about the poor women-we may one of these days find means of escaping out of the hands of these villains, but they never can."

Indeed, I can feel for them," I said, thinking of the fate of my own sister.

'Well, we will try if we can stir the captain up to adopt your plan," he exclaimed, after a minute's silence. "We have arms enough, and we will throw ourselves altogether on board the first vessel which comes up. If we take her by surprise we shall have a greater chance of success."

"I will back you up," I said. "I am sure all hands here will join us."

"Yes, yes," said the men; we will fight before we yield."

And to shew that they were in earnest, they set to work to examine the arms we had in the boat. We then hailed Captain Van Deck and told him what we proposed doing.

66

"We should

"It would be madness," he answered. not have a chance of success, and we should all be knocked on the head and thrown into the sea together." "Fight! fight! Who is talking about fighting?" shrieked Mrs. Van Deck. We can't fight, and we won't fight. We will ask the pirates, or whatever the black gentlemen may be, to be civil; and I am sure that they are more likely to be so if we are submissive, than if we were to try and turn them out of their vessels, which we could not do."

I must own, now I come to reflect calmly on the subject, that there was some wisdom in Mrs. Van Deck's observations. As a rule, it is folly to threaten unless we can perform, or to fight unless one has a fair chance

of success. Our chance of success was certainly very small; but still I could not help thinking we should have some, especially if we could get on board one of the afterward vessels; and anything was better than the slavery to which we should be doomed.

On came the prahus. The southern division had not seen us, and had already got to the westward of us, but the northern line was approaching, and would pass most dangerously near where we were; perhaps a little to the south. We almost held our breaths with anxiety. A slight change of wind might make them alter their course rather more away from us; but that was scarcely to be expected. Our glasses now showed us clearly what sort of vessels were in our neighbourhood, and made every shadow of doubt as to their character vanish completely. Their threatening and ominous aspect was increased, from their dark sails appearing against the glowing mass of light, which covered the whole eastern part of the sky from the zenith, growing still more intense towards the horizon, whence we expected the sun every instant to appear. The vessels

we now saw were of considerable size, capable of carrying some hundred and fifty men or more. The lower part was built of solid wood-planks and timbers, like the vessels of European nations, but the upper works and decks were chiefly of bamboo, ingeniously fastened together. The bows were very sharp, the beam was great, and in length they exceeded ninety feet. The after part had a cabin, or poop-deck, and a raised deck, or platform, ran right fore and aft, for the purpose of affording standing room to the fighting men, of whom Fairburn told me we should find some forty or fifty on board. The platform was narrower than the

beam, except forward, when it expanded to the full width, and where there was a strong bulkhead, with a port in it, through which a long brass gun was run. A sort of gallery extended all round the sides, like the nettings of a ship, in which sat the rowers, who were slaves, and not expected to fight unless in extreme cases. The vessel had from forty to fifty oars, in two tiers, with two men to each oar. They had two triangle or sheer masts; these sheers were composed of two long poles. The heels of the two foremost were fitted in a pair of bits in the deck, through which ran a piece of horizontal timber, on which they worked; so that they could be raised or depressed at pleasure. The after pole was shorter than the others, and served as a prop to them. When the pirates intend to board an enemy, they allow this mast to fall over the bows, and it serves them as a ladder to climb on to her decks. They were steered in a curious way, by two broad bladed oars running through the counter at either quarter. A broad platform extended over the counter, low down, abaft the raised poop. Besides the long gun I have described, the larger vessels had a similar one run through the bulkhead of the cabin aft, besides numerous large swivels, four or more on a side, of various calibre, mounted in solid uprights, secured about the sides and upper works. On the stanchions supporting the platform were hung long matchlocks, fire-arms of various sorts, with spears and swords, These swivel guns are called Lelahs, and are generally of brass. The Klewang is a sort of hanger, or short sword. Their most formidable and favorite weapon is the kriss—a short dagger of a serpentine form. Each vessel had a square red flag at their foremast head, and a long

pennant aft. The Illanon pirates wear a large sword, with a handle to be grasped by two hands. They dress, when going into battle, with chain, and sometimes plate armour, which gives them a very romantic appearance. The chain armour is made of wire, and though it will resist the thrust of a kriss, it will not turn a musket ball. I had plenty of time to contemplate them, and to listen to Fairburn's description of them and their doings, as they slowly glided on; and without the exertion of any vivid fancy, I could see the plumed and gaily decked warriors walking the platforms, and eagerly looking out for some craft whom they might venture to attack. Fairburn also told me, that when disappointed of expected booty, they would land on a coast, and carry off any young people and children on whom they could lay hands.

I never in my life passed a more anxious time. "See they are keeping away," exclaimed Fairburn, who had been attentively watching the pirates." "They will pass nearly a mile from us, and we may escape."

Scarcely had he uttered the words, than the sun rose with full radiance from the water, shedding a mass of glittering light across the surface, lighting up the sails and hulls of the southern division, and, as we felt conscious, making us far more conspicuous than before to the approaching enemy. For a few minutes we had hopes that we had escaped observation; but the uncertainty did not long continue. The whole line of prahus were seen to haul their wind, and to stand directly for us. As they approached, we could see the warriors clustering on the platforms, brandishing their spears and matchlocks, while the lelahs were pointed at us. All hope of successful resistance was now gone. They evidently

mistrusted us, and perhaps expected that we were the boats of some man of war sent to intercept them. Even Fairburn acknowledged, that the slightest show of resistance would now seal our fate.

"We must give up our idea of an independent cruize round these seas," I remarked to him. "My sweet little sister-I think of her captivity the most, if captive she is."

66

66

Never despair," he answered. 'Depend on it, all turns out the best in the end; and what we most try to avoid is often the very thing to bring us what we require."

"I will try to adopt your philosophy," I replied. "But are the pirates going to fire on us, or give us their stems."

66

"We will escape the latter treatment, at all events," he exclaimed, Out oars, my men, and pull boldly up to them, as if we were glad to see them-it is our last chance. the people in the other boats will follow our example."

We fortunately had a Malay with us; and we told him. to sing out that we were friends, that were shipwrecked, and would pay those well who placed us in safety. This arrangement was made as we pulled towards the headmost prahu. It had the effect of stopping the pirates from firing, though the warriors still kept their hostile attitudes. While we were advancing, the long-boat and jolly-boat kept back, which further convinced the Malays that we had no hostile intention. The breeze being fortunately light, we easily pulled up under the counter, on to which we hooked, when Fairburn and I, followed by the Malay interpreter, climbed up on board. No one attempted to injure or stop us; but a man, whom