The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1886-09-24
A BRUSH WITH PIRATES,
Cincinnati Commercial Gazette.

fS'Poie' ooilld TO the South
oy way OF the Straits OF Sunda. We
had sixteen hands on the bark, and
Tor armament we had nine-pounder
mounted on a carriage, and a good
supply OF muskets and pixies. All OF
the seas TO the north of Australia are
suspicious waters for an honest shin,
Pirates have abounded there ever since
SHIPS began to sail, ard Pm thinking
IL VIII DE long before the business is
entirely wiped out. There are hun
dreds OF Islands in the Java and
Banda Seas, and each one OF them
offers secure headquarters for a gang
OF native pirates. They are not SO
bold us before government cruisers
got orders to patrol those waters and
sink every craft which could not show
honest papers; but they are there
still, and the temptations are too
great to expect they canever be entire.
~ suppressed. On our way up, when
OH the Red Islands, on the northern
coast OF sumatra, we overhauled an
Italian brig called the Campello.
She was stripped off her sails, cordage,
ana most OF her cargo, and had been
set fire to and scuttled. For some
reason the flames died out, and the
water came in so slowly that she was
hoated six hours after the pirates
abandoned her Our mate was sent
OFT to board her, and hefound shock.
ing state OF affairs. She had been laid
aboard without resistance by two ma.
tive boats, armed only with muskets
and pistols. The crew had at once
been made prisoners and set to work
to strip the ship and hoist out such
cargo MS the pirates coveted. She was
run IN behind one of the islands and
anchored, and for three DAYS and
nights the pirates were hard at work
on her. Each man OF the crew worked
under guard during the day, and at
night captain and all were secured in
the forecastle. The crew numbered
fourteen. Toward evening of the third
day the pirates had secured all their
plunder. Several native crafts had
been loaded and sailed up the coast to
some rendezvous, and only one re-
manned to take on thelast OF the plum
Ger. AS no actual violence had
been offered captain or crew dur
ing the three days, there was hope
that the pirates would go away and
leave them in possession of The rob-
bed and dismantled brig. Just what
shift they would have made in this
case l cannot say, for the craft was
LETT without sail, rope, block or pre-
visions. About four O'Clock in the att
ernoon the crew were ordered for.
ward, while the natives collected aft,
and at given signal fire was opened
on the detenseless men. TO their cred
1t let it be recorded that they seized
whatever weapons they could lay
hands on and dashed at the pirates,
but it was simply to die like brave
men. In ten minutes the last man
was shot down.
The pirates than raised the anchor
and got it into their boat, bored holes
in the ships bottom and started a fire
in the hold amidships. The informa.
tlon have given you came from lit
tie chap on board, who was making
his first voyage as an apprentice. He
was, If ! remember right, only thirteen
years old. On the morning OF the
third day he managed to hide among
the cargo. and the pirates completed
their work and sent the hulk drifting
out to sea without having missed him.
he was on deck to catch the painter
OF the mate'e boat when she drew
alongside, and to one OF our crew who
could speak Italian he gave the story
as straight as the captain could have
talked.
We reported the affair at Singapore,
and British gunboat was sent off to
She returned before we
he'd completed our loading and report
ed that she had made no discoveries.
1t was a warning for our captain, and
he wisely determined to heed it. We
took on shell and grape for our can
non, q dozen revolvers were purchased
for the crew, and on the very day we
left the captain brought aboard two
very heavy rifles, which he had picked
up somewhere at a bargain. l call
them rifles, but they were young can
non, carrying three-o ball. with
powder enough behind it to kick the
marksman half way across the ship.
We left Singapore as we'll prepared as
q merchant vessel could be, and
it seems that the captain was advis-
ed to bear up toward Borneo, and give
the Red Islands wide berth. We
crossed the equator at least a hun
dred miles to the east of the islands,
as l overheard the Captain say, and
then altered our course to the south
east, calculating to passt to the east of
Billion Island before hauling away for
Sunda Strait.
The bark made good weather OF it,
and we had crossed the equator and
run down on the new course until
Billion might have been sighted from
the masthead, when there came q
calm. The wind had died away about
mid-forenoon. and the drift OF the
bark was to north. We looked for a
change at sunset, but nothing came,
and the night passed without wind
to move feather. My watch
was below when daylight came, and
we got the word to turn up live
ly. To the northeast, off the coast
Of Borneo, two or three green
islands were in sight, and be-
tween us and the island were two ma
tive craft bearing down upon us.
These craft were about the size of pi-
lot boats, half decked over, and rigged
like a catboat. They had been sight
ed when six or seven miles away, and
as my watch came on deck the mate
descended from the perch aloft, where
he had been using the glass, and re-
ported to the Captain that the craft
were approaching as by the use OF
sweeps. The calm still held but 1T was
clear enough to sailors eye that we
should have breeze as soon as the
sun began to climb up. Noma asked
the errand OF those boats
out for the Huntress. At that
time and locality there could be but
one answer. The Captain presently
called us aft and said: