50 ALBANIAN PIRATES. 



committed by the villains which infest that coast: 

 so satisfied, indeed, is the Turkish Government of 



the purpose of taking in the ballast necessary for her on her home- 

 ward-bound voyage to Ancona. Whilst at Corfu, the proceeds of 

 the sale of her cargo, amounting to several hundred doUars, had 

 been received by the captain, and this circumstance, it appears, 

 was well known in Corfu. About ten o'clock in the morning, 

 whilst the crew were engaged in getting in the ballast, they on a 

 sudden observed a boat quite close to them, which they had not 

 before seen, and which was approaching them very fast. Before 

 they had time for reflection, several Albanians jumped up sud- 

 denly from the bottom of the boat, where they had been concealed ; 

 fired a volley at the crew of the trabacolo, which killed instanta- 

 neously the captain and another man ; rushed on board with drawn 

 yataghans, with which they severely wounded an old man, who 

 was not so quick as his more young and more nimble oomrades, in 

 jumping into their boat and escaping ; proceeded deliberately below 

 to search for the treasure, which it appears they well knew was on 

 board ; and having, without any difficulty, laid their hands upon it, 

 pulled away in their boat before those of the crew who had escaped 

 could reach the shore, and before the sound of the fire-arms, which 

 they had discharged on the first onset, had sufficiently alarmed 

 the inhabitants of the village to enable them, had they even been 

 ready to do so, to take any steps to resist the wanton and outrage- 

 ous attack thus made within gun-shot of their houses. The pira- 

 tical boat then joined a larger vessel, which lay off at some distance ; 

 and from that day forward, no tidings could be heard of either, 

 notwithstanding the most searching inquiries were made in every 

 direction, nor could it ever be traced by what means the intelli- 

 gence of the sailing of this imfortunate trabacolo with specie on 

 board, and her intention of anchoring at Cassopo, had been com- 

 municated from Corfu, as it evidently must have been, to the 

 opposite coast ; otherwise the large piratical vessel would not have 

 been in the position in which she was seen, evidently waiting the 



