Cuar. XXL] PIRATES REPULSED. 399 
pirate, who had been coming fast down upon us, 
gave us a broadside, it was too much for my 
Chinamen, who were instantly panic-struck, threw 
down their arms, and ran below; and, added to 
this, I had again to threaten the men at the helm, 
who seemed half inclined to follow the example of 
the others: so I now prepared for the worst. 
The pirates came on, firing at intervals as the 
others had done, and I followed my former plan of 
watching their movements until they were near 
enough for my gun to tell upon them with fearful 
precision. Their shot was now flying about our 
ears and riddling our sails, and they came on in 
their usual noisy manner, perfectly unconscious of 
what I had in store for their reception. For the 
last time the helm of the nearest junk was put 
down, when we instantly fell flat on our faces and 
allowed the shot to pass over us. As soon as their 
last gun was fired, and before they had time to 
load again, I poured the contents of my gun 
amongst them fore and aft, raking the deck as I 
had done before. This took them completely by 
surprise ; and as we were still under a heavy press 
of sail, we were soon a considerable way ahead of 
them. Two others of the fleet came up and fired 
some shots at us; but the whole of them evidently 
imagined that a number of foreigners were on board 
of our junk, a belief which doubtless had a great 
deal to do with the success which attended my 
efforts. At length, darkness coming on, they gave 
up the pursuit and bore away from us, and in two 
