"I think so," Frank responded. "The pirates trod on the fragments of glass, and cut their feet so that they could not stand. The crew and passengers were at the stern of the brig with their shoes on, and had nothing to do, as the glass did all the fighting for them."
THE PIRATES' VICTIM.
"That was about the way of it," said the Doctor. "The pirates nearly all came on board, but not one of them was able to get aft to where the crew stood. The deck was covered with Malays with lacerated feet, and they were so helpless that the captain directed his men to pay no attention to them, but to shoot the men in the proas. They were shot down accordingly, and only a few of the rascals escaped. Those who were left saw that something was wrong, and so they pulled away to the shore for aid.
"They had not gone far before a breeze sprung up, the sails filled, and the brig began to move through the water. The breeze increased; and, before re-enforcements could come from the shore to aid the pirates, the brig was out of all danger."
"And what became of the pirates that were left on the deck of the brig?" Fred inquired.
"The captain had no use for them," the Doctor answered, "and so he dropped them overboard after sailing a few miles. The occurrence was a discouraging one to the pirates in that region, and for a long time afterwards they were very cautious about setting their bare feet on the deck of a foreign ship.
"There is very little piracy nowadays," the Doctor continued, "compared to what there was a quarter of a century ago. It is very rarely the case that a foreign ship is captured by the freebooters, or even molested by them. They confine their operations to native traders; but they are compelled to occupy the most secluded retreats, and therefore have little chance to do anything. The construction of steam gun-boats was the practical end of piracy, so far as its bearing upon foreign commerce was concerned; the pirates were pursued to their haunts and destroyed, and the native chiefs were made to understand that they would be held responsible for every unlawful act committed within their jurisdiction. Since the business became not only unprofitable but hazardous to the necks of those in authority, very little has been heard of it."