Gilpin observer., 1900-07-12
China Seas.

The present unsettled state of affairs
in China has given a fresh impetus to
the ancient Chinese diversion of pir-
acy, and only the other day an Ameri-
can vessel was attacked by pirates in
the Yang-tse-Kia river Piracy has
never been fully suppressed in the Chi
nese seas. The hotbeds of this species
of criUs are at Annoy and Macao. Here
the pirates lie in wait until their many
spies, who are scattered about all the
principal ports, bring them word of
the sailing of a richly laden boat. I'm
mediately they sail out to sea in their
shallow -draught junks with the inten-
ton of intercepting the vessel near
some shoal water, over which it would
be impossible for the sailing schooner
to follow them in case of detection. A
favorite device is to ship several of
their fellow cutthroats in the guise of
seamen. These gentry pose as harm
less, hard working coolies. until their
comrades junks are in sight. Then,
all in a moment, they show themselves
up in their true colors. All opposition
speedily is stunned or knifed and the
few remaining Europeans or loyal ma
tives are only too glad to hold up their
hands in token of surrender rather
than incur the fate of their slaughter
ed bretheren.
Within Sight of n Gunbont. v
Last January a British launch was
captured by pirates in the Chek-Hu-
eng-Shan district, almost within sight
of British gunboat The gunboat-
the Sandpiper-had stuck on a bar, and
the pirates saw their opportunity. They
swarmed aboard the launch, killed the
pilot, made a prisoner of the super
cargo, and looted both the launch and
the lighter which she had in tow. Then
they took to their junks and disap-
peared This sort of thing frequently
has taken place almost within pistol
shot of British gunboats in the Hong
Kong dock yards. A well-known case
of the capture of merchant steamer
by Chinese pirates was that of the Ma
moa, which occurred in November,
1890. This vessel was good-sized
liner and carried five European and
250 Chinese passengers. Among the
latter were several rich merchants who
were returning to their homes
from the Straits Settlements with their
carefully boarded savings. This fact
becoming known to the pirates, fifty of
them took passage in the vessel. She
had barely been five hours at sea, and
the majority of her peaceably disposed
inmates were comfortably settled at
their evening meal when fifty yelling
savages, armed with revolvers and cut
lasses, suddenly appeared on deck.
Carefully covering the officers quar-
ters, the VILLAINS started to fire upon
the passengers below. II so doing they
killed the captain, wounded the first
officer and made the second officer a
prisoner. Then they looted every pos
sible article of value in the ship. They
shut the surviving Europeans in tiny
cabin and navigated the vessel back
to Pinghoi. Here they were met by
fleet of pirate junks, into which they
speedily transferred their plunder.
They abandoned the vessel after dam
aging every bit of her machinery
which they could readily reach. Even
tually the imprisoned Europeans burst
open their prison house. repaired the
damaged engines and made the best
of their way back to Hong Kong. Re-
Gently a launch belonging to a British
naval officer was approached by pir-
ates while she was lying peacefully at
her mooring in Canton harbor. right
under the guns of the responsible port
officials. The pirates took the launch
up the river and held up every promis-
ing looking merchant vessel they met.
When they had filled the launch with
booty until she could hold no more
they ran her ashore landed their spoils
and made off. The natives of Archin,