PIRACIES
(Contd.)
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four men put over them.
The chief engineer, who was at tiffin in his own cabin, ran aft to the saloon, several shot being fired at him on the way. He got into the Captain's stateroom and was kept a prisoner there with the others.
The chief officer had hidden in the pantry, where shots were fired at him and stink-pots thrown in as well. It being impossible for him to stay there, he came out and was imprisoned in the Captain's stateroom with the others, the object of the pirates evidently being to get all the officers and Europeans into this place and there keep them.
The second and third engineers and third officer were still concealed in the engine-room. The pirates took the second mate there and ordered him to tell the concealed men that if they came out no harm would be done to them. They accordingly came out and were thereupon imprisoned in the Captain's stateroom.
All the officers, engineers and European passengers having been put into this place, the door was nailed up and the windows closed, the guard of four pirates continuing to keep watch over the place, occasionally intimidating the prisoners by thrusting their cutlasses and the muzzles of their revolvers in through the openings of the venetians.
One of the passengers, a man named Petersen, a light-house keeper in the Chinese Customs service, being unwell and on deck when the first rush was made by the pirates, was one of the first shot, and fell with four bullet wounds in his head.
The systematic way in which the attack was made was shown by the fact that the pirates at once took charge of the ship. They made the firemen take charge of the engines and compelled the crew to carry on such work as they wished done. Three native quarter-masters were fired at, all of whom were hit. One of them was thrown overboard and the other two fell, seriously wounded. Two Chinese cooks were also wounded. The ship was taken out to sea for some distance, and at 4 o'clock she was turned towards Hong Kong again.
Meanwhile, a portion of the gang had been devoting themselves to the work of looting. It so happened that there was no treasure on board, but the pirates tried to make amends for their disappointment by taking possession of everything of value that could easily be carried.
The crew were compelled to turn out and ransack all the luggage of the passengers, European and Chinese, and all the money and other valuables that could be found anywhere on the ship were taken.
By 7:30 p.m. the ship had been brought back to the place where the attack was commenced, and where six junks were waiting, showing how pre-arranged everything had been. The ship's lights were extinguished and the whistle was blown as a signal to the junks, the crews of which responded by throwing blue lights on the water. The steamer was then anchored and the work of transferring the loot to the junks was commenced. When this had been accomplished, with the assistance of the Namoa's native crew, the pirates regaled themselves with a feast on deck, after which they made preparations for leaving the vessel.
The ship's side-lights were thrown overboard, the firemen were ordered to draw the fires and open the safety valve so as to blow off the steam, the windlass was disabled, and generally everything done that could delay the ship from getting away. Before leaving, the pirates threw a bag containing about $200 into the engine-room as a "cumshaw" to the firemen.
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