Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1886-09-02
FIGHT WITH PIRATES.

James Terrence was foremost hand
on the British bark Huntress, and one
morning in the seventies we left Snga-
pore, bound TO the south by way of the
Straits of Sunda. We had sixteen
hands on the bark, and for armament
we had FOUNDER mounted on a
carriage and good supply of muskets
and spikes. All the seas to the north
of Australia are suspicious waters for
an honest ship. Pirates have abound
ed there ever since ships began to sail,
and I'm thinking it will be long before
the business is entirely wiped out
There are hundreds of islands in the
Java and Banda Seas, and each one of
them offers a secure headquarters for
gang of native pirates. They are not
as bold as before the 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 can ever be
entirely suppressed. On our way up.
when off the Red Islands, on the nor
ern coast of Sumatra we overhauled
Italian brig called the Campello. She
was stripped of sails, cordage, and
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 off to board her,
and he found shocking state of affairs.
She had been laid aboard without re-
sistance by two native 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 as 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 a guard during the day,
apd 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 plumber.
Several native crafts had been loaded
and sailed up the coast to some rem
d"zvous. and only one remained to take
the last of the plumber. AS no actual
violence had been offered Captain or
crew during the three days there was
hope that the pirates would 60 away
and leave them. in possession of the
robbed and dismantled brig. Just what
shift they would have made in this case
/ cannot say, for the craft was left
without sail, rope. block, or provis-
ions. About 4 o'clock in the afternoon
the crew were ordered forward, while
the natives collected aft, and at a given
signal fire was opened on the defense
less men. To their credit let it be re-
corded that they seized whatever weap-
ons they could lay hands on and dash
ed at the pirates, but it was simply to
die like brave men. In ten minutes
the last one was shot down. The
pirates then raised the anchor aud got
IL into their boat, bored holes into the
ships bottom, and started fire in the
hold amidships. The information 1
have given you came from little CHAP
on board who was making his first yoy-
age as an apprentice. He was. II re-
member 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 bulk drifting out to sea with
out having missed him. He was on
deck to catch the painter OF the pate $
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
investigate. She returned before We
had 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 y We