CAPTAIN HELD BY PIRATES.

Press, Volume LXVI, Issue 20027, 8 September 1930, Page 5

CAPTAIN HELD BY PIRATES.

EXCITING ADVENTURES. (TOOK oua MX COB2B3PONDKXT.) SYDNEY. August 28. Attacked by Chinese pirateß, forced to navigate a boat over treacherous rock Bhoals, and finally held as a hostego. Yet he is alive to tell the tale. That was the experience of Captain G. H. Hodgson, who reached Sydney yesterday fron. the East on an extended holiday. His story only goes to show how serious a menace the Chinese pirates have beoome. The stories which drift to the outer world now and again are meagre accounts of a growing problem. Captain Hodgson is a master in the service oi the Indo-China Steam Navigation Co., Ltd., and he was taking bis ship, the Yatshing, of over 2000 tons, from Hong-Kong down the coaßt, with six European passengers and nearly 200 Chinese on board, when the pirates suddenly showed themselves. As is their custom they had come aboard as passengers. Captain Hodgson was bailed up oy eight of the Chinese, armed with a revolver, and he was bundled into one of the cabins with the rest of the non-pirates. The pirates then commenced a thorough search of the ship, and they were bitterly disappointed when they discovered that there was no bullion on board. On three previous trips Captain Hodgson had carried on his ship 3,000,000 dollars (£800,000). and it was evident that the pirates knew ol this. However, there must have been a serious fault in their intelligence department, or else they were particularly unfortunate to select for their attack a ship which was carrying no money whatever. However, after expressing their disgust they looted the cargo of silk and all the personal belongings of the passengers. When daylight dawned the ship was outside Bias Bay, the stronghold of the pirates on the China coast, and Captain Hodgson waß forced to lower three of his lifeboats so that the pirates could tak6 their loot ashore. The pirates were cunning enough to force the captain to take charge of th<> boats that had to be taken through rocky reefs and he was warned that if any of the boats struck one of the reefs he would be shot dead. "More by good luck than good management, 1 managed to get the boats through the reef, said Captain Hodgson. Eight of the Chinese members of the crew were-also taken to the stronghold as hostages. After some hours Captain Hodgson was allowed to row back to his ship, but the members of the crew were held to ransom and wore taken into the hills and were again.