave ahead with that 'ere story o' yourn," he said.
"Don't you know, you onbelievin' swab, as how the Singapore mail
steamer was nearly as possible plundered by a whole gang o' them
gettin' aboard of her as make-believe passengers and then setting fire to
her and plundering the cargo, and that this occurred only last year?"
"No, I never heerd tell of it," said Jem.
"Well, I think I've got a noospaper in my ditty-box down below as will
tell you all about it, and then, p'r'aps, you'll feel as if you'd believe there

wos sich things as pirates."
So saying, the boatswain bustled down into the forecastle, and shortly
reappeared above, holding a rather dirty crumpled piece of printed
paper in his hand, which he handed to Jem.
"There," he said, "take that and read for yourself."
The brawny seaman turned it over and over with a solemn face, and
then handed it back to the other.
"I ain't no scholard," he observed, rubbing his chin thoughtfully; "wish
I was, 'twould ha' been pounds in my pocket now if I could read and
write as I once did when I war a little shaver, but I've clean forgot it.
You reel off the yarn as is printed there, Bill; and then I'll tell you what
I think of it."
"All right, then," replied the boatswain, nothing loth to display his
superior attainments. "Here goes for a full and true 'count of a
tremenjuous piretical plot to seize a mail steamer, from a special
despatch of our 'Ong Kong correspondent;" and, holding the dirty scrap
of paper at arm's-length, as if he were somewhat afraid of it, he went on
to read the following extract from it.
"The China papers received by the last mail contain full accounts of an
attempt made to seize and plunder the Eastern and Australian Mail
Steam Company's steamer Bowen by a party of Chinese who had
embarked on board the vessel at Singapore as passengers. The
following is extracted from the ship's report:--
"On the 8th of June, at 1:30 PM, in latitude 13 degrees 09 minutes
north and longitude 111 degrees 20 minutes east, Cheang Sioy, Chinese
interpreter, reported that the Singapore passengers, forty-two in number,
were pirates, and intended setting fire to and plundering the ship, as
they had been overheard talking to this effect. An examination was then
made below, but the Singapore Chinese passengers were so scattered
among 313 Australian Chinese passengers that they could not be
readily identified. The interpreter was then ordered to pick them out

and muster them and their effects on the poop-house. He first brought
up eight or ten choppers, a house-breaking tool, and a box, for all of
which no owners could be found. On opening the box it was found to
contain twenty-five packages of powder, about one pound weight each,
all with a fuse attached. As the matter seemed serious, all hands were
mustered and armed, and the Singapore Chinese brought up and
secured. A further search disclosed another box containing eleven
loaded revolvers of different sorts and sizes, also a large quantity of
ammunition to fit the same, a bundle of touch-paper, and a Chinese
ship's compass. On examining the Singapore Chinese passengers,
seventeen gave a satisfactory account of themselves; but twenty-five,
who could not