THE INDIAN OCEAN. 335 



are burnt at the depot, and the goods put on 

 board prahus disguised like traders, and sold at 

 Singapore. The eaptives are sold into slavery at 

 Sumatra, to work on the pepper plantations of the 

 Malays. 



Though their assaults are generally upon the 

 native trading-boats, yet occasionally they venture to 

 attack square-rigged craft. 



"An English merchant, who had resided several 

 years in Java, embarked at Batavia on board one 

 of his own vessels, a large brig, taking with him 

 a considerable sum of money for the purchase of 

 the produce of the eastern districts. These facts 

 having reached the ears of a famous piratical chief, 

 he determined to waylay the vessel, and accordingly 

 mustering a sufficient number of prahus, cruised 

 about, and meeting with the brig as he had expect- 

 ed, commenced an attack upon her. The crew of 

 the latter vessel consisted of two Englishmen, the 

 captain and the chief officer, and about thirty Java- 

 nese seamen, who, together with the owner, defended 

 the vessel for some time. Towards the evening, 

 however, the unfortunate merchant was killed by a 

 spear fired from a musket, and the pirates taking 

 advantage of the confusion produced by this event, 

 immediately boarded. The two remaining English- 

 men, being well aware that certain death awaited 

 them should they remain, threw themselves into the 

 sea, and succeeded in reaching a bamboo fishing- 

 buoy. The pirates, too busily employed in plunder- 

 ing their prize to think of any thing else, did not 

 perceive their place of refuge, and the vessels soon 



