The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1874-11-28 00:00:00

CAPTURED BY PIRATES.

Mr. Walter William Mundy, oho wan the only English
passenger im hoard the Spath, Imola to The Pim.; the fol-
lowing interesting account of the piratical outrage on the
eanton river :
• ^

....
"I embarked on board the Spark on the 22.inl of
August to proceed oa business to Macao. We left
Canton at half-past seven in the morning, and were
due at Macao between four and five the same after-
noon. The Spark had once been a comfortable boat
enough; but the traffic had considerably outgrown
its proportions, and complaints had been re-
peatedly made to the company to supply a new
packet. She is a paddle-wheel steamer, somewhat
larger than our Thames boats. To make the subse-
quent events the clearer, I will endeavour, to
the best of my memory, to describe those parts
of the ship with which my narrative has chiefly
to do. The lower deck was confined exclusively to
Chinese passengers, and a winding staircase near the
stern led to the quarter-deck, which was for Euro-
peans. Passing from this gangway forward, first came
the saloon, then the beam of the engine, which was
exposed to view; close to this, and still more forward,
was the wheel-house and captain's cabin, divided by
a thin partition. A large window in the partition en-
abled the captain to give his instructions to the steers-
man with greater famlity. The fore part of the deck,
covered with an awning, was where the passengers
generally sat. In the centre of this was another gangway
r rthe use of the sailors and leading from the lower deck.
There were a great many native passengers, but I had
the misfortune to be the only European. The crew
consisted of about t wenty men—Chinese and Portuguese
half castes. The captain, poor Brady, was an Ameri-
can, and, although an utter stranger to him previous
to our journey, it has seldom been toy good fortune to
have a nicer or more amiable companion. Shortly
after leaving Canton he gave one trait of his general
disposition. The purser came and told him that there
was a man below who could not pay his passage, and
asked what was he to do. Brady asked what sort of
fellow he was. When on being told he was a coolie
with no money at all about him, he said, Oh, let the
fellow go.' We had a capital run to Whanivia. After
leaving here, about nine o'clock. we breakfasted. The
Canton-steamer to llongkong and the return steamer
from Hongkong ought to have passed us soon after
leaving Whampots ; but from some reason they were
del tyed and did not pass us till alter twelve u clock,
which obliged the pirates to put off their attack. The
river here, where the outrage was perpetrated, is about
one mile across. _ _

So far, the trip had been most delightful—nothing
had occurred to awaken any suspicion. I was still as '
wedded to the humdrum existence and safety of
English life as if I were but taking a trip in the British I
Channel, and so little thinking of any peril that I
dozed over my cigar and book under the awning I
forward. I must have slept here some time, as I I
certainly awoke with a start; it may have been a noise,
it may have been instinct of danger which roused me.
Which it really was lam now unable to tell. But I '
mecliately perceived a man rushing up the gangway to-
wards me with a knife in his hand, and a gash across his
forehead. Surprisedandonly half awake,my firstthought
was that he was a madman, and I rushed out to pro-
cure help to seize him. In attempting to do vol was,
however, met by two other men, who attacked me
with knives. Quickly seeing my mistake, I rushed
past them, and ran on in search of weapons, endea-
vouring to find out what it all meant, and to see
whether any resistance was being made. I now
strove to reach the passengers' gangway to see what
the Chinese were doing. In attempting this I had to
run the gauntlet of several of the pirates, who
wounded me in many places. Two of them here
seized me, tearing my watch off, and were going
to cut my fingers off for my rings, when by a
desperate effort I managed to break loose from them.
It was then that I saw the Chinese passengers
sitting below, looking as unconcerned as possible.
I then rushed to the stern, where I saw the poor
purser holding on by his hands to the side of the ship
preparing to jump overboard, and a pirate cutting at
him. Here also the chief mate was battling most
courageously with one arm, while with the other he
attempted to loosen a buoy. I tried to join him, but
my wounds were beginning to tell on my strength, and
numbers easily drove me off. With no hope left I en-
deavoured to retrace my steps, but was immediately at- I
tacked by two or three fresh arrivals. I here managed
to get within striking distance of one, whom I succeeded
in knocking down; but the success cost me dear, as his
companions wounded me at the same moment despe-
rately in the left side. How they let me retire I can-
not imagine; how I was able is equally difficult fur me
to explain! But I was again attacked by two others
armed with capstan bars, who successively knocked me
down with these weep ma. I rolled out of their way,
and for a time I was left in peace. I staggered to the
wheel-house, but had to support myself on an um-
brella which I picked up. I was now almost insen-
sible, and leaned against the window I mentioned in
my description of the ship. On looking down into
the captain's cabin. I saw poor Brady lying stretched
out on the floor, with his little dog staring mournfully
into his face. This sign of fidelity consoled me even
then somewhat, and, indeed, my sole wish now centred
In the hope of being able to last long enough to get
some chance of revenge by the arrival of assistance.
After leaning here for ten or 15 minutes, I fell on the
deck from exhauaticn and loss of blood. A few
minutes after this the pirates, who had been plundering
the ship, returned on deck, battened down the hatch-
ways, and proceeded to count their booty close by me.
They continually passed over me, stepping on and
kicking me. On receiving my wound in the side, I
luckily for myself, hal sufficient presence of mind to
shove my handkerchief and fingers mt., the aperture to
keep my lungs from breaking out. The pirates, either
imagining I was trying to conceal something or in
brutal snort, tore my hand several times from the
wound. The agony I thus endured I can never forget.
How I prayed for unconsciousness! One of them
motioned to me to throw myself oveiboarel, and
even pretended to do it, lifting me up in his
arms. Another, whom I judged to be the chief,
as be swaggered about in my hat, with a re-
volver and cutlass at his belt, brandishing his
sword, pretended to draw it across my throat several
times, to the evident delight of all his c nnrades. For
what reason he did not carry his performance into
practice I connot possibly conceive. I was lying on '
the deck for six hours with these fellows close to me, I
but not for one instant did I lose consciousness. A
junk then came alongside, whtg the steamer was
stopped for the first time. The Vunder was trans-
ferred to the junk, and they all hastened on board her,
after spiking and breaking the helm.
"Immediately on their leaving, the crew came on
deck, and, rigging a helm in the stern, commenced
working the ship. A Chinese merchant, procuring as-
sistance, carried me to the saloon, place I me on a sofa,
and covered me with a tablecloth to keepthe cold from
my wounds. All on board were so overcome that they
had to be kept at thsir work by a copious supply of
brandy. We were delayed some time in Macao
harbour before we were permitted to land, a regiment
of soldiers being drawn up to receive us on the
quay, and no Chinaman was allowed to leave before
he was searched aud his name and address were taken.
When I recall the whole event, it seems like a hideous
dream. It is only when I look at the proofs on my
body of its horrible reality that I awake to a full
sense of all my danger, and a feeling of thankfulness
for my miraculous escape drives every other thought
away.