THE SIMIXOL PIRATES. 



CHAS. B. WEMI'LE. 



On the extreme South of the Sulu archi- 

 pelago, a short distance off the Northern 

 coast of Borneo, there is a small group of 

 islands known as the Siminols. On the 

 largest of those islands is a little walled 

 city inhabited by Moro pirates. For years 

 they were the terror of those waters. 

 Sometimes they ventured to attack small 

 coasting steamers; but generally they 

 hunted easier prey, robbing Moro fishing 

 boats and the junks of pearl hunters. 



During the American occupation of 

 Bongas island, a little "West of the 

 t Siminol group, frequent complaints were 

 made to the commanding officer of the 

 depredations of these pirates. Each time 

 he would order the Datto of the Siminols 

 to surrender the men accused of robbery on 

 the high sea, and each time the Datto 

 would report that he was unable to cap- 

 ture them. When at last the patience of 

 the commandant had been tried to its 

 limit, he determined to go in person, and 

 see what could be done. 



August 4th. 1900, with 25 men and 

 rations for 10 days, he took the launch 

 belonging to the quartermaster's depart- 

 ment at Bongas, and started for Bangcu- 

 bula. the stronghold of the freebooters. 

 The voyage of 27 miles was uneventful 

 save for a little heavy weather and some 

 seasickness. At its destination the little 



force went ashore and straightway de- 

 manded of the Datto of the town the sur- 

 render of the accused pirates. That offi- 

 cer, seeing the uselessness of refusal, sent 

 for the men wanted. 



While we were waiting for them to come 

 in, there was a sudden thunderous roar 

 from a rude stone-walled fort in the highest 

 part of the town. From the noise and the 

 fact that showers of gravel occasionally 

 flew high over our heads, we surmised we 

 were under fire. We were ordered to de- 

 ploy as skirmishers, and charge the fort. 

 W r e did so, advancing under showers of 

 scrap iron, stones and miscellaneous junk 

 fired from old muzzle loading cannon. 

 Not a shot was fired on our part, and no 

 one was hurt. When we reached the fort, 

 we found nothing but the smoking relics 

 of primitive warfare; the braves had fled. 



The Datto, however, rounded up the men 

 we wanted, as he could have done at any 

 time had he so chosen, and turned them 

 over to us. We took our captives 

 back to Bongas. They were tried by 

 court martial and sentenced to 2 years 

 imprisonment at Jolo. In addition they 

 were fined S700, Mexican, each, and all 

 their boats, guns, etc., were seized. Two 

 of their sloops, renamed and slightly re- 

 modeled, are now used as dispatch boats 

 between Jolo, Bongas and Siassi. 



Made with Bausch & Lomb Zeiss Anastigmat Lens and Ray Filter 

 PETRIFIED BILLOWS OF SOUTH DAKOTA BADLANDS. 



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