.T18 THE OCEAN. 



are burnt at the depot, and tlie goods put on 

 board pralius disguised like traders, and sold at 

 Singapore. The captives are sold into slavery at 

 Sumatra, to work on the pepper plantations of the 

 Malavs. 



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 bri?, 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 expected, 

 commenced an attack upon her. The crew of the 

 latter vessel consisted of two Englishmen, the captain 

 and the chief officer, and about thirty Javanese 

 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 anything else, did not 

 perceive their place of refuge, and the vessels soon 



