The Pirates Own Book (25 page)

Before they reached the Isle of Princes, the St. James sprang a leak, so
that the men and the valuable articles were removed into Davis's own
ship. When he came in sight of the fort he hoisted English colors. The
Portuguese, seeing a large ship sailing towards the shore, sent a sloop
to discover her character and destination. Davis informed them, that he
was an English man-of-war, sent out in search of some pirates which they
had heard were in this quarter. Upon this, he was piloted into the port,
and anchored below the guns at the fort. The governor was happy to have
Englishmen in his harbor; and to do honor to Davis, sent down a file of
musqueteers to escort him into the fort, while Davis, the more to cover
his design, ordered nine men, according to the custom of the English, to
row him on shore.

Davis also took the opportunity of cleaning and preparing all things for
renewing his operations. He, however, could not contentedly leave the
fort, without receiving some of the riches of the island. He formed a
scheme to accomplish his purpose, and communicated the same to his men.
He design was to make the governor a present of a few negroes in return
for his kindness; then to invite him, with a few of the principal men
and friars belonging to the island, to dine on board his ship, and
secure them all in irons, until each of them should give a large ransom.
They were accordingly invited, and very readily consented to go: and
deeming themselves honored by his attention, all that were invited,
would certainly have gone on board. Fortunately however, for them, a
negro, who was privy to the horrible plan of Davis, swam on shore during
the night, and gave information of the danger to the governor.

The governor occupied the whole night in strengthening the defences and
posting the men in the most advantageous places. Soon after day-break,
the pirates, with Captain Davis at their head were discovered landing
from the boats; and quickly marched across the open space toward the
fort. A brisk fire was opened upon them from the fort, which they
returned in a spirited manner. At length, a hand grenade, thrown from
the wooden veranda of the fort killed three of the pirates; but several
of the Portuguese were killed. The veranda of the fort being of wood and
very dry, it was set fire to by the pirates. This was a great advantage
to the attacking party, who could now distinguish those in the fort
without their being so clearly seen themselves; but at this moment
Captain Davis fell, mortally wounded by a musket ball in his belly. The
fall of their chief, and the determined resistance of those in the fort,
checked the impetuosity of the assailants. They hesitated, and at last
retreated, bearing away with them their wounded commander. The
Portuguese cheered, and led on by the governor, now became the
assailants. Still the pirates' retreat was orderly; they fired and
retired rank behind rank successively. They kept the Portuguese at bay
until they had arrived at the boats, when a charge was made and a severe
conflict ensued. But the pirates had lost too many men; and without
their Captain, felt dispirited. As they lifted Davis into the boat in
his dying agonies he fired his pistols at his pursuers. They now pulled
with all their might to escape from the muskets of the Portuguese, who
followed them along the banks of the river, annoying them in their
retreat to the vessel. And those on board, who expected to hoist in
treasure had to receive naught but their wounded comrades and dead
commander.

With a Narrative of the Expedition against the Inhabitants of Quallah
Battoo, commanded by Commodore Downes
.

A glance at the map of the East India Islands will convince us that this
region of the globe must, from its natural configuration and locality;
be peculiarly liable to become the seat of piracy. These islands form an
immense cluster, lying as if it were in the high road which connects the
commercial nations of Europe and Asia with each other, affording a
hundred fastnesses from which to waylay the traveller. A large
proportion of the population is at the same time confined to the coasts
or the estuaries of rivers; they are fishermen and mariners; they are
barbarous and poor, therefore rapacious, faithless and sanguinary. These
are circumstances, it must be confessed, which militate strongly to
beget a piratical character. It is not surprising, then, that the Malays
should have been notorious for their depredations from our first
acquaintance with them.

Among the tribes of the Indian Islands, the most noted for their
piracies are, of course, the most idle, and the least industrious, and
particularly such as are unaccustomed to follow agriculture or trade as
regular pursuits. The agricultural tribes of Java, and many of Sumatra,
never commit piracy at all; and the most civilized inhabitants of
Celebes are very little addicted to this vice.

Among the most confirmed pirates are the true Malays, inhabiting the
small islands about the eastern extremity of the straits of Malacca, and
those lying between Sumatra and Borneo, down to Billitin and Cavimattir.
Still more noted than these, are the inhabitants of certain islands
situated between Borneo and the Phillipines, of whom the most desperate
and enterprising are the Soolos and Illanoons, the former inhabiting a
well known group of islands of the same name, and the latter being one
of the most numerous nations of the great island of Magindando. The
depredations of the proper Malays extend from Junkceylon to Java,
through its whole coast, as far as Grip to Papir and Kritti, in Borneo
and the western coast of Celebes. In another direction they infest the
coasting trade of the Cochin Chinese and Siamese nations in the Gulf of
Siam, finding sale for their booty, and shelter for themselves in the
ports of Tringham, Calantan and Sahang. The most noted piratical
stations of these people are the small islands about Lingin and Rhio,
particularly Galang, Tamiang and Maphar. The chief of this last has
seventy or eighty proas fit to undertake piratical expeditions.

The Soolo pirates chiefly confine their depredations to the Phillipine
Islands, which they have continued to infest, with little interruption,
for near three centuries, in open defiance of the Spanish authorities,
and the numerous establishments maintained to check them. The piracies
of the Illanoons, on the contrary, are widely extended, being carried on
all the way from their native country to the Spice Islands, on one side,
and to the Straits of Malacca on the other. In these last, indeed, they
have formed, for the last few years, two permanent establishments; one
of these situated on Sumatra, near Indragiri, is called Ritti, and the
other a small island on the coast of Linga, is named Salangut. Besides
those who are avowed pirates, it ought to be particularly noticed that a
great number of the Malayan princes must be considered as accessories to
their crimes, for they afford them protection, contribute to their
outfit, and often share in their booty; so that a piratical proa is too
commonly more welcome in their harbours than a fair trader.

The Malay piratical proas are from six to eight tons burden, and run
from six to eight fathoms in length. They carry from one to two small
guns, with commonly four swivels or rantakas to each side, and a crew of
from twenty to thirty men. When they engage, they put up a strong
bulwark of thick plank; the Illanoon proas are much larger and more
formidable, and commonly carry from four to six guns, and a
proportionable number of swivels, and have not unfrequently a double
bulwark covered with buffalo hides; their crews consist of from forty to
eighty men. Both, of course, are provided with spears, krisses, and as
many fire arms as they can procure. Their modes of attack are cautious
and cowardly, for plunder and not fame is their object. They lie
concealed under the land, until they find a fit object and opportunity.
The time chosen is when a vessel runs aground, or is becalmed, in the
interval between the land and sea breezes. A vessel underway is seldom
or never attacked. Several of the marauders attack together, and station
themselves under the bows and quarters of a ship when she has no longer
steerage way, and is incapable of pointing her guns. The action
continues often for several hours, doing very little mischief; but when
the crew are exhausted with the defence, or have expended their
ammunition, the pirates take this opportunity of boarding in a mass.
This may suggest the best means of defence. A ship, when attacked during
a calm, ought, perhaps, rather to stand on the defensive, and wait if
possible the setting in of the sea breeze, than attempt any active
operations, which would only fatigue the crew, and disable them from
making the necessary defence when boarding is attempted. Boarding
netting, pikes and pistols, appear to afford effectual security; and,
indeed, we conceive that a vessel thus defended by resolute crews of
Europeans or Americans stand but little danger from any open attack of
pirates whatsoever; for their guns are so ill served, that neither the
hull or the rigging of a vessel can receive much damage from them,
however much protracted the contest. The pirates are upon the whole
extremely impartial in the selection of their prey, making little choice
between natives and strangers, giving always, however, a natural
preference to the most timid, and the most easily overcome.

When an expedition is undertaken by the Malay pirates, they range
themselves under the banner of some piratical chief noted for his
courage and conduct. The native prince of the place where it is
prepared, supplies the adventurers with arms, ammunition and opium, and
claims as his share of the plunder, the female captives, the cannon, and
one third of all the rest of the booty.

In Nov. 1827, a principal chief of pirates, named Sindana, made a
descent upon Mamoodgoo with forty-five proas, burnt three-fourths of the
campong, driving the rajah with his family among the mountains. Some
scores of men were killed, and 300 made prisoners, besides women and
children to half that amount. In December following, when I was there,
the people were slowly returning from the hills, but had not yet
attempted to rebuild the campong, which lay in ashes. During my stay
here (ten weeks) the place was visited by two other piratical chiefs,
one of which was from Kylie, the other from Mandhaar Point under Bem
Bowan, who appeared to have charge of the whole; between them they had
134 proas of all sizes.

Among the most desperate and successful pirates of the present day,
Raga is most distinguished. He is dreaded by people of all
denominations, and universally known as the "prince of pirates." For
more than seventeen years this man has carried on a system of piracy to
an extent never before known; his expeditions and enterprises would fill
a large volume. They have invariably been marked with singular cunning
and intelligence, barbarity, and reckless inattention to the shedding of
human blood. He has emissaries every where, and has intelligence of the
best description. It was about the year 1813 Raga commenced operations
on a large scale. In that year he cut off three English vessels, killing
the captains with his own hands. So extensive were his depredations
about that time that a proclamation was issued from Batavia, declaring
the east coast of Borneo to be under strict blockade. Two British sloops
of war scoured the coast. One of which, the Elk, Capt. Reynolds, was
attacked during the night by Raga's own proa, who unfortunately was not
on board at the time. This proa which Raga personally commanded, and the
loss of which he frequently laments, carried eight guns and was full of
his best men.

An European vessel was faintly descried about three o'clock one foggy
morning; the rain fell in torrents; the time and weather were favorable
circumstances for a surprise, and the commander determined to
distinguish himself in the absence of the Rajah Raga, gave directions to
close, fire the guns and board. He was the more confident of success, as
the European vessel was observed to keep away out of the proper course
on approaching her. On getting within about an hundred fathoms of the
Elk they fired their broadside, gave a loud shout, and with their long
oars pulled towards their prey. The sound of a drum beating to quarters
no sooner struck the ear of the astonished Malays than they endeavored
to get away: it was too late; the ports were opened, and a broadside,
accompanied with three British cheers, gave sure indications of their
fate. The captain hailed the Elk, and would fain persuade him it was a
mistake. It was indeed a mistake, and one not to be rectified by the
Malayan explanation. The proa was sunk by repeated broadsides, and the
commanding officer refused to pick up any of the people, who, with the
exception of five were drowned; these, after floating four days on some
spars, were picked up by a Pergottan proa, and told the story to Raga,
who swore anew destruction to every European he should henceforth take.
This desperado has for upwards of seventeen years been the terror of the
Straits of Macassar, during which period he has committed the most
extensive and dreadful excesses sparing no one. Few respectable families
along the coast of Borneo and Celebes but have to complain of the loss
of a proa, or of some number of their race; he is not more universally
dreaded than detested; it is well known that he has cut off and murdered
the crews of more than forty European vessels, which have either been
wrecked on the coasts, or entrusted themselves in native ports. It is
his boast that twenty of the commanders have fallen by his hands. The
western coast of Celebes, for about 250 miles, is absolutely lined with
proas belonging principally to three considerable rajahs, who act in
conjunction with Raga and other pirates. Their proas may be seen in
clusters of from 50, 80, and 100 (at Sediano I counted 147 laying on the
sand at high water mark in parallel rows,) and kept in a horizontal
position by poles, completely ready for the sea. Immediately behind them
are the campongs, in which are the crews; here likewise are kept the
sails, gunpowder, &c. necessary for their equipment. On the very summits
of the mountains, which in many parts rise abruptly from the sea, may be
distinguished innumerable huts; here reside people who are constantly on
the lookout. A vessel within ten miles of the shore will not probably
perceive a single proa, yet in less than two hours, if the tide be high,
she may be surrounded by some hundreds. Should the water be low they
will push off during the night. Signals are made from mountain to
mountain along the coast with the utmost rapidity; during the day time
by flags attached to long bamboos; at night, by fires. Each chief sends
forth his proas, the crews of which, in hazardous cases, are infuriated
with opium, when they will most assuredly take the vessel if she be not
better provided than most merchantmen.