344 MORE CRUISING AFTER PIRATES. 



I therefore landed, taking this paper commander- 

 in-chief along with me, one marine, and a blue-jacket ; 

 then leaving him with his troops I walked ahead with 

 my two men, close up to the cover where the pirates 

 were potting at the troops, and opened fire at them. 

 It was quite enough ; they cleared out and went over 

 the crest of hills like a flock of sheep. The Chinese 

 soldiers now flocked in and looted every nook and 

 corner, their usual mode on such occasions, and after- 

 wards burnt the village. 



It will be easily understood from what I have just 

 related why piracy in China was a trade practised 

 with such impunity. The whole proceeding I have 

 endeavoured to describe seems so entirely ridiculous 

 and almost fabulous, that if I had not been rather 

 more than an eye-witness, I should have hesitated 

 before repeating it. There was another small village 

 destroyed without the pirates showing, and then we 

 dispersed, the junks and Chinese troops returning to 

 Canton, and the gun-boats to Hong-Kong. The fifty- 

 three junks I have mentioned as part of the force, 

 mounted at least ten 12 or 1 8 pounder guns, or about 

 five hundred and thirty in aU. 



I shall only relate one more adventure after pirates. 

 This time I was looking along the east coast, when I 



