On the 10th we formed a junction with the Black-squadron, and proceeded
many miles up a wide and beautiful river, passing several ruins of
villages that had been destroyed by the Black-squadron. On the 17th, the
fleet anchored abreast four mud batteries, which defended a town, so
entirely surrounded with wood, that it was impossible to form any idea
of its size. The weather was very hazy, with hard squalls of rain. The
Ladrones remained perfectly quiet for two days. On the third day the
forts commenced a brisk fire for several hours: the Ladrones did not
return a single shot, but weighed in the night and dropped down the
river. The reasons they gave for not attacking the town, or returning
the fire, were, that Joss had not promised them success. They are very
superstitious, and consult their idol on all occasions. If his omens are
good, they will undertake the most daring enterprises. The fleet now
anchored opposite the ruins of the town where the women had been made
prisoners. Here we remained five or six days, during which time about an
hundred of the women were ransomed; the remainder were offered for sale
amongst the Ladrones, for forty dollars each. The woman is considered
the lawful wife of the purchaser, who would be put to death if he
discarded her. Several of them leaped overboard and drowned themselves,
rather than submit to such infamous degradation.

"Mei-ying, the wife of Ke-choo-yang, was very beautiful, and a pirate
being about to seize her by the head, she abused him exceedingly. The
pirate bound her to the yard-arm; but on abusing him yet more, the
pirate dragged her down and broke two of her teeth, which filled her
mouth and jaws with blood. The pirate sprang up again to bind her. Ying
allowed him to approach, but as soon as he came near her, she laid hold
of his garments with her bleeding mouth, and threw both him and herself
into the river, where they were drowned. The remaining captives of both
sexes were after some months liberated, on having paid a ransom of
fifteen thousand leang or ounces of silver.

"The fleet then weighed," continues Mr. Glasspoole, "and made sail down
the river, to receive the ransom from the town before-mentioned. As we
passed the hill, they fired several shot at us, but without effect. The
Ladrones were much exasperated, and determined to revenge themselves;
they dropped out of reach of their shot, and anchored. Every junk sent
about a hundred men each on shore, to cut padd