San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1888-08-09
''s5aslaI mercEardIs-.
"Any arms abosrdp
"Only a few muskets."

but they dared not attempt to board. Ihey
chartered away among items ives for
while, and then the spokesman called out:
"Very well; We will bring you help"
With that the junk headed back for tho
bay, accompanied by the yeliS and curses Of
the apparently drun&en crew. We had
native aboard called Shin-Lee. He had been
in the headquarters Office for several years,
and could he depended UPON He gave it Is
his opinion that the junk was spy toat sent
out by the pirates, who never attacked YES
sci by daylight without esking al due pre-
cautions He said We would see the pirate
fleet come out in case no sail appeared upon
the horizon, and his words were speedily
verified. We had been gradually edging in
shore, and were not over five miles from the
land, when we caught sight of five junls
coming out after us. There was a good
working breeze, and now, as was only nat
ural, we began to claw off. By seeming to
want to get away very badly, but by care
fully manipulating the helm, we were seven
miles off the land before the fleet reached u.s.
We were satisfied of their intentions, long
enough before 1t was not to help vessel
in distress, but to take advantage of one al
most helpless
The junks kept pretty well together, and
when within rifle shot each one raised Chin
Lungs flag and uttered cheer. Each had
couple of howitzers, with which they opened
fire upon the schooner, but no harm had been
done when we were ready to spring the trap.
At the word Of command every man was on
deck, the gun crews jumped to their stations,
and things aloft were shipshape in a moment.
Then we wore round to get between the
pirates and the bay, and opened fire.
Chinese junk is a mere shell The solid shot
went through them as if they had been
paper. The poor devils were unnerved as
soon as they saw the trap into which they
had fallen and devoted all their energies to
getting away. We could outsail any of the
junks, but it was quick work with four Of
them. They were sent to the bottom one
after another, and as we came up with the
fifth we ran her down. Our stem struck her
full on the starboard broadside and cut her
almost in two. She had at least thirty men
aboard, and there was one long, despairing
shrek as they went down to watery graves
A few came up to clutch at the wreckage and
oeg to be taken aboard but not one of them
would the C; plain lend a hand to. Such as
the sharks did not get hold of drifted out to
sea with the tide 1t was a fearful retribu-
thirty minutes from the time we opened fire
the fleet was at the bottom and at least a
hundred pirates had paid the penalty of their
crimes.
Our captain was lamenting the fact that
he had not picked up one or two in order to
secure information when there was a row
forward, and it was announced that pirate
had been found hanging to the chains.
When brought aft he was ready to do any
thing to save his life. His name was Mung-
Hang, 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 all about old Chin Lung. The bay
was his rendezvous, but his plumber 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 He
was then up among the Loo 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 graft
tude in any way Shin-Lee took him in
hand for 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 q pirate was to be seen, all
having bolted for the woods Everything
which would burn was set on fire, and
prize crew was put aboard the brig to navi-
gate her to Hong Kong. She reached that
port safely, and our salvage money went far
to reimburse the company for its outlay.
When we sailed out of the bay it was to
look for the boss pirate. He was nearer than
we thought for. At s o'clock next morning
we saw his feet dead ahead, on its way back
to Formosa empty handed, and by 10 we had
the junks under fire These were drawer
lot of men. Knowing that they could not
outsail US, and seeming to suspect that we
were al enemy, they closed right in for a
fight 1t did not last long, however. We
had one man kiHed by the fall Of block
from aloft, and three or four wounded by the
bullets from their ancient firearms, and in
return not man of them escaped In less
than an hours fighting altogether we sent
nine junks and POO men to destruction.
Butchery, was it, Well, call r. so; but re-
member that in the previous twelve months
the feet 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. He thought of nothing
but blood ard plumber, and he would cut
childs throat with a smile on his face
We were now ready to sail in search of
Shung Wong, who had less power, but was
just as great villain. Those two leaders
had divided up the territory, and compelled
all lesser pirates to join them and come IN
der their control. Sc, then, we had only