Part 15 (1/2)
As the governor approached, the pirates hoisted their flags, played on their instruments, and fired their guns, so that the smoke rose in clouds, and then bent sail to meet him. On this the dense population that were ranged thousands after thousands along the sh.o.r.e, to witness the important reconciliation, became sorely alarmed, and the Governor-general seems to have had a strong inclination to run away. But in brief s.p.a.ce of time, the long dreaded widow of Ching-yih, supported by her Lieutenant Paou, and followed by three other of her princ.i.p.al commanders, mounted the side of the governor's s.h.i.+p, and rushed through the smoke to the spot where his excellency was stationed; where they fell on their hands and knees, shed tears, knocked their heads on the deck before him, and received his gracious pardon, and promised for future kind treatment. They then withdrew satisfied, having promised to give in a list of their s.h.i.+ps, and of all else they possessed, within three days.
But the sudden apparition of some large Portuguese s.h.i.+ps, and some Government war-junks, made the pirates suspect treachery. They immediately set sail, and the negociations were interrupted for several days.
They were at last concluded by the boldness of their female leader. ”If the Governor-general,” said this heroine, ”a man of the highest rank, could come to us quite alone, why should not I, a mean woman, go to the officers of Government? If there be danger in it, I take it all on myself; no person among you need trouble himself about me--my mind is made up, and I will go to Canton!”
Paou said--”If the widow of Ching-yih goes, we must fix a time for her return. If this pa.s.s without our obtaining any information, we must collect all our forces, and go before Canton: this is my opinion as to what ought to be done; comrades, let me hear yours!”
The pirates, then, struck with the intrepidity of their chieftainess, and loving her more than ever, answered, ”Friend Paou, we have heard thy opinion, but we think it better to wait for the news here, on the water, than to send the wife of Ching-yih alone to be killed.” Nor would they allow her to leave the fleet.
Matters were in this state of indecision, when the two inferior Mandarins who had before visited the pirates, ventured out to repeat their visit. These officers protested no treachery had been intended, and pledged themselves, that if the widow of Ching-yih would repair to the Governor, she would be kindly received, and every thing settled to their hearts' satisfaction.
With this, in the language of our old ballads, upspoke Mrs. Ching. ”You say well, gentlemen! and I will go myself to Canton with some other of our ladies, accompanied by you!” And accordingly, she and a number of the pirates' wives with their children, went fearlessly to Canton, arranged every thing, and found they had not been deceived. The fleet soon followed. On its arrival every vessel was supplied with pork and with wine, and every man (in lieu it may be supposed, of his share of the vessels, and plundered property he resigned) received at the same time a bill for a certain quant.i.ty of money. Those who wished it, could join the military force of Government for pursuing the remaining pirates; and those who objected, dispersed and withdrew into the country. ”This is the manner in which the great red squadron of the pirates was pacified.”
The valiant Paou, following the example of his rival O-po-tae, entered into the service of Government, and proceeded against such of his former a.s.sociates and friends as would not accept the pardon offered them. There was some hard fighting, but the two renegadoes successively took the chief s.h.i.+h Url, forced the redoubtable captain, styled ”The scourge of the Eastern Ocean” to surrender himself, drove ”Frog's Meal,”
another dreadful pirate, to Manilla, and finally, and within a few months, destroyed or dissipated the ”wasps of the ocean” altogether.
I have already noticed the marked intention of the Chinese historian, to paint the character of Paou in a poetical or epic manner. When describing the battle with s.h.i.+h-Url, he says:--
”They fought from seven o'clock in the morning till one at noon, burnt ten vessels, and killed an immense number of the pirates. s.h.i.+h-Url was so weakened that he could scarcely make any opposition. On perceiving this through the smoke, Paou mounted on a sudden the vessel of the pirate, and cried out: 'I Chang Paou am come,' and at the same moment he cut some pirates to pieces; the remainder were then hardly dealt with.
Paou addressed himself in an angry tone to s.h.i.+h-Url, and said: 'I advise you to submit: will you not follow my advice? what have you to say?'
s.h.i.+h-Url was struck with amazement, and his courage left him. Paou advanced and bound him, and the whole crew were then taken captives.”
”From that period,” says our Chinese historian, in conclusion, ”s.h.i.+ps began to pa.s.s and repa.s.s in tranquillity. All became quiet on the rivers, and tranquil on the four seas. People lived in peace and plenty.
Men sold their arms and bought oxen to plough their fields; they buried sacrifices, said prayers on the tops of the hills, and rejoiced themselves by singing behind screens during day-time”--and (grand climax to all!) the Governor of the province, in consideration of his valuable services in the pacification of the pirates, was allowed by an edict of the ”Son of Heaven,” to wear peac.o.c.ks' feathers with two eyes!
THE LIFE OF CAPTAIN LEWIS.
Captain Lewis was at an early age a.s.sociated with pirates. We first find him a boy in company with the pirate Banister, who was hanged at the yard arm of a man-of-war, in sight of Port Royal, Jamaica. This Lewis and another boy were taken with him, and brought into the island hanging by the middle at the mizen peak. He had a great apt.i.tude for languages, and spoke perfectly well that of the Mosquil Indians, French, Spanish, and English. I mention our own, because it is doubted whether he was French or English, for we cannot trace him back to his origin. He sailed out of Jamaica till he was a l.u.s.ty lad, and was then taken by the Spaniards at the Havana, where he tarried some time; but at length he and six more ran away with a small canoe, and surprised a Spanish periagua, out of which two men joined them, so that they were now nine in company. With this periagua they surprised a turtling sloop, and forced some of the hands to take on with them; the others they sent away in the periagua.
He played at this small game, surprising and taking coasters and turtlers, till with forced men and volunteers he made up a company of 40 men. With these he took a large pink built s.h.i.+p, bound from Jamaica to the bay of Campeachy, and after her, several others bound to the same place; and having intelligence that there lay in the bay a fine Bermuda built brigantine of 10 guns, commanded by Captain Tucker, he sent the captain of the pink to him with a letter, the purport of which was, that he wanted such a brigantine, and if he would part with her, he would pay him 10,000 pieces of eight; if he refused this, he would take care to lie in his way, for he was resolved, either by fair or foul means to have the vessel. Captain Tucker, having read the letter, sent for the masters of vessels then lying in the bay, and told them, after he had shown the letter, that if they would make him up 54 men, (for there were about ten Bermuda sloops,) he would go out and fight the pirates.
They said no, they would not hazard their men, they depended on their sailing, and every one must take care of himself as well as he could.
[Ill.u.s.tration: _The Pirate Banister, hanging at the Yard Arm._]
However, they all put to sea together, and spied a sail under the land, which had a breeze while they lay becalmed. Some said he was a turtler; others, the pirate, and so it proved; for it was honest Captain Lewis, who putting out his oars, got in among them. Some of the sloops had four guns, some two, some none. Joseph Dill had two, which he brought on one side, and fired smartly at the pirate, but unfortunately one of them split, and killed three men. Tucker called to all the sloops to send him men, and he would fight Lewis, but to no purpose; n.o.body came on board him. In the mean while a breeze sprung up, and Tucker, tr.i.m.m.i.n.g his sails, left them, who all fell a prey to the pirate; into whom, however, he fired a broadside at going off. One sloop, whose master I will not name, was a very good sailer, and was going off; but Lewis firing a shot, brought her to, and he lay by till all the sloops were visited and secured. Then Lewis sent on board him, and ordered the master into his sloop. As soon as he was on board, he asked the reason of his lying by, and betraying the trust his owners had reposed in him, which was doing like a knave and coward, and he would punish him accordingly; _for_, said he, _you might have got off, being so much a better sailer than my vessel_. After this speech, he fell upon him with a rope's end, and then s.n.a.t.c.hing up his cane, drove him about the decks without mercy. The master, thinking to pacify him, told him he had been out trading in that sloop several months, and had on board a good quant.i.ty of money, which was hid, and which, if he would send on board a black belonging to the owners, he would discover to him. This had not the desired effect, but one quite contrary; for Lewis told him he was a rascal and villain for this discovery, and he would pay him for betraying his owners, and redoubled his strokes. However, he sent and took the money and negro, who was an able sailor. He took out of his prizes what he had occasion for, forty able negro sailors, and a white carpenter. The largest sloop, which was about ninety tons, he took for his own use, and mounted her with 12 guns. His crew was now about eighty men, whites and blacks.
[Ill.u.s.tration: _The Master Caned by Captain Lewis._]
After these captures, he cruised in the Gulf of Florida, laying in wait for the West India homeward bound s.h.i.+ps that took the leeward pa.s.sage, several of which, falling into his hands, were plundered by him, and released. From hence he went to the coast of Carolina, where he cleaned his sloop, and a great many men whom he had forced, ran away from him.
However, the natives traded with him for rum and sugar, and brought him all he wanted, without the government's having any knowledge of him, for he had got into a very private creek; though he was very much on his guard, that he might not be surprised from the sh.o.r.e.
From Carolina he cruised on the coast of Virginia, where he took and plundered several merchantmen, and forced several men, and then returned to the coast of Carolina, where he did abundance of mischief. As he had now an abundance of French on board, who had entered with him, and Lewis, hearing the English had a design to maroon them, he secured the men he suspected, and put them in a boat, with all the other English, ten leagues from sh.o.r.e, with only ten pieces of beef, and sent them away, keeping none but French and negroes. These men, it is supposed, all perished in the sea.
From the coast of Carolina he shaped his course for the banks of Newfoundland, where he overhauled several fis.h.i.+ng vessels, and then went into Trinity Harbor in Conception Bay, where there lay several merchantmen, and seized a 24 gun galley, called the Herman. The commander, Captain Beal, told Lewis, if he would send his quarter master ash.o.r.e he would furnish him with necessaries. He being sent ash.o.r.e, a council was held among the masters, the consequence of which was, the seizing the quarter master, whom they carried to Captain Woodes Rogers.