298 CRUISING AFTER PIRATES. 



third because he was only fourteen years old, and I 

 thought at that age he might learn a new trade, 

 although he had been seven years with the pirates. 

 To shorten a long story, this junk had, about three 

 months before, been taken by pirates, when in com- 

 pany with a small fleet of Hong-Kong trading junks. 

 After killing the crew, the pirates had kept her. They 

 had then been so fortunate in their depredations that 

 their own companions had attacked them ; but, being 

 a good sailer, the junk outstripped her envious friends, 

 and when we hove in sight was all but at her journey's 

 end, Macao, where her crew would have divided 20,000 

 dollars, and dispersed. 



As we steamed up to her I observed the rascals 

 flinging things overboard, but little dreamed they were 

 bags of dollars, which were thus reduced to something 

 less than half the number mentioned when I got on 

 board. 



The prisoners were forwarded to Canton. Six or 

 seven, however, managed to escape on the way. The 

 remainder were tried, condemned, and executed. On 

 their trial they swore that those who escaped bribed 

 the Mandarin to allow them to do so ; and that had 

 they themselves only possessed, or been able to raise 

 money, as their more fortunate companions had done. 



