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with the pirates in saving our lives.
During the four
hours we were thus pinned up, we could hear the engine
room telegraph used frequently, as also the steering gear,
but could form no idea of what the pirates were doing
with the vessel.
The lights all
At about 2 a.m. of April 3ra we felt the ship bump,
and knew that they had put her ashore.
went out, and after about half an hour of silence we
were released t, some of our own nen. These men informed
us that they hud been told, under dire threats, not to
release us sconer. I may say at once that beyond re-
maining passive, I acn' think our own men had anything
to do with the piracy.
We found, on coming on deck, that the parates hud
run the vessel ashore on what is shown on the chart us
Kongau Bunk, having crossed the Canton rack to get there.
Bouts had come off, evidently by previous arrangement,
to take the pirates ashore, and they had also taken one
of our lifeboats.
The pirates had torn down the electric light
switchboard, putting everything in darkness. They had
taken off the two high press cylinder tops and throw them
into the bilges, and hud either taken away or thrown
overboard all the rockets, blue lights and other signals
A Chinese sailor who had been at the wheel
assisting the quartermaster (hand gear) was shot dead.
One Chinese passenger was killed, and four others
more or less seriously wounded.
At the time we found and put on one cylinder top,
and at about 3 p.m. of the same day, the 3rd, with
the assistance of a skull tug got back to Hongkong.
The affair created a bit of a sensation at the
time, but that had died dom and Chlags are going on
the sure as ever, nothing being done to prevent such
occurrences in the future.
We hear that the Chinese Authorities have caught
and shot some half dozen of the pirates.
The opinion is that they (the pirates) mostly
made back into British territory, being as they well
know, more likely to escape punishment under the
British flag than they would be if caught by the
Chinese Authorities in Chinese territory.
I
into