The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1901-04-11
LATE NEWS
FROM ORIENT
PeraticaI Comedy on West River
-Brieandage Near
Tientsin.

from the Orient.
The profession of pirate is not usual
~ one that furnishes cause for amuse-
ment, but the incident which the other
day transpired between two Chinese
owned launches. the Nam Hing and
the Kong 500, trading between Hong
kong and the West River is deciuediy
ludicrouS. The launches left the har-
Dor at $50 IN the afternoon or Wed
nesday, the 9th instant, on the usual
run their destination being kumchuk,
UP the West River. The course usual
ly taken is an easterly one, carrying
the launches close TO the island of Ling
Ting at the entrance of Deep bay, but
the Kong 500 on this occasion, DeIAg
rather heavily laden, decided to steer
a western course for the purpose OF
keeping in deep water. The Nam hing
was coming on behind, and the master,
seeing the Kong 500 suddenly deviate
from her course-a thing she appar-
emily had never done before-jumped
to the conclusion that the dreaded Can
ton river pirates had seized her, ana
We're now running away with the
launch. He did not pause to consider
that not a junk or vessef of any de-
scription by which the pirates might
suddenly have borne down on the Kong
500 was in sight but straightway
sounded his whistle and got all the
{ members OIL lUe crew On QeCh lhtSS
armed themselves with rif1es-both
launches have licenses to carry arms
and opened fire, not in the direction of
the Kong 500, but in the air. probably
the brighten the pirates. Hearing the
unexpected sound of rapid firing, the
master of the Kong 500 In turn jump
ed to the conclusion that the other
launch had been visited by pirates
who We're now in pursuit of himself
and he adopted exactly the same course
that had commended itself to the mas
ter of the Nam Hing-he reused his
/ crew and, arming them with rifles,
opened a return fire, at the same time
altering his course to elude his pre-
sumed would-be captors. This uneX-
pected phase of the incident went thor
oughly to convince the master OF the
Nam Hing that his supposition regard
ing the fate which had befallen the
Kong 500 was the correct one, and
when the launch altered Its course for
| the second time, he naturally thought
that the capture of his own launch
was intended, and Immediately sheered
| off, maintaining a steady fire. This
was at o'clock in the evening, and the
farce was kept UP without cessation,
| till o'clock the following morning, the
| launches doubling about and lodging
one another right round Ling Ting
| Island, and in and out of Deep Bay.
| simultaneously both masters seemed to
! have resolved to make for Hongkong,
as being the only place of safety, and
| set a course accordingly, each main
| tanning the same steady fire, which
never for a moment had they allowed
| to drop. On the way back, the Nam
| Hing in hot pursuit of the Kong 500.
they We're hailed by two police launch
es from Brothers Island whom the I'M
| usual sound of rifle fire had warned
that something out of the common was
| in progress. Neither of the launches
I, answered the hail, their attention be-
| ing wholly taken up with each other,
| to the complete exclusion of every
thing else. The police launches sound
ed their whistles time and again, but
| still met with no response, the Kong
| 500 and the Nam Hing pursuing a
steady course for Hongkong. The po-
| lice launches set off in pursuit, but
although they had gained slightly
when Capsuimun Pass was reached,
the fleeing launches opened out and
| left them far behind. Hongkong har-
Dor was reached at about o'clock, the
| firing still going steadily on. A police
| pinnace was on duty at the quarantine
anchorage, where the launches came to
a stop, and the officer in charge at
once boarded the Kong 500 to ascertain
the cause of the firing. He was inform
ed with much excited gesticulation
that pirates We're on board the Nam
Hing, which was then lying a little dis
lance off. Acting on this information
the officer lost not moment in board
ing the Nam Hing, where he was
breathlessly informed that the Kong
500 had been pirated, and that the
pirates were still on board. Unable to
make anything of the whole mysterious
business, the officer took the master of
the Nam Hing on the pinnace and
then went for the master of the Kong
500 Brought thus face to face the
whole ridiculous business was exposed,
and the two masters realized what
fools they had made of themselves and
of each other. The decks of both
launches were strewn with spent car
tridges, and the coXswain of one had
completely wrapped himself up in
blankets, as protection against stray
bullets. Luckily, however, no one was
inJured-not even scratched, and after
the police had searched them to make
sure that everything was correct, both
launches left shortly after 4 o'clock for
Kumchuk, which, let us hope they
reached without further incident.
BRIGANDAGE AROUND TEN TSIN
The country around Tien-rsin, writes
the 2. and Z. Times, is becoming In
creasingly disturbed, several foreigners
having been done to death within
short distance of here. In one instance,
an American Saloonkeeper Joined some
disreputable Chinese in an attempt to
and brought upon himself d terrible
fate The Chinese seized him and cut
off ears, nose, tongue, etc, and finally
hacked him to pieces. In another In
stance three Germans who went into
the country to purchase cattle, taking
with them a large sum of money, were
attacked and killed, the Cinnamon
with them escaping and bringing word
back to the settlements. A German
force promptly went out and burned
down the village, killing a NUMBER of
! the Boxer inhabitants. We also hear
| that two Indian troopers who went
out from Tangchow on q racket of
their own, were attacked, one being
killed and the other rescued by Italian
outposts. OF course, where men break
bounds and go on the pillage, one can
not marvel at tragic results. But we
| decline to believe that the raids made
upon villages by certain foreign troops
| in order to replenish their commits
sariat supplies. is altogether RESPONSE
BILE for the dangerous state of the coun-
| try. At times the Chinese are un-
doubtedly provoked; but the incessant
pillaging and cruel oppression going on
among themselves, even IN the city,
DrOve that the country is infested with