The state herald., 1899-09-01
CHINESE PIRATES.
TERRIBLE CRIMES AND PUNISH
MENTS.
Curious Exploits of These Red Rovers Of
tho Sea = They lmpartiaIly Capture
Ships and Towns.

"The Scourge of the Eastern Seas"
are the pirates that infest the China
sea and the Philippine Islands, John S.
Sewall relates several thrilling stories
of the Chinese vikings crimes and their
punishment In the SALTY Water" Cen.
| tury-the September number:
Some of the exploits of these red row
ers are curiously interesting. II any Of
my readers have sailed up the Canton
river they will recall the Chinese fort,
ress of the Boca Tlgris ut its mouth,
ON the starboard side as you enter.
Down by the waterside n long white
parapet stretches along the shore; at
each end n wall of masonry reaches up
the hill, and disappears over the crest.
Whether there Is IL fourth wall out Of
sight, joining the two and completing
the square, | do not now remember;
but certain British tars could tell YOU
il they have lasted from 1912 till this
present year of grace. During the
opium war the fortress was attacked:
but the storming party pulled quietly
around the headland, and forming o.
the beach, clambered up over the hill
and the first thing the Celestials knew
their foe was rushing down upon then
from the rear, and within the inclOsura
There was nothing for 1t but to surren
der, which they did, bristling witk
wrath at such n breach of military
manners. "Hlyah! Why you no coms
front side? More better fight where we
make ready for you!"
But this Is II depression. What We are
after is the pirates. 1t was an earlier
commandant Of this same fortress who
met with equally bad luck. One of the
fleets appeared in his neighborhood,
and he sailed out to attack it. The pi-
rates surrounded him. and after Il fu-
riCus engagement, which lasted all day,
and with such havoc as may be left to
the imagination. captured him and
whatever fragments of his fleet were
still atloat. This disaster was partly
avenged the next year. when the Chi
ncsc admiral. with n hundred junks,
attacked another fleet on the same
cruising ground. Great numbers of the
pirates Were destroyed and some two
hundred taken prisoners. Those who
are familiar with Chinese methods can
easily judge how long the two hundred
were kept from joining their bloody
comrades in the shades below.
In another encounter not far from
the same place. before the combatants
could close upon one another, 1t fell
dead calm. whereupon crowds of the
pirates leaped into the sea like saw
ages, swan TO the enemy with their
knives in their teeth. and attacked
them so ficrcely that they could not be
beaten of. and actually cut out sever
nj junks from the imperial fleet.
The fortunes of war varied. With
provoking impnrtiality. and apparently
with no ethical preference, victory
would perch on the standard of the pi-
rate quite as often AS on the banners
of the righteous defenders Of their
country's commerce.
We read of whole fleets engaged.
fighting all day and all night, two days,
even three days ut time. two or
three hundred punks on n side. and
drawn game at the end. No child's
play this. At one time the admiral is
lying quietly at anchor among the isl
nnds, when suddenly two hundred pi-
rate craft slip around the hcadland.
and pounce upon him with an onset so
furious that. In spite of vigorous de-
fcnse, twenty-five Of his fleet are gone
with their captors before he can get
up his anchors and chase them. These
encounters were not confined TO the
sea. There We're frequent raids on the
villages that lined the harbors aud
rivers.