CRUISING AFTER PIRATES. 297 



miles to the south-west, and at daylight had reached 

 the first of those that stud the south coast, directly 

 west of the Canton river. A single junk was in sight, 

 well inshore, and some miles ahead ; but as it was quite 

 calm the course I was steering would bring me within 

 half a mile of her. Her great batwing-like sails flapped 

 as the long swell lifted and rolled her from side to side, 

 and on looking through the telescope I saw several 

 neat round holes through her mat sails. I thought 

 it strange, moreover, for an honest junk to be alone in 

 that locality, knowing well that they usually went in 

 small fleets for self- protection. 



Deciding to have a better look at her, I altered 

 course ; but before the little gun-boat's head was round, 

 a boat from the junk had been launched, a dozen men 

 had jumped into her, and were pulling for the shore 

 as hard as possible. 



I first caught the sanpan, and then towing the junk 

 to a favourite anchorage, burnt her ; we then proceeded 

 down the coast with the twenty-four pirates on board, 

 whom I handed over to the Governor of the nearest 

 province. Three exceptions I made — one because the 

 rogue had once actually belonged to the Opossum, 

 the gun-boat I commanded ; another, because he was 

 quite a youth, and had been to England; and the 



