1&4 A VISIT TO THE tMUAN ARCHIPELAGO- 



I shall presently sliew that tliese commumties are mtimate 

 with each otlier, and often act togetlier. 



Still, pirates are often cowartls. Theirs is a sneaking, 

 cownrdir/ occupation, and operates as such on those wlio 

 follow ii So says Captain Kloff, of the Dutch navy, an 

 officer of inuch experience : — " In genei-al these wretches 

 exhibit little courage." He also says : " Tlicy are fdi 

 supplied ivHh powder ami ,shoL They fear extremely the 

 arnifd skips of tfw Oo^a^mnent " 



The fleet of 31st July, 1849, bad musket? in every 

 boat; and if wo cdciilate them at the low average 

 of eight to each heat, this would distribute 1200 

 muskets among people "w/io run awai) from the vert/ 

 sotmd," It ia admitted that in the same fleet there 

 were four loks. This is not many ; but it will bo 

 remembered that, according to the object, or to the 

 anticipated emergoncies of any particular expedition, 

 the pimtes go out in the ifalay prahu, or in the Dyak 

 bamjknng. The latter is the ligJder vessel ; and of 

 such the fleet destroyed was principally composed, 

 Tfmj do not so commonly mount guns, as they are 

 chiefly used when some necessity for rapid dispersion 

 is anticipated. They are then easily run over shoals, 

 or np narrow creeks ; or liauled up into the jungle, 

 where the rattans, which hold the pknks together^ 

 are cut asunder, and the pieces of the boat concealed, 

 Tbiis, a bangkong carrying fifty or sixty men, pursued 

 to the jtmgle, will wholly disappear before the pursuers 



