Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1895-12-05
PIRATES IN EASTERN WATERS.
Malays Are Still the Terror of the Seas
Toward the South of Asia.

Malays Are Still the Terror of the Seas
Toward the South of Asia.
The Malay and Eastern waters swarm
with seemingly commercial junks and
proas, which wear all the air of re-
speciality, but are none the less on
constant watch for becalmed traders
and cargo ships undermined. In rhe
Formosa channel the outward ana
homeward passengers will see appar-
entity innocent vessels leisurely drift
ing in pairs before the wind. Ihey
drag between them huge caDle 10
which is fastened a sweep net; ana, IL
nothing better turn up, they have 10
be content with what tunnies and tuf-
tie they may thus catch off the Pesca-
dores, or the Baracels, or in those wa
ters, the home of the cyclone. where
rises the lonely Piedra Blanca. IT,
however, a Tonkinese or Chinese rice
or opium boat drifts near by, and no
embarrassing European boat Is near,
the nets are drawn in, the sWarthy nsn-
ermen get out their spears and mus
.kets, and combine to board and Eayage
the unlucky trader, cutting the threats
of all ON board, and sinking the JUNK
when she has been thoroughly cleaned
out. Instances have been known III
which Canton or Foo Choo pirates nave
shipped as seemingly harmless and re-
spectacle vOyagers on board even EURO
pean steamers sailing out of Chinese
ports, and have risen, when the vessel
ILL orY% xo% nd me-
captain and crew. In such case one
hears of it, for European blood is an
expensive liquid to spill in the East;
but no mention ever comes to pubic
ears of the hundreds Of craft sailed
and owned by natives which, year by
year. in the seas east of Singapore, ran
victims to- the treacherous pirate or the
Malay peninsula or Celebes or Jayan
archipelago.
A well-manned merchant ship with
Maxim gun on board would be fairly
safe, for they can only attack In their
boats, and any quick firing cannon OF
the modern type would be more than
they could comfortably face. A steam
er, too, as long as her engines keep 60
ing, is perfectly secure, for their BEST
chance is in those dead Gains which
come upon the Eastern seas, when the
trader is helplessly fixed, While the
water rats" can bring their dhoW or
proa close up with long sweeps, and fin
ish off the rest in their boats. Yet, ii
this kind Of ancient villainy is to go on
in those distant waters at least until
the Japanese have gained firm hold Of
Formosa, it is outrageous that exam
pies of it's revival should be furnished
so close to civilization as the Straits OF
Gibraltar.
We sincerely hope that vigorous meas
ures will be adopted by the military
authorities of Great Britain in the Med
iterranean to identify and clear out this
nest of pirates so near "the rock" Di-
plomacy and diplomatic scruples should
all be put on one side until the Alhuce-
mas scoundreds have been cOndignly
punished, and becoming number Of
them strung up in sight of their pensive
countrymen along the Riff coast. We
shall otherwise have an English mail
or passenger seamer run ashore there
some day with the result of being plum
dered and her company murdered. The
maritime Arabs along the coast are
just the same now, in point of morality
as when they roved the middle sea, Il
terror to all it's shores and when the
Algerine galleys drove roaring trade
in Christian captives. A felucca is not
much from the point of view of Lloyd's
Shipping Register, but it is an eminent
ly serious thing that any vessel flying
the British colors should be boarded
and plundered within the hearing Of
the guns upon the rock.-London Tele-
graph.