The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1847-10-05 00:00:00

THE BORNEO PIRATES.

The following sequel to the account of the above action
of the Nemesis with the piratical fleet, off the Borneo
river, is extracted from the Singapore Free Press, of
August 5 Nine captives arrived here a day or two ago
from Bruni, part of those who were on board the fleet of
pirates attacked by the Nemesis. Their depositions had
been taken by the marine magistrate, and we shall give
the substance of the statements made by some of them.
One of them, named Muda, states that he is a native of
Lingen, from which he sailed about four month ago in a
prahu, of which he was nacodah, along with seven other
men, for Pulo Sahassan. They fell in with a fleet of
pirates one day's sail from Lingin, by whom they were
seized. They took the men out of the boat and shared
them amongst the different prahus, tying their hands and
feet, plundered the boat, and cut her adrift. They then
proceeded to Sianta, where they seized several persons;
at Pulo Soobie they took seven men and women, and at
Pulo Tambelan they seized three or four more. During
their passage they saw a large schooner with raking masts,
and also cited a brig of Sarawak. At Pulo Sahassan they
were fired upon by the inhabitants, on which they thought
it best to sheer off. They then debated whether they
should touch at Sarawak river, but it was finally
determined to proceed to Borneo Proper as it was said a
steamer was in Sarawak river. They anchored off Moara
river at eight o'clock at night, and next morning seized
two fishermen on the shore. Between eight and nine
P.M., they descried the steamer coming down the Bruni
river, and at noon the action commenced. The prahu, in
which this person was confined, was the first that was
sunk, after ten out of the crew of thirty had been killed
and wounded. Of the captives a woman and a boy were
shot, the prisoners being made to sit on deck during the
action. The pirates and their captives swam on shore,
where they were attacked by the Kadyan Dyaks, who,
however, on ascertaining the captives, treated them well,
and took them to the Sultan at Bruni. About forty
pirates were brought in alive, and the captives were
desired by the Sultan to take their revenge and •cut them
up. This they declined, saying, " God is great and will
punish the wicked." The sultan's people then tied the
hands of the pirates, and about 200 fell on them, and cut
them to pieces, the Sultan undertaking to dispatch half
the number, while the other half were handed over to
Pangeran Moormein. The captives, about fifty in all,
were treated with kindness by the Sultan and his people.
This man relates, that while they were at Pulo Siantan the
boats were hauled on shore to have their bottoms charred.
One of the Chinese captives being sick and unable to work,
they hanged him up to a tree, and then all fell on him and
cut him to pieces. Another person of the name of Buwang
states that he is a native of Columboo, a small island to
the southward of Lingin. About four months ago. at
three o'clock in the morning, their village was attacked by
pirates. He, his mother, and two sisters, made their es-
cape in a small boat, and directed their course to Lingin,
but were overtaken by the pirates and brought back.
They were put on board a large prahu, their bands and
feet being tied. The pirates then coasted along to the
eastward, touching at several islands, such as the Tambe-
lane, Siantan, Soobie, Sahassan, &c. They took several
people at these places—men, women, and children. They
several times threatened to throw his little sister, a child
of ten months old, overboard, because she cried, but at
Buwang's entreaty they did not do so. Another of the
captives says that he saw the sick Chinaman hung up and
cut to pieces after a feast. There seems to have been
from seven to ten captives in each of the pirate pradus,
and it is probable, therefore, as only about fifty have been
collected, that a number must still be in the jungle, or
have been killed in the engagement, or afterwards by the
Dyaks on landing, being confounded with the pirates.
Every fresh detail we receive only adds a new horror to
the picture of pirate life, and here we find it in the pirates
amusing themselves, after a feast, by hanging up and cut-
ing a poor Chinaman to pieces."