The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-04-26

ard threats. to desert. Then fifty OF the
pire tcs left their feet In excluded inlet
and presented themselves TO the Naona s
On prs in as honest ailors looking for job.
They were hired end the Nj moa sailed
sOsy. the CT pta in little thinking that his
crew Of the lest native sailors ho hsd ever
seen WIS almost entirely cnpCsed OF
murderers end robbers.
The Namoa had been five hours at sea;
the evening was falling over the calm tropic
waters, the passengers were at their evening
meal and the lookout had just given his
cry Of Hum deckty hal" (-I'm looking out ,
when a t,imult arose on deck and the fifty
half naked pirates appeared from below
shouting fercely and waving cutlasses and
revolvers.
They fired voley into the passengers
seated below In the dining hall, killing
and wounding several. killed the captain
and wounded the first officer, and made the
second officer prisoner.
The surviving Chinese passengers were
100 terrified TO make any resistance, and
the Europeans were locked up in tiny
cabin while the pirates took charge Of the
ship and steered her for Pipghai on the
China coast.
on Pinghsi they met their own pirate
fleet, and. transferring all the loot which
sells. they abandoned the steamer and sailed
away after damaging every bit Of machinery
which they could conveniently get at.
When the pirates had gone the Europeans
broke out of the cabin where they had heen
confined, repaired the machinery and navi-
gated the steamer to Hong Kong.
The British Government took such meas
ures about this AFFAIR that the Chinese
Government, which IL not, as a rule, very
energetic in hunting down pirates, decided
to do something about VI, and thirty-four
OF the fifty who had seized the Nanoa were
captured and had their heads chopped on
At least the Chinese officials who presided at
the execution said that the thirt y-four we're
there was considerable doubt about it at
the time.
II was whispered that the Chinese Gov
eminent. not being willing or able TO capt
ure the real pirates, and at the same time
o TO hs who had been
condemned to death anyway and cut their
heads on as pirates while the real criminals
went free and are. perhaps, lurking to-day
about the Eastern seas looking for other
ships to piunder.
One OF the mistakes Of the yellow rovers
of the China Sea was when they attacked
a British training ship, thinking che was
a merchantmen. The training ship had
a crew Of boys learning TO be sailors. She
was a sailing vessel, and rs she forged along
with her ports closed she looked very like
a harmless merchant craft, big and prosper
Gus and fit for looting.-
Suddenly a fleet OF pirate junks bore
down upon her and the navy captain, with
his guns shotted and his crew concealed
behind the high bulwarks. calmly awaited
their coming The Chinese paint great
eyes on the bows Of their junks. for they
say: -No got eyes how can seer But the
painted eyes could not see what lay within
that peaceful-looking craft.
Quickly the pirates were alongside and
swarming over the hammock MEETINGS.
Then down fell the ports. bang went the
guns; II was up. boys and At en- and
several hundred young tars were slashing
at the pirates with cutlasses, shooting them
with pistols and tumbling them back onto
the decks OF their pirate vessels or into
the water.
Il was all over in few minutes. and such
Of the junks a. had not been sunk fed
away with the pirates that had escaped.