PIRATES OLD AND NEW.

Auckland Star, Volume LII, Issue 25, 29 January 1921, Page 13

PIRATES OLD AND NEW.

! Though the black hrig that openly ' flaunted the "Jolly Roger" no longer prowls the main, yet piracy has never died, and there are still wide tracts of ocean which the merchant skipper, unless well armed and manned is careful to avoid, writes Mr. T. C. Bridges in the "Daily Mai" The worst of these lies between the Straits of Malacca and the Japan Sea. Both Chinese and Malays are skilful sea robbers, while the Achineae are even more bold and daring." The ways of the modern Chinese pirate are well illustrated by the raid on the French steamer, Robert Lebaudy, in the summer of 1913. This ship, after leaving Canton, landed 80 passengers at Yung-ki and Bhipped 30 others. The latter, pirates in disguise, waited only un-; til the vessel was out of sight of land; then each produced a pistol and held up captain, pilot and crew. They seized the key of the strong-room, from which they got 30,000 dollars, then searched the passengers. One woman who objected was shot, dead. Having secured everything of value, the captain was forced, at pistolpoint, to run close in and put the raiders ashore with their booty. In 1906 the British steamer Sainam was seized in exactly similar fashion; Captain Joslin was wounded and Dr. Macdonald. a missionary, was murdered. The ship herself was run into a creek, and the booty transferred to waiting "snake boats." "Piracy flourishes much neareT home than the Chinese Seas. In the same year, 1906, the British sailing ship' Consuelo was seized by El Moro Valiente, the Moorish brigand, off Ca-stillejos. The Riff pirates, if not so bold as formerly, are always on the watch for small craft, and no sailing or yacht master who knows- his business will venture near that desolate and dangerpas part of North African coast. The Black Sea piracy case, in which some man were alleged to have overpowered the crew of the steamer Soulfah plundered the. passengers, and got away in the ship's boats with £280,000, is not the first of its kind, for in 1907 there was a similar ease in the same sea. In the middle of the night the captain of the steamer Sophia was aroused by the cold muzzle of a revolver against his forehead. He found that eighteen of his pirate? in disguise, had seized the ship, and with it £5.000 in cash ami all other valuables aboard.' The ruffians forced the crew to work the ship close in to shore; then, after disabling th« engines, took two boats and made off with their plunder.