CO129-098 - Sir Robinson - 1864 [4-5] — Page 368

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in

that neighbourhood after having destroyed two Portuguese lorchas at the port of Lamyt, belonging to Macao.

this

we were informed that they

the

off

were

piratical village of Pootou (formerly described to me by Leew as a nest of pirates) and having arrived at the latter in a fog

we found

one

large and two

small junks hauled up behind

a rock near some 20 fishing boats.

Lew landed and brought off two of the Elders of the village who admitted that half the villagers lived by piracy and the rest by fishing, that the large junk

a prize considered too clumsy

was

301

for piratical service and that those we were in quest of were cruising in the Formosa Channel. Lew requested me to burn the junk but before it could be done the fog suddenly cleared and two junks

were observed

standing into the bay which the Elders confessed to belong to this

Junk

but

they lacked wind and

seeing us chased but making

the crews landed before

for the

the shore

we could

come up and ran over the hills towards Pootou. The junks shewed ample evidence of piratical character; to a stranger they appeared ordinary traders but the gunwales were made to unship, leaving ports 15 feet