The Penang Pirate | Page 3

do so, and had neither money nor luggage, were put into
a place of safety with an armed guard over them night and day until
arrival, when they were handed over to the authorities in Hong Kong."
"Is that all?" asked Jem, whose scepticism regarding Chinese pirates
this printed account appeared somewhat to shake.
"That's all the steamer's log-book say, bo," replied the boatswain; "but
the newspaper tells further on as how the beggars was brought up for
trial."
"Let us have it, then," said Jem, bending forward to listen to what the
other went on to read in a deep sepulchral voice--
"Twenty-six Chinamen were brought before the sitting magistrate at the
Hong Kong police-court on the 11th of June, when Captain Miller of
the Bowen gave evidence. He stated that the vessel carried the
Queensland mail to Singapore and Hong Kong, and vice versa. It also
carried the mails to and from Hong Kong. The passengers are Chinese
gold-diggers, and have bullion about them. Every voyage the vessel
carries a large amount of gold; on the present trip they had ten boxes of
the value of about £10,000. This was the cargo, and had nothing to do
with what the passengers had. The captain continued:--
"At Singapore we took in forty-two Chinese passengers, who came on
board the morning we left. Our Singapore agents had received a
telegram from Hong Kong, warning them to be careful of what

passengers I took. After leaving Singapore, all went well until about
half-past one o'clock PM, on the 8th inst, when near the Faracel Reefs.
The chief officer then came and told me that the Singapore Chinese
passengers were pirates, and intended to set fire to and plunder the ship.
In consequence of this, I went with the chief officer and interpreter to
examine the steerage passengers. I found a difficulty in separating the
Singapore passengers from the Australians, as they were so mixed. I
then ordered a gang to pick them out and bring them on the poop with
their luggage, for examination. The interpreter knew where the
Singapore passengers were stowed, and he there found ten choppers,
and beneath the forecastle, where eight of the passengers were, he
found a box. I ordered the carpenter to open this box, which was locked,
and which no one claimed, and found on the top beneath some clothes,
twenty-five packages with a fuse attached to each. After counting the
packages, I kept one as a sample, and threw the remainder with the box
overboard. I did that as I was rather afraid to keep so much loose
powder on board. I next called all hands and turned all the Chinese
passengers on deck. We then searched the place where they had been,
and the box containing eleven loaded revolvers and a quantity of
ammunition was produced. I questioned all the passengers, and
seventeen of the Singapore passengers had luggage and dollars, and
they gave a satisfactory account of themselves. The prisoners had no
property or money. They could or would not tell what they had been
doing in Singapore, or give any account of themselves. I then locked
them in the mail room--which is of iron--and placed an armed guard
over them."
"There, now, what do you think o' them murderin' rascals now?" asked
the boatswain when he had concluded reading the newspaper extract.
"What do I think o' them, hey? Well, I thinks they ought to ha' been
keel-hauled, that's what I thinks! Was these the chaps whose heads
you'd saw chopped off at Canton?"
"No, no, man, this here occurred at Hong Kong; couldn't you hear wot I
read, bo?"
"I s'poses it's all true, seein' how't is in print; and if so, mate, why I

s'pose you're right about there bein' pirates hereabouts arter all?"
"Yes, sure, my hearty. Why, look here, Jem, it's solemn truth I'm tellin'
you," and the boatswain looked as grave as a judge when speaking, as
if to substantiate his words--"only t'other day there was a fine clipper
tea-ship, just like ourn, that got becalmed off Hainan island in the Gulf
of Tonquin, when, in less nor half an hour arter the wind failed, a lot o'
junks sculled up to her and opened fire on the crew with their cussed
jinghals and matchlocks; and, if it hadn't a' been fur a breeze a springin'
up as let 'em make sail and get away from the pirates, why the ship
would ha' been captured and sunk after they had taken everything they
cared for out of her; and only last year--just you hark to this, Jem
Backstay--an English brigantine, bound for the northern ports, was
attacked by pirate junks not a hundred miles from Hong Kong--jist
think of the impudent rascals having the cheek to come