288 CRUISING AFTER PIRATES. 



I had been a couple of days cruising along the 

 eastern coast, anchoring at night, and examining during 

 the day-time the numerous creeks, bays, and hiding- 

 places, but without success of any kind. Towards even- 

 ing of the second day I reached a favourite creek, 

 which, bending back from the head of a deep bay, 

 twenty mUes from the open sea, expanded into an inland 

 basin, with innumerable smaller creeks and passages, 

 twisting and turning about amongst the hiUs in all 

 directions. It was a grand place for pirates. By 

 having men stationed on the peaks of the hUls, signals 

 were easily passed along very quickly to their junks 

 inside, which warning generally was in time to allow 

 them to escape by some of the interminable creeks. 



Soon after anchoring I went on shore to see the 

 missionary priest, a Eoman Catholic and a Jesuit. I 

 never met or heard of a Protestant missionary taking 

 up his quarters in such situations as I am now speaking 

 of, viz., amongst the poorer villagers far away from the 

 open or treaty ports, where half the people live by 

 piracy and robbery, in petty ways as well as in a more 

 wholesale manner. A few words about this little man. 

 He was an Italian of very good family, and had 

 received an excellent education. Chinese he spoke 

 like a native, besides six other languages as perfectly. 



