CEUISTNG AFTER PIEATES. 281 



and made for a favourite harbour a little to the north 

 of Macao. Here they divided their spoil, burnt the 

 junk, and dispersed. This plan was frequently adopted 

 to elude pursuit. Seven went to Macao, and from 

 thence took their passage by the usual passenger 

 steamer to Hong-Kong. The poor little urchin whom 

 they had spared, but whose father had been drowned, 

 was allotted to one of these seven. 



Before the steamer reached her destination, the 

 Captain noticed the boy, who appeared to be in much 

 distress, and being a kind-hearted man (peace to his 

 ashes!) asked what ailed him. On hearing the story 

 I have just related, instead of running the steamer 

 alongside the jetty at Hong-Kong, as was usual, he 

 anchored in mid-stream, hailed the police-boat to come 

 alongside, drew up the hundred odd Chinese passengers, 

 and with the boy's assistance picked the seven men 

 from amongst them. They were taken possession of 

 by the police and locked up. 



The previous evening, one of the eighty-two unfor- 

 tunates who had been flung overboard arrived at Hong- 

 Kong, and gave the same account as the boy did. This 

 man's fate was evidently not drowning. It appeared 

 when he found himself in the water, and going quickly 

 to the bottom, he managed with a desperate effort to 

 free his hands by slipping them through the lashing, 



