OHAP. xxx.] THE PIRATES FISIT US* 



437 



Eastern seas were really among tlis. One of lien Warz- 

 l)«rgen's small praus also arrived in a sad plight. It liad 

 been attacked six days l>etore, just as it was return lEg 

 from the "blakang tana." The crew escaped in their 

 small Ijoat and hid in tlie jungle, while the pirates came 

 up and plundered the vessel They took away everjiliing 

 but the cargo of mother-of-pearl shell, which was too 

 bulky for them. All the clothes and boxes of the men, and 

 the sails and cordage of the prau, were cleared o£F. They 

 had four large war boats, and fired a volley of musketry 

 as they came up, and sent off their small boats to the 

 attack. After they had left, our men observed from their 

 concealment that three had stayed behind with a suiall 

 boat ; and beiny driven to desperation by tlie sight of the 

 plundering, one brave fellow swam off armed only witli 

 his parang, or chopping-knife, and coming on them un- 

 awares made a desperate attack, killing one and wounding 

 tlie other two, receiving himself numbers of slight wounds, 

 and then swimming oif again when almost exhausted. 

 Two other praus M'ere also plundered, and the crew of one 

 of them nuirdered to a man. They are said to be Sooloo 

 piratfis, but have Bugis among them. On their way here 

 they have devastated one of the small islands east of 

 Ceram, It is now eleven years since they have visited 

 Arn, and by thus making their attacks at long and uncer- 

 tain inteiTals the alarm dies away, and they find a 

 population for tlie most part unarmed and unsuspicious of 

 danger. Koue of the small trading vessels now carry 

 anus, though they did so for a year or two after the last 

 attack, which was just the time when there was the least 

 occasion for it. A week later one of the smaller pirate 

 boata was captured in the *-blakaug tana," Seven men 

 were killed and tliree taken prisoners. The larger vessels 

 have been often seen but cannot be caught, as they have 

 vcrj^ strong crews, and can always escape by rowing out 

 to sea in the eye of the wind, returning at night. They 

 will thus i-emain among the innumeralde islands and 

 channels, till the cliange of the monsoon enables them to 

 iail westward. 



March dth, — For four or five days we have had a con- 

 tinual gale of wind, with occasional gusts of great fniy, 



