Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1897-12-28
A HOT FIGHT.
BY CHARLES n. LEWIS

constantly cruising in the waters Of the
China and Java seas after pirates. Dur
ing this time over 100 piratical craft
were captured. dozen or Is strong
holds broken up and ut least 2,00(
BLACK flags were killed offhand OIL
sent ashore to be hung. The cruiser,
thought they had finished their work,
but in 1869 several traders which had
been fitted out nt Bantam, Batavia and
Singapore were overhnuled by pirates
and their crews butchered. When We
arrived ut Singapore in 1870 in the
British gun brig Vixen, n nest Of pi
rates had been located on one Of the is
lands of the west coast Of Java, and We
had orders to proceed to the spot and
clean them out We overhauled oui
armament, took in u lot Of ammunition
and strengthened cur crew by IL mcr
before sailing. These men were drafted
out Of q crew belonging to a man of
war which bad been wrecked ON tn,
Malay coast, and all were old hands
The captain got his bearings from soms
source unknown TO us, and when We
left Singapore the brig was headed u
the east. We logged along down the
coast Of Sumatra for week withou,
any unusual incident, and though We
spoke a score Of Graf, none Of them hat
any information about the pirate. Til
crew had begun 90 ridicule the idea
when something occurred to open oul
eyes very wide.
One morning, about nm hour afteI
daylight, We came mp with Dutch
trader, which was taking care Of her
self. All her sails had been cut away,
ropes were flying in every direction
and she was 10 low in the water tina,
we wondered why she didn't 90 down.
When boat pulled oif To her, IL was Il
find the captain mortally wounded ant
his wife and two sailors, stiff and deac
and horribly mutilated, on the deck be
side him. We got him of, but had nC
time to give the bodies burial befor,
the little craft went down. The captain
was u man about 40 years OF age, and
though hardly alive when We fount
him. he rallied enough to tell his story,
The trader had been trafiicking alone
the Java coast aud had finally completed
his cargo nnd headed for Singapore
Just ut sunset on the previous evening
he had been overhauled by natiy,
craft. carrying about 40 men. He wa
then about ten miles of the coast ant
about five miles south Of al island
known as Queens Bower. He had nC
suspicion whatever Of the natives, ant
the first thing he knew they boarded hi,
craft and began to cut and slash. Wher
they had finished the crew. they begar
to plumber aud strip the vessel and wer'
with her until midnight Before leaving
they bored her full Of holes, and We hac
reached her Just in time to rescue th'
captain. The first craft was joined by
two others later on, and the three car
ried mt least 100 desperate fellows. Th'
captain heard and understood enough tc
satisfy him that they were MI organized
gang Of pirates and that they were also
we'll equipped for their bloody business.
The island mentioned was not ovel
20 miles away. and Ms the Java sea wa'
and is great highway il did not seen
possible that men would take such q
risk an those pirates had. The trader
said that no less than three friendly
sails were in sight when he was at
tackled, but all too far away to signal,
even il he had been warned IN time tc
do something Owing to the shoals sur
rounding the island our craft could not
approach near enough to use her guns
and shell the fellows out, and we were
not strong enough to land from oul
boats and deal with them. The sight OF
an armed vessel nosing around would
put the pirates on their guard, and &C
1t was resolved to play them Yankee
trick. We ran into bay on the coast
and set to work.
You are probably aware Of the fac,
that an English man-of.war, no matter
how large or how small. is pattern OF
neatness and regulation, and the cut OF
her sails will alone establish her identi-
ty while her hull is yet below the wa:
ter line. We had therefore 70 undo and
overhaul . great deal. We put every
thing in seeming confusion aloft, dis
guised her bull as much as possible, and
when we left the bay the Shark had the
look Of o merchantman which had been
through q typhoon and was too short
handed to make repairs. The Dutch cap
tain died on the day after We found
him, aud his last words were q prayer
that we might fall in with and punish
the pirates
Ii was Just at daylight that We ap-
peared of the north coast Of the island
and anchored on bank about three
miles from the beach Men were sent
aloft as If engaged in repairs, boat
was got down as il to work Oh the hull,
and the bulk Of the crew remained IN
hiding below. No doubt the fellows
ashore had lookout in some trees, and
provided with o good glass he could see
everything going on aboard. 1t was
hardly sunrise when q small native
craft with four men in her, came out 70
make IN investigation. Our captain
hailed them, and they replied with
gestures to signify that they would re.
turn to the shore for help. They evil
IDENTIFY took US for what We pretended
to be, and we were piped to breakfast
feeling that our ruse would succeed.
About 8 o'clock, with the wind
breczing up lively. three native sail
craft put out for u.s. A man aloft with
Q Glass reported that each craft was
crowded with natives, and 1t was now
cur plan to weigh anchor and make q
little sail and pretend to be standing
away from them AZ il alarmed. The OBJ
ject was to draw them as fur away
from shore as possible. and We had
added mile or more 70 the distance
when the foremost boat came within
hail. She hadn't . gun Of any sort IN
sight, but she had 4S desperate looking
villains in plain view and every one o.
them had cutlass and pistol. Wbil,
her captain was hailing Ms IN a Ian.
guage no one could understand she wal
slowly edging along down our starboard
quarter. At the same time . second
craft was drawing ahead on the port
side, and the third kept in our wake.
Only seven or eight men were in sight
ON our decks, and the natives seemed Il
have NO suspicion Of trick. The breeze
was little bit too STRONG for theil