Wichita eagle., 1886-11-25
FIGHT WITH PIRATES.

James Terrence was q foremost hand on the
/ British bark HuntreSs, and one morning in
/ the seventies we left Singapore. bound to the
/ south by way Of the Straits OF Sunda. We
/ had sixteen hands on the bark. and for arIna-
/ ment We had nine-pounder mounted on a
! carriage and good supply Of muskets and
/ pixies. III Of the seas 70 the north of Aus
! tralia are suspicious waters for an honest
| ship. Pirates have abounded there ever
/ since ships began to sail, and I'm thinking it
/ viii be long before the business is entirely
wiped out. There arr hundreds Of Islands in
/ the Java and Banda seas, and each one of
them offers Il secure headquarters for gang
Of native pirates. They are not as bold rs
before tie 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 sup
pressed. On oJu way up, when of the Red
Islands, on the northern coast Of Sumatra,
T9e overhauled an italian brig called the
t-mpc.l0. She was stripped If sails cord
aEe and most Of her cargo, and had been SCI
fire 70 ana seuttled- For some reason the
flames died ont and the water came in 50
slowly that she was floating six hours after
sent off to board her and he found q shock
Ing state of affairs.
She had been laid aboard without resistance
by two native boats armed only with mus
kets and pistols Tie crew had at once been
made prisoners. and set to work to strip the
ship and hoist out such cargo rs the pirates
coveted She was run in behind one OF the
islands and anchored. and for three DAYS and
.-.-,- l..
Each man of the crew worked under a guard
during the day, and at night captain and all
We're secured in the forecasie The crew
numbered fourteen.
Toward evening Of the third DAY the pirates
had secured all their piundar. Several native
crafts had been loaded and sailed up the coast
to some rendezvous. and only one remained
u take on the last Of the plumber Is no
actual violence had been offered captain or
crew during tho three days there was hope that
the pirates would - away AMI leave them in
possession If TIE rolh.L and &.sElantled brig
just what shiE, they would have made in this
case l cannot aly, for the craft was LETT with
out sal. roue, block. or provisions About
O'Clock ia The afternoon the crew were ordered
forward. while The natives collected att. and
AZ given signal fire was opened oa the de-
fea>eiass nlau To their credit Let it be re-
cortiei that they seized whatever weapons
they cSul lay hanGs On and dashed - the
pirates but It w2s simply to die Ike brave
men In ten minutes The last one was shot
down The pirates then raised the anchor
and 81 IT INTO their boat. bored holes n the
ships bottom. and started fro IL The hold
amlisligS The Information l have given
YOU came from . little chap CT board who
was making lis li.St voyage Is an apprentice
h was. # | Tgmerller right, only - wears
old On the morning Of the third dav he
managed u Liae among tie cargo and the
pirates completed their work and ssnr the
LUiS drifting cur u s-a without having
missed A.u. Ie Wa % deck O. catch tie
painter II the mates boat when sic drew
ai0n-s1la, and - enc ns our crew who could .
S2oaz italian he gave the story as straight Is
-, CAPTAIN cu1ij have talked
We reported TIE affair ut >S5--argra. and =
British et.rboat Was sc1- IT T. investigate.
She r5turueB before Ue hal cou-,-.=d our
loading ani II ported that Size had made no
discoveries Il was 3 warning for our car-
tain. and he wisely determined ID he'd i.
We took 81 shell and grape for or cannon.
a dozen reviewers were purchased t7r the
crew. and on the very day We Lift tie cap
ain brought aboard Two ve-v Leayr rifles
which he had picked W somewhere ~ bur
-ain call them rifles. hui they were Young
,annon. carrying a three ounce ball, with
)ovder enough behind i 70 kick the marks
nan half way across the ship We left
Singapore as well prepared as 4 merchant
resell could be. and II SEEMS that the captain
vas M yisAi Z, hear III, WILL toward BJTT,a-.