MORE CRUISING AFTER PIRATES. 339 



on the coasts, often full of merchant junks, besides 

 numerous fishing craft and others, the masters or 

 owners of the former, particularly if trading with 

 Hong-Kong or some of the open ports, frequently came 

 on board the gun-boat to ask me, " What that thing 

 malde talkie to-day?" "that thing" being my baro- 

 meter, in which they showed the greatest confidence. 



As nearly as possible one hundred miles west of 

 Macao is a large island called Chang-chuen in Chinese, 

 and St. John's in English. Several bays run deeply 

 into the land, cutting the island up considerably. A 

 few small villages of the poorest class of fishermen or 

 farmers are here and there found. A very miserable 

 lot of people these villagers are ; but as the island is 

 visited by none but pirates, no other class of China- 

 men would care to live there. I doubt much if the 

 Goveriunent ever knew of this place. It was a very 

 frequent resort of mine when cruising along this wUd 

 coast, and many a stroU with my gun have I enjoyed 

 on it, always managing to bag a few partridges, quaU, 

 or pigeons. One day, when wandering about in this 

 way, I came upon a large flat slab of stone, almost 

 concealed by grass and herbage. A great rock rose 

 close to it, and a few bushes and some screw pine 

 plants grew near. Thinking it rather queer-looking 



