y?'
Shih-Url was struck with amazement, and his courage left him. Paou
advanced and bound him, and the whole crew were then taken captives."
"From that period," says our Chinese historian, in conclusion, "ships
began to pass and repass in tranquillity. All became quiet on the
rivers, and tranquil on the four seas. People lived in peace and plenty.
Men sold their arms and bought oxen to plough their fields; they buried
sacrifices, said prayers on the tops of the hills, and rejoiced
themselves by singing behind screens during day-time"--and (grand climax
to all!) the Governor of the province, in consideration of his valuable
services in the pacification of the pirates, was allowed by an edict of
the "Son of Heaven," to wear peacocks' feathers with two eyes!
THE LIFE OF CAPTAIN LEWIS.
Captain Lewis was at an early age associated with pirates. We first find
him a boy in company with the pirate Banister, who was hanged at the
yard arm of a man-of-war, in sight of Port Royal, Jamaica. This Lewis
and another boy were taken with him, and brought into the island hanging
by the middle at the mizen peak. He had a great aptitude for languages,
and spoke perfectly well that of the Mosquil Indians, French, Spanish,
and English. I mention our own, because it is doubted whether he was
French or English, for we cannot trace him back to his origin. He sailed
out of Jamaica till he was a lusty lad, and was then taken by the
Spaniards at the Havana, where he tarried some time; but at length he
and six more ran away with a small canoe, and surprised a Spanish
periagua, out of which two men joined them, so that they were now nine
in company. With this periagua they surprised a turtling sloop, and
forced some of the hands to take on with them; the others they sent away
in the periagua.
He played at this small game, surprising and taking coasters and
turtlers, till with forced men and volunteers he made up a company of 40
men. With these he took a large pink built ship, bound from Jamaica to
the bay of Campeachy, and after her, several others bound to the same
place; and having intelligence that there lay in the bay a fine Bermuda
built brigantine of 10 guns, commanded by Captain Tucker, he sent the
captain of the pink to him with a letter, the purport of which was, that
he wanted such a brigantine, and if he would part with her, he would
pay him 10,000 pieces of eight; if he refused this, he would take care
to lie in his way,
|