Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1888-08-10

had been found hanging to the
chains, When brought aft he was
ready to do anything to save his
life. His name was Mung-Hong,
and he had good cause to believe
that we would reverse it. He was
the captain OF the junk we had
run down, and was ready to tell us
alIlabout old Chin-Lung. The bay
was his rendezvous, bat his plum
der was hidden on the coast near
Foo Chow. There were barracks
for the men up the bay, and thirty
or forty men there at that moment.
They had captured a French brig
several days before, and she was
then at anchor in the bay waiting
for Chin.Lung's return. lie was
then up among the Lioo Kio islands
with four junks to capture large
ship which had drifted into shoal
water, but was not abandoned. If
we would spare his life he would
pilot us anywhere and prove his
gratitude in any way. Shin-Lee
took him in hand for a few minutes
and then announced that we could
depend upon him. We ran into
the bay, brought up alongside OF
the brig, and sent forty men ashore
to clean out the place. Not pirate
was to be seen, all having bolted
for the woods. Everything which
would burn was set on fire, and a
prize crew was put aboard the brig
to navigate her to Hong Kong
She reached that port safely, and
our salvage money went far to re-
imburse the company for It's out
lay.
When we sailed out of the bay 1t
was to look for the boss pirate. lie
was nearer than we thought for
At s o'clock next morning we saw
his fleet dead ahead, on its way
back to FOrmosa empty handed,
and by 10 we had the iunks under
fire. These were a brayer lot of
men. Knowing that they could
not outsall us, and seeming to sus-
pect that we we're an enemy, they
closed right in for a fight.
1t did not last long, how
ever. We had one man killed by
the fall of block from aloft, and
three or four wounded by the bull
lets from their ancient firearms,
and in return not a man Of them
escaped. In less than an hours
fighting altogether we sent nine
/ iunks and 200 men to destruction.
Butchery, was i'll Well, call it so
but remember that in the previous
twelve months the fleet OF this old
pirate had captured no less than
ten foreign craft and six traders,
and that every man, woman and
child aboard had been murdered.
There was no sentiment about Chin
Lung. lie thought Of nothing but
blood and plumber, and he would
cut n child's throat with smile on
his face.
we were now ready TO sail in
search of Shung-Wong, who had
less power, but was Just as great a
villain. Those two leaders had di-
yided up the territory, and compel
ed all lesser pirates to join them
and come under their control. So,
then, we had only two men to strike
at to down the whole lot. At the
close of the third day, after head
ing for the south, we came upon
the track of the piratical feet. n
trader in woods and dye stuifs had
been Overhauled about a hundred
miles north OF the northern group OF
Philippines, called the Little Philip
pines. The crew consisted Of three
men and q boy, and the vessel had
only part Of a cargo. Shung. Wong
had boarded her himself, and al
though the crew were native Chi
nese, he could n OF restrain his
bloody hand. He demanded a sum
equal to $500 in American money.
There was only about $50 aboard,
and he personally cut the captains
throat, had the others logged, and
went on his way to the Bay of Luz.
on, which is on the west side of the
island of that name. We spoke
the trader, and received from her
terrified crew the incidents above
narrated, and then shaped our
course for the bay. AS luck
would have it, an American ship
called the Joseph Taylor was ahead
of us, and as she passed down the
coast was attacked by the feet
about seven miles off shore. We
heard the rumpus about an hour
before daylight. There was little
breeze, and though greatly out
numbered, the crew OF the Taylor
beat the pirates of. At daylight
the wind frcshened, and we slid
in between the junks and the shore
just as they were preparing tor a
T second attack. We were no sooner
within range than we opened Oh
them, and, seeing escape cut of,
r the fellows tried hard to lay us
aboard. In thirty minutes from
the opening OF the fight we had
sunk or run down every Junk, and
, disposed ofevery pirate, and only
, had four men wounded in doing it.