Life in the forests of the Far East (vol. 2 of 2)

by Sir Spenser St. John

Whilst this was going on, it was observed that two boats were let down from the ship, which pulled immediately out to sea. The pirates, concluding that there could not be many men on board, determined to take her. On arriving alongside, they found only a dog on board: the timid captain having run away in so great a hurry as to leave both it and his watch behind. The latter was in datu Daniel’s possession at the period of our visit. The Balignini plundered and then burnt the vessel. One of the mates escaped; the other whites were brought to Sulu, ransomed, and sent home by Mr. Wyndham. This account was given both by the mate and the chief of the pirates.

Another story showed that the Sulu Government was in regular communication with the pirates; for when the miserable remains of the squadron, attacked by the Nemesis off the Brunei river in 1847, returned to Balignini, the families who had lost their husbands in the action, came in their grief to request leave of the sultan to raise men or collect a force to revenge the death of their relations. The sultan, of course, refused their request, and laughed at the absurdity of the idea.

We heard at Samboañgan that the Spaniards had taken the whole of the pirates, but it was a very great mistake, for hundreds escaped, and were now distributed over the Sulu Archipelago, particularly at Tawee Tawee and the little islands which are situated in the neighbourhood, as Binadan, the usual residence of Pañglima Taupan.

The most powerful pirates of the present time are the Lanuns of Magindanau, and those who in Borneo reside on the streams flowing to the southern shore of Cape Unsang. It is at these latter stations that the Lanuns generally rendezvous. Mr. Wyndham describes these pirates as very fine men, brave, fierce, never giving quarter to Europeans, and cruising in vessels ninety feet long, propelled by from 100 to 120 oars. He had himself seen many of them at Sugh. The above are the largest class, most are much smaller. The Lanuns of Magindanau, it is well known, live on an extensive lake, with a very narrow entrance; and are still very powerful, no sufficient force having ever attacked them. They continue their piratical pursuits to this day, though they appear to be gradually withdrawing from the north-west and north coasts of Borneo.

One of these marauders came to Mr. Wyndham, and, in selling his brass gun to him, said that since the English have been settled at Labuan, there are so many steamers about, it was no use pirating; so he sold his brass gun and returned home.

Mr. Wyndham told us he had once a narrow escape from them. He was sailing as mate to a Spanish brig near Wette, with the captain and most of the crew unwell. There was a light breeze blowing, when he sent a man to the mast-head to look out. Presently he shouted—“A prahu in sight—two, three, four; I cannot count them, sir.” Mr. Wyndham immediately went aloft with his spy-glass, and reckoned at least thirty-eight large prahus. Guessing who they were, he thought the bold course the best; and, getting the captain on deck, they dressed in some old uniform and walked up and down the poop; then bore down upon the pirate prahus, and, coming between the two largest, each of the same size as the brig, they observed their guns carefully covered up with mats, and but few men on deck, though they could see others peeping out from under the native awning. Mr. Wyndham immediately began questioning them; they said they were traders. He answered, “We have heard of some pirates down here, and are come to look for them.” They assured him they had seen none, and requested permission to keep him company, for protection, to Makasar, to which port they said they were bound. He answered, they might if they could keep up with him. A breeze sprang up, and the brig went ahead, and towards evening were clear of them all. A calm came on during the night, but in the morning the traders were no longer near, they could be seen in the distance pulling away as hard as they could. The ruse had succeeded, and they all felt more comfortable, for they could not have defended their vessel ten minutes.

Mr. Wyndham had formerly served as a mate under Lord Cochrane, when he commanded a frigate in South America, and was with him when he performed some of his most brilliant actions, and having his old uniform perhaps saved his life. Mr. Wyndham also told us that, a few years ago, a vessel was brought into Sugh for sale by the Lanuns, which had been taken in the following manner:—The Maria Frederica, commanded by a man of the name of Andrew, was detained in a calm, when two Lanun boats approached and begged a few supplies. One of the men, who hated the captain, asked them why they did not come on board. The captain was unwell, and there was no one to stop them. Immediately forty of them sprang on deck, flourishing their swords, and drove the crew below, seized the captain, and brought the vessel to Tungku. They there buried the white men up to their waists in sand, and cut them to pieces with their swords. This it is said they did at the instigation of the traitor. Mr. Wyndham offered 150 dollars for him, but they would not part with him, fearing that the Englishman meant to put him to death. The vessel, I heard, was bought by a Spanish captain.[11]

The Jilolo men are said to co-operate with the Lanuns in their excursions, and were the pirates who attacked Sir Edward Belcher. One of the men present on that occasion, who was living at Sugh during our visit, gave the following account: The sultan of Jilolo sent a fleet of boats to take prisoner a tributary rajah of New Guinea, whom they got on board and killed. In returning, they saw the Samarang boats, which the chief man mistook for native prahus, though our informant insisted they were Dutch boats, upon which the order was given to fire, and they were astonished by the severe thrashing they got from our blue-jackets, under the command of Sir Edward Belcher.

No doubt these men are always ready to pirate when they have a chance. Mr. Wyndham also told me that when he was at the Aru group, it was said that the people of New Guinea were also piratical. His companions pointed to a long light boat, that was on the look-out to catch fishermen: this account agreed with what we had formerly heard. These are a scourge to the natives, but not dangerous to European vessels, yet in the end equally mischievous to trade.

Accidentally we hear anecdotes that show more of the character of the government and people than even minute investigations. The following illustrates the degree of protection afforded by the chiefs even to their guilty followers, unless bribed beyond the value of the man. There was a slave here who was in the constant habit of robbing the Chinese, and had, in his endeavours to escape capture, killed several of them. The Chinese petitioned that he should be put to death, but could not obtain this favour until they had compensated the chief by giving him double the value of the slave; he then had him tied up and cut to pieces.