THE INDIAN OCEAN. 335 
are burnt at the depdt, and the goods put on 
board prahus disguised like traders, and sold at 
Singapore. The captives are sold into slavery at 
Sumatra, to work on the pepper plantations of the 
Malays. 
Though their assaults are generally upon the 
native trading-boats, yet occasionally they venture to 
attack square-rigged craft. 
“An English merchant, who had resided several 
years in Java, embarked at Batavia on board one 
of his own vessels, a large brig, taking with him 
a considerable sum of money for the purchase of 
the produce of the eastern districts. These facts 
having reached the ears of a famous piratical chief, 
he determined to waylay the vessel, and accordingly 
mustering a sufficient number of prahus, cruised 
about, and meeting with the brig as he had expect- 
ed, commenced an attack upon her. The crew of 
the latter vessel consisted of two Englishmen, the 
captain and the chief officer, and about thirty Java- 
nese seamen, who, together with the owner, defended 
the vessel for some time. Towards the evening, 
however, the unfortunate merchant was killed by a 
spear fired from a musket, and the pirates taking 
advantage of the confusion produced by this event, 
immediately boarded. The two remaining English- 
men, being well aware that certain death awaited 
them should they remain, threw themselves into the 
sea, and succeeded in reaching a bamboo fishing- 
buoy. The pirates, too busily employed in plunder- 
ing their prize to think of any thing else, did not 
perceive their place of refuge, and the vessels soon 
