New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1855-12-20
NUMBER 21a.
DAILY CRESCENT.
From Baliou's Pictorial.
An Adventure in the Chinese Sea. ~
BY sYLyANUs COBB, JE.

IL was Captain Simpsons turn to tell tf
nexs story He was stout. broazed, hard
hsted but kind-hearted son Of the ocean, fft
years old, and full of thrilling adventures
Our pipes were re-flled, and then Sampson too
his turn as follows: ~
'Its now ten years come next November tha
took chargeof the Yankee She was nobl
snip, and felt proud of the charge We Law a
the wharf, down Peck Slip, Eve cleared at Ne,
on board, when felt something touch me .,
the leg. turned and there stood bow SOM
fourteen years old, with bundle on his shout
der. He kind o trembled when looked at him
but there wasn't any dishonesty in that face
nota bit. He had great gray eyes, almost dar]
enough for hazel, and his hair curled over hi
mead like girl just rigged for party. The,
ne looked SO earnestly and steadily at me, tina
knew, whatever he wanted. he'd be truthfu
about it.
What is it, boy'' said I, speaking kindly.
want to go to sea with you,' says the boy.
who says you may goH
lie pointed up to a store at the head Of thu
slip, and told me if would only 20 up thef,
with him, / could learn all about it.
But what use will you be to me p asked him
before we started
ANY use you put me to, that's honest, and
that can do, he said.
L liked the answer, for saw that he meant
1t, and 1 went up to the store with him. did
want cabin boy, but hadn't made arrange
ments Tor any, because just such one as /
wanted about me all the time was hard to find.
At the store asked Mr.. Want Wart Che was an
OLD friend Of mine) about the boy. He told me
that the boys father used to be porter in his
store, but that he died two months before, and
tnat the boy was now an orphan, his mother
having been dead some years. Then he took me
aside, and says he:
10, "h you want the boy, captain, you will find
him most faithful one. He's been with me
of and on, ever since he was SO high"
Ut course | took him His name was Edward
Grover, though he said twas Ned, and Ned
we called him. Two days after that tug
toSed us out of the harbor, and we stuck our
nose clear Of Sandy Hook before dinner. First
we went to Calcutta, and then to Canton; and
many end many time did / bless my stars
that Ned Grover was with me, for an own child
couldn't have been more faithful than he was
And then he was bold fellow, too; and never
was the blow that could shake him, nor the
storm that could blanche him. On the royal
yard he was like a squirrel ON tree, and hs
was as quick of wit as he was of body.
Well, our business was all done mp at Canton
and only had to touch at Singapore on my
L
via. We had q splendid run down the Chinese
Sea, making the passage to Nantunas in jus1
eight days. In three days from that we vert
among the Anambus islsnds--off Malacca, you
know. Most of these islands we left on tht
starboard beam, and along toward the middle
OF the afternoon Lampang was on the lee bow
and not more than six miles distant. alwayl
took the eastern run of Lampang, because
knew the channel. Since morning the wind
had been light and variable, though no battling
and now it had settled down in the west'rd as
though to rest itself-for with stud'n's'ls allow
and aloft, we didn't run off more than three
knots an hour at the outside. ,5.5s Is z4,.=al5
1t was just o'clock when came on deck te
see how the land lay, and found Lamping ther
just about abesm, but as the wind now came
the island was to the windward of us, and foul
miles distant. had looked at the compass and
at the sails, and was then looking out fol-
the land, when the man at the maintop hailed
the deck
What is it :" asked.
"a Malay proa 7" he answered, srieht in
ashore by that rock. There, don't you see it ~
Hooked, and did see her. sent Ned for my
glass, and by the time he came with it the proa
had come out in full sight from behind the
rock. levelled the glass, and I could make
out the fellow plainly. Twas one of the largest
proas 1 ever saw. should say seventy live
feet long, with bows like an old mans nose
turned bottom upwards, and stern about the
same. counted the men in her, and / could
do it pretty surely.
What is she, sir p asked Walter, my first
mate. .-.+. -...fz ~.
Malay proa,' told him. .....
How many men
sSeyenty-five at least
A pirate he uttered.
She isn't likely to be anything esle,' |
assuming as much composure as /
could; but you may be sure felt but little of
it, for q Malay pirate is just about the worst
thing in the world-blood- thirsty as Bengal
tiger, with all the wit Of q man to back it up.
Their very religion makes piracy holy virtue,
and man is honored among them for the many
times his knife has found q human heart. And
they are powerful fellows, too, and trained from
to the use Of arms.
s:Shes coming after us /" cried the man at
the top, But then he needn't have told us Of it,
for had seen that from the beginning. sI
The men looked anxiously towards me, and I
saw that they were stricken with fear. And
our position was not one to inspire poor chap
with very deep joy. The wind was still to the
west'rd, and three knots was the most the ship
could be made to run. The Malay was now
within three miles, and shooting through the
water like mad. He had twenty broad paddles
out-you know the bloody hounds can send
those long, narrow, sharp proas fast. We we're
now sure that there were over seventy men in
the great boat, for we could even see their long
knives and clumsy fire. arms through my glass,
My crew, all mustered, numbered twenty nine.
and one Of them was only boy. Ofswords, or
,utlasses, we had only six, but had thirty
brace of good boarding pistols in the arm chest,
and dozen pixies by the mast 1t was rather O
dubious show, wasn't it,
However, resolved to do the best could, for
knew if those Malays captured us, we were
simply dead men; so of course there was some
ground for resistance. First, made myself as
,alm as / could, and then got out the pistols,
md had them all loaded, gave two to each
nan, reserving two extra ones for myself The
fed to handle them, and then distributed the
welve pixies. Beyond those ! found four boat
looks, and these also gave out, for they would
'e seryiceable in repelling boarders when the
,istols had all been fred.
"Now, boys" said I, s'you know what that
elbow is after; and if I'd thought of this lull in
he wind, shouldn't have run in here. But
hat can't be helped now. We can't run away,
md we all know if those Malays take us, they'll
ut our throats every one. fancy you'd all
ather fight to the death than to be killed so.
Will you stand it?'
OF course they all said ssyes !" but then they
id'nt speak like men who had any hope, and
urely didn't blame them, for our enemy was
more than double us-almost treble. Yet l
aw that my brave fellows meant to fight.
The proa was now about mile distant, and