CO129-406 - Public Offices - 1913 — Page 137

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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