"Against a sailing ship the pirates have a great advantage. Their proas, or boats, have a large number of men to row them, and when a ship is becalmed they can come out to her in strong force and rush upon her. They board the ship on both bows simultaneously by dozens and dozens, and in a few moments the crew is overpowered, and the vessel in their hands.
"One of the war-ships that came here was disguised as a merchant vessel, and she made so many captures that for some time the pirates were afraid to go near a vessel of her rig. An American ship was captured by some pirates from Qualla Battu, a town on the west coast of Sumatra, and the government of the United States sent a ship to teach the fellows a lesson. Qualla Battu was burnt, and the inhabitants that were not killed by the shells from the ship were scattered in the forest. The result was that for a long time afterwards no American ship was troubled by them.
"Singapore was formerly a business centre for the pirates, even after it went into the hands of the English. They swarmed among the channels of the islands in the vicinity, and they had spies in the fort to tell them of the movements of every craft that sailed from it. Their principal victims were the native traders, who could offer little resistance, and they used to conduct the business in the most systematic manner."
"How was that?"
CHIEF'S HOUSE IN A PIRATE VILLAGE.
"A chief of one of the small provinces or districts of the Malay States would make up his mind to embark in piracy as a regular business. He would gather as many men under his banner as he could get together, and go to one of the islands near Singapore. There he built a village, which could serve as a depot for slaves and merchandise, and a convenient resting-place for his men, when they had had a hard weeks' work. Then he stationed himself in one of the channels, where native traders pass on their way to and from Singapore; and very often he would know exactly when one of them was expected. Where he was successful, the chief would soon have a large fleet, sometimes hundreds of proas; and he gathered around him a great number of adventurers, who were proud to range themselves under his banners. His forces would become so large that he could divide them, and watch several channels; and sometimes it happened that serious troubles arose between rival pirates for the possession of some place that was particularly valuable for purposes of plunder.
