Mr. H. Woodhead thinks it being a saloon, as happened whenever steamer came within signalling distance. Except for one night—when I was relieved of my watch in the Captain's cabin, I never took my clothes off after the ship had been captured, and seldom could I get more than an hour or two of sleep, with the constant chattering! of the pirates in the adjoining saloon, At lunch-time on the 20th the We were all in a tight fix; that] 2 pirates started to bring up and as obvious. But I think that with-ide.their spoil, the latter opera. out exception the male passengers' tion being conducted on the saloon chief concern was for the ladies, who table, The first instalment seemed had met the shock with wonderful to consist of coin and notes robbed fortitude, but who might well have from the Chinese passengers below. collapsed had the strain continued.
Then followed silks, watches, and Everyone, therefore, endeavoured other valuables, coats, bales of clot', treat the affair as an amusing trunks and portmanteaux, until the! rather than a really serious incident, saloon began to look like' a second. We had champagne for dinner, and hand shop in process of removal, if conversation was at times som We were fortunate in having only what forced, it was never depressing, night of rough weather, but that and a casual onlooker might have night, in the Captain's cabin, I was thought that we were all spending a unable to stand up for more than really jolly evening. The ladies a few minutes, and had to lie dowa retired early, and it was arranged before him, He recognized me on that the mon, in pairs, should take this occasion, and expressed his Watches during the night to help concern that any of the passengers with the Captain, He was delirious should be putting themselves out for during the time T was on watch, and him, -saying that he was sure that it was pathetic to see this strong Bill (the Third Engineer) would sit and experienced seaman reproaching on the 2ist that we sat out on deci ong with him. The weather was s0 fine
what had occurred, himself over and over again for for most of the monte nets sequently discovered, broke a bone in' his foot while ' falling. "The engine-roon party made such a noise coming down that they were seen by the Third Engineer, who being unarmed, and knowing' that there were weapons in the Captain's cabin, ran through the stokehold, clamber: ed up the ladders to the deck, and made for the bridge, He was' triped up as he entered the chart-room, where he was overpowered by the pirates, and put at the wheel, which had for the time being been deserted, 'The Chief Engineer was in his cabin when he was attacked. He Was greeted with a revolver shot when he opened his door, and immediately closed it to get' down his rifle. The Chief Officer and Second Engineer, who were in the after mess-room, came out on hearing the shot, and were immediately held up by half a dozen armed pirates, They Were marched to the Chie? gineer's cabin, and told to demand his surrender,'as the ship had been taken, All the officers were thus accounted for, and the ship was in the pirates' hands. All the ships' and officers' weapons were then hunted for, and seized, and from that time on there was' no chance of any effective resistance, An Uncomfortable Experience The small group of passengers in the saloon did not, of course, know exactly what had happened." Some had, and some had not, heard the shots. 'We had a tense moment when Mr. Sharp was removed from the saloon-—beemuse, as it proved,. the pirates thought' he was one of. the oticers, When the pirates reappear-
The next day it was rumoured that we should put in near Shanghai, to allow the pirates to get ashore, but this-was a false alarm, as they sent for the Chief Officer, and told him that we™would be shot if we did not make Swatow. At first, we consoled ourselves with the reflexion that as soon as the ship was missed, a foreign warship would be sent to Hook for us, We believed that our sudden turnabout had been noticed by another of the Company's steamers, the Huan, Later, when we observed the at-ide of the pirates whenever a steamer have in sight, and were, Politely made to understand that we should be shot at the first attempt at interference, we devoutly hoped that there would be no interference until we had discharged our cargo of out-throats. Some of them were most murderous looking ruffians, whose presence in the saloon was enough to make our flesh creep, and as regards two of them, at least, we had no doubt that they would welcome a pretext for shooting us,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.