The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1898-10-13
A TUSSLE WITH PIRATES.


an adventure that befell the crew OF q
war ship at the time when the East
India Company was still an important
factor in the affairs of the Far East.
was an ordinary seaman, said the
narrator, on board the Viper, one OF
the cruisers of the East India Compa
ny. She was ten gun brlg-Of-war,
having a complement OF sixty five OF
ficers and men. At the time of which
| am about to speak we we're lying at
anchor IN Busbire Roads, and our
Captain had gone ashore to breakfast
with the government agent, leaving
his executive officer, Lieutenant Car
ruthers ia command.
There were several native crafts ly
ing in the roadstead, and among 9th
ers we're four large ''dhows" belong
ing TO the pirates who lived on that
portion of the Arabian shore OF the
Persian Gulf that extends from Ras
Mussendom to beyond Ras el khai
nah, u part of the littoral that was al
ways called ''the Pirate Coast and
which was totally unexplored by Eu
ropeans.
The Indian navy had not then un-
dertaken the elaborate surveys which
subsequently robbed the pirate
Coast" of half of its terrors, for it was
reported, and with truth, that the en-
tire coast line was begirt with shoals
and reefs and other maritime dan
gers.
1t was a matter of notorlety that
these Jowassamee pirates attacked all
vessels trading in the Gulf, and so
complete had keen their system of
robbery, that English shipping al
ways sought the convoy of a compa
ny's cruiser or man-of war of some
nationality. Not only did they Garry
this practice of pillaging to a system,
but they were also guilty of the great
est cruelties to their captives. 1t was
the invariable custom Of the Jowassa
nee to put to death all prisoners.
But if these nad offered gallant,
though uaavailing resistance. and had
thereby entailed loss upon them,
then the victors slaughtered the hap
less wretches with the most refined
torture. Notwithstanding this the
comman ling officers of the cruisers OF
the Indian navy serving on the Per
sian Gulf station had one and all re
ceived explicit orders from the Bonn
bay government not to modest the pl
rates in the execution of their mild
pursuit of pillaging traders and mnr
dering their crews, and all naval Off
GERS were instructed only TO fire upon
them in the event of their first open
ing fire upon their commands. OF
such an act Of temerity the Jowassa
NEE pirates had hitherto been guilt
less; audaclous as they had become IN
attacking merchant ships manned
with European crews, owing to the
amazing impunlty they enjoyed. still
as yet they had not dared to attack
ships of war of the great trading com
pany that was so soon to OFershadow
With its might the Eastern world, and
it was never for moment thought
that they would ever attempt such a
rash act. To resume my narrative:
On this pleasant morning, the cap
tain, as have said. had gone ashore,
about 5 o'clock to partake of the
agents hospitality, and to confer re
garding some treasure he had on
board. Two hours after his depart
IRE the commander of one of the large
piratical dhows came alongside in his
dingey and expressed wish to com
municate with the commanding off
Ger of the Viper. Lieut.. Carruthers
at once asked the pirate chief to come
on deck l WAS on duty at the gang
way, acting for the qua termaster, and
we'll remember the form and visage of
the dusky freebooter as he stepped
up the low side of the cruiser, dis
daining the use of the man ropes that
hang over the sides to assist visitors
Directly this man reached the deck,
and before he even had the courtesy
to salute the representative of pow
ar mightier far than that to which he
owed allegiance, he cast quick search
ing glances around the ship. The
young lieutenant waited in dignified
silence until the Arab chieftain-so
different from the generality of his
race, who, whatever may be their cha
| racteristics they bear ever about
them the impress of natures nobility
had remembered what was due to
| his rank, and had saluted the quarter
deck of the ship. The Arab soon re
covered his self possession and seem
ed annoyed with himself. for, making
a deep obelssnce, he muttered an ex-
cuse for his apparent rudeness, while
bis dark brown cheek flushed up with
conscious shame.
| There was something in all this
that looked sinister, and, though of ten
der years, felt certain fear take
possession of me, accompanied with
sense of insecurity. The man was
not to be trusted, thought. His
countenance was certainly not reas
suring, while his personal appearance
was that of a man fully capable, as
| far as great muscular development
went, of carrying out any scheme sug
gested by bold and reckless spirit.
The Jowsssamee leader, producing
a paper, stated that be had received
an order from the British agent in
Bunshire to be supplied with certain
amount of powder and round shot
from the magazine of the Viper. He
said the Jowassamee vessels lying at
anchor, of which he was commander,
were about to proceed on cruise,
and having run out of their ammu
milton, he had applied for and receiv-
ed the necessary permission, and had.
indeed, paid beforehand for the ar
ticles required.
So saying, the Arab produced the
order for the delivery of the ammu-
milton, and the receipt for the money
paid over, both were in regular form,
and were signed by the East India
Company's agent. Our acting COM
mander had no choice but to supply
the necessaries. 1t had always been
the custom for the commanding Off
GERS OF ships of-war to honor the
drafts of the political residents Of the
Persian Gulf and elsewhere, and he