CHINESE PIRATE BAND

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXXVIII, Issue 19943, 30 October 1934, Page 2

CHINESE PIRATE BAND

COMEDY AND TRAGEDY The Gilbertian treatment of 19 Chinese pirates, who, having been captured, were freed by mistake, was described by Mr L. C. Robinson, an olficcial of the Eastern Extension Telegraph Company, who arrived in Sydney recently from China. Mr Robinson was stationed on the small island of Sharp Peak, at the mouth of the Min River, and the pirates, returning from an expedition heavily laden with plunder, decided to land to share their booty. They pulled the junk on to the bank and after a good carousal found that the tide had ebbed. The boat was stranded more than half a mile from the water. With true Chinese philosophy the pirates decided to stay the night, and, finding a cave, promptly got drunk. The noise they made awakened Hie entire island, and when Chinese members of Mr Robinson’s staff arrived at the cave they found the pirates intoxicated. The pirates, helplessly drunk, were apparently bound securely and their booty was confiscated, while one member of the staff telegraphed for the soldiers. The soldiers failed to arrive promptly, so the natives decided that the enginedriver was the most fit Ting guard. Without supervision, however, the engine did not run too well, so the engniedriver was ordered to return to his work. This he did without revealing that he had been set to guard pirates. i When the soldiers finally arrived they found that, except for three prisoners who were too drunk to walk, the cave was empty. The others, having recovered from their stupor, released themselves one by one and had s’ r.ggered into the bush. The soldiers promptly beheaded the remaining three and confiscated the plunder.