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engagement during which four of Air Crew were killed and six wounded.
Fowing in obedience to your directions procured from the Police the informant, to identify the boats and pirates, also an interpreter and I left, this work on the instant and at 8 A.M. the following morning arrived off Jak Shui one of the piratical villages of Dere we found lying the captured junk and a number of others with flags flying at each mast head.
On near approach we observed several of the largest clearing for action while 6 weighed and escaped under sail. One only of the former - the captured junk - could get the others to bear upon us. She being moored in a line abreast inside of her, and the gunboat steering with full speed for her beam. She kept up a fire of heavy guns and was not returned by us until we got within a hundred yards of her, when the Crews of all the junks moored in line jumped overboard and swam towards the shore which was close to.
Under these circumstances, while bearing in mind your general directions to endeavour to capture offenders, without impairing them to bring to justice, considering