"having received information that a notorious pirate, named yaou-chung (short-tailed ruffian) is operating upon the coast between chusan and amoy, you are hereby ordered to proceed from chinhae (where it is expected you will receive this dispatch), and carefully examine the coasts, particularly about hae-tan island. in the event of your capturing the pirate, you are directed to deliver him to the taontai of amoy, who will dispose of him as he sees fit, the pirate having a short time since seized a passenger junk, on board of which were fourteen mandarins belonging to that place, whom he enclosed in an iron cage and burnt alive. as we wish to show our power in these seas, it is desirable that you totally exterminate the band, and level their settlement to the ground."
"a very nice little job, is it not, russell?" observed woodward, who had just received the above dispatch from the admiral at hong-kong.
"as you most logically observe, sir, the occupation does most fully merit the title you so aptly apply to it, of a nice little job, and it will be as well to attempt the matter without procrastination."
"there, there, my dear russell, why not say we've got to do it, and will do it well?"
"that, sir, would, no doubt, be a concise manner of expressing it, but i prefer to adorn my language with more classical and florid expressions."
upon hearing this reply, the good-tempered captain nodded to his eccentric lieutenant, and directed the ship to be got ready for sea. in a short time the anchors were up, and the stinger steaming towards hae-tan, every one being upon the qui vive, and anxious to fall in with the notorious pirate. as woodward anticipated some warm work when he met the freebooter, he ordered all useless top-hamper to be stowed below, the top-gallant yards and masts struck, and rigging snaked, intending to use steam alone in his trip down the coast.
after a careful examination of the coast, and hearing some horrible tales of the cruelties perpetrated by yaou-chung, woodward arrived off hae-tan at dusk one evening; and having slowly steamed across to the main land, anchored until daylight the next morning. about five bells in the middle watch, some junks passed, when he quietly turned out his men, not a sound being allowed or light shown, and the crew learnt that the piratical fleet was sailing in, and that by daybreak an action was inevitable.
it was impossible to distinguish the junks with the naked eye, but with his night glass, mr. beauman made out nine large vessels, on board of which the chinese, unaware of the presence of an enemy, were firing crackers and beating gongs in a most unguarded manner. when they were out of hearing, captain woodward got up anchor, and hugging the land, crept after them, and at daybreak saw the last of the fleet put up its helm and run into port. in a few moments the stinger was tearing away at full speed for the place, the men watching their captain, who, assisted by the master, man?uvred the ship splendidly; and although the odds were eight to one, no one doubted his ability to do all he might undertake. every one seemed impressed[pg 135] with a consciousness of responsibility, and appeared fully determined to do his duty; and when the ship swept round the point, and they found themselves in the entrance of a large bay, which was studded all over with junks, although they felt inclined to cheer, they held their peace, knowing, by the eyes of their commander, that they must repress their enthusiasm.
woodward stood upon the bridge, glass in hand, and gave his orders as calmly as he would have done had he been entering hong-kong harbour. at last he suddenly rang upon the engine-room bell the signal to "stop her," but before they could do this the ship struck upon a mud bank, and at that moment the pirates sighted her, and altering their course, turned back and opened fire. it was a trying time: the vessel swinging across the passage, and forming as it were a target for their guns. after a while the junks suddenly ceased firing, and bout ship, when, having sailed some distance up the bay, they formed in two lines, and again bore down towards the stinger, the execution of this man?uvre occupying about three-quarters of an hour.
having in vain tried to steam off and after running his crew backward and forward upon the upper deck, woodward ordered the foremost guns to be transported aft, and then repeating his tactics, found the ship once more floated, whereupon the guns were returned to their proper positions, and they awaited the arrival of the pirates, who were about a mile distant. upon her starboard bow were five large junks, the foremost of which was doubtless the flagship, it being beautifully painted and gilded, while on the port bow were four smaller craft letting off crackers, and making a great din with their gongs. when their guns arrived within range they commenced firing their bow chasers, woodward surveying them through his glass as coolly as though they were performing their evolutions for his amusement. the shot flew over the stinger, and now and then one would strike her hull, but there stood the captain quiet and undaunted, while his men, taking example from him, were as still as statues. suddenly a heavy shot struck the funnel, near which he was standing, and cut a piece clean out of it, when he quietly lifted the handle of the engine-room bell, and rang out, "go ahead, full speed," then waved his orders to the first lieutenant and master, stationed along the deck, who transmitted them to the men at the wheel.
in a short time they reached the junks, but still no signal was given to fire, although the pirates were blazing away furiously, and some stray shots struck the hull and rigging. the men, who were all crouched down behind their guns, wondered when they were to commence, and now and then would peer over the pieces and watch the unmoved commander. at last, just as they got abreast of the foremost junks, between which he had steered, the words "commence firing" rang out from woodward's lips, and at the same instant he signalled "stop her" to the engineers.
the men sprang up with a cheer of defiance, and poured a discharge of grape and canister into the junks on either side, (flash) bang (flash—flash—flash) bang—bang—bang—(flash) bang; and the excited sailors loaded and fired with tremendous energy. in a very short time a thick pall of smoke completely enveloped the ship, and with great difficulty the captain managed to keep her in position between the line of junks—she in the mean time drifting slowly ahead. after the first few discharges the men lost their hearing through the stunning reports, and would vainly bawl at each other, while their bodies were grimed with the smoke of the powder, every one of them being stripped to the waist. the powder-monkeys were as active as their namesakes, feeling their way in the thick smoke, so as to avoid being knocked down by the rammers or sponges, and cautiously treading clear of the tackle laid along the decks. it was wonderful how clever the youngsters were, and with what accuracy they would return to their own guns, although it was[pg 136] impossible to see them. the flashes, which at first dazzled their eyes, now merely made them blink for a moment, while their dulled ears only heard a faint boom, and after a time did not notice even that.
woodward sprang up aloft, and saw the ship was heading right, and that the first two junks which they had passed were on fire. upon his return to the deck he met the master, who bawled something in his ear; but as he could not understand what he said,[1] he motioned him to go aloft, and keep a look-out.
although the stinger steamed quite slowly between the lines of junks, she had not lost a man; and the pirates being unable to depress their guns sufficiently to hit the ship very often, had actually been firing into each other. when woodward found that the shots were striking the ship in an oblique direction he rang the signal, "go ahead, full speed," and in a short time was clear of the junks, which, however, kept firing away at each other for some thirty minutes.
after they discovered their mistake he came to anchor, and putting on a spring, raked them fore and aft with grape and canister. in a short time the two lines of junks closed upon each other; and as they were nearly all on fire, the pirates abandoned them, and took to the water. much to woodward's chagrin, he observed that the big junk, which he supposed was commanded by yaou-chung in person, had managed to put out her fire, and was escaping through the passage to the sea; however, as it was impossible to pass the burning vessels, he steamed up the bay, and landed at a town about five miles from the entrance.
the taontai came down to receive him, and woodward found that the pirates had that morning entered the place to collect tribute when they were overtaken and destroyed by the stinger; and so grateful were the townspeople, or rather their governor, that he offered the ransom money to the captain, who of course declined the gift. woodward did not want to risk his ship too near the burning junks, and he showed his prudence, for about 9 a.m. two of them blew up, and shortly afterwards the others followed; and as the explosions seemed to blow out every vestige of flame, they floated about the bay mere shapeless hulks, and became a prey to the swarms of thieves, who went out of the city in boats to pick up wood or any loot which they might be lucky enough to come across.
seeing the mouth of the bay clear, the captain bade the civil taontai adieu, and steamed out to sea in search of yaou-chung's junk. upon clearing the headland at the mouth of the harbour they beheld the pirate with all sail set standing out to sea, but as soon as he saw them he trimmed his sails, and ran behind haetan. now, woodward knew there was no shelter for the pirate upon the weather side of the island, so he altered his course, and steamed along to leeward, expecting to catch the junk as it rounded the opposite point; but yaou-chung was too smart for him, as he had anchored, it being a calm day, just round the point behind which woodward saw him disappear.
having waited for two hours, the captain proceeded round the further point, and, to his annoyance, saw the pirate standing out to sea, with his sails so closely hauled, that he seemed to be going in the wind's eye. now, every nautical writer has described a stern chase, and doubtless the old adage "a stern chase is a long chase" has been sufficiently hackneyed, but it was a very long one upon this occasion, as it must be remembered the stinger was only an auxiliary screw, and it was quite dusk before they overhauled the plucky chinaman.
[pg 137]
woodward was at his post, and had given instructions to the master to lay the ship alongside the junk; and taking command forward of the starboard watch of boarders himself, instructed lieutenant russell to head those of the port watch, who were ordered to board the pirate abaft, directing the men to crouch behind the nettings until they struck the junk. forward, the captain of the forecastle was securing the end of a chain, to which was fastened a grappling-iron, and abaft, the captain of the afterguard was similarly employed. the stinger showed no light, and made no sound, save that caused by the regular beat of her screw. suddenly the junk put about, and tried to rake the ship, but woodward was too good a sailor to allow his enemy to catch him asleep, and the pirate threw his shot away upon the water.
after various man?uvres, too tedious to describe here, the gallant captain at last got his ship in exactly the position he wanted her, and putting on full steam, ran her crash into the bows of the junk. up sprang the captain of the forecastle, and the grappling-iron was firmly secured in the side hamper of the pirate, upon which woodward shouting to his men, "come on, my lads!" leapt sword in hand on board the junk, landing his party upon the forecastle, from which they drove the pirates with great slaughter. the stinger was then laid alongside, and with a loud hurrah, lieutenant russell, led his men over the hammock-netting abaft, obtaining in a few moments possession of the poop. the pirates, driven to the body of the junk, fought like demons, and twice repulsed the stingers, once nearly recovering possession of the poop, which was, however, gallantly held by the first lieutenant.
when yaou-chung found he was cornered, he conceived the bold idea of trying to board the stinger; so, giving instructions to his men, he, in spite of the shower of pistol-balls and musketry which was poured upon him from the poop and forecastle, succeeded in boarding the ship, before the master, who was in command, became aware of his man?uvre. beauman was attending to the after grapnel, when he saw the pirates pour over the nettings just by the main hatchway. without a moment's hesitation he darted below, ran forward upon the lower deck, sprang up the fore hatchway, and scrambling on board the junk, told the captain of the pirate's move.
"all aboard!" shouted woodward. then directing two of the men to cast off the grapnel, he abandoned the junk, and drove the pirates aft upon the quarter-deck of the stinger; the men who had cast off the grapnel on board the junk, running aft and telling the first lieutenant the news. russell thereupon placed his men so as to cut the pirates down as they were driven off the ship's decks abaft. as all this was done upon a starlight night, the stingers could just make out friends from foes, although at times the pirates and crew got a little mixed, and even assaulted their own shipmates.
yaou-chung led his men like a tiger, and certainly fought well; but just as he reached the wheel a light shot up on board the junk, and woodward saw him motioning his men to press forward and attack the sailors again. with a loud cheer the stingers threw themselves upon the foe, and their captain, wielding a cutlass which he had taken from one of his men, cut yaou-chung down with a swinging blow. when the pirates saw their leader fall, they surrendered, and within a quarter of an hour seventy-three of them were secured and put in irons, together with yaou-chung, the cut given by the commander having more stunned than otherwise injured him, his skull being thick enough to stand a chop from a cutlass.
when all was quiet, they carefully examined the prize, which was found to be filled with valuable plunder; then they threw the dead overboard, and taking her in tow, proceeded towards amoy, where they arrived within eight-and-forty hours after the capture of the junk.
the notorious yaou-chung and his associates were duly handed over to the taontai,[pg 138] after which the stinger refitted and stopped up the shot-holes in her sides. she had been hulled eighteen times, but upon mustering her crew after the action, only thirteen casualties were reported, not one of which proved fatal. one man lost a limb, and another three of his fingers, but otherwise the wounds were slight. of course it was by the merest good fortune they escaped as they did, for had the ship, when between the junks, been but for a moment in such a position that their shot could have taken effect, no doubt her decks would have been swept.
it was a bold action, and the merchants of amoy, to show their appreciation of woodward's gallantry, offered him a service of plate, which he courteously, yet firmly, declined, alleging that his officers and men had quite as much to do with destroying the pirates as himself. he, however, did not object to their presenting his crew with a gratuity, which amounted to over three thousand dollars; and as he knew how slow the prize courts were, he told his men to clear out all they wanted from the junk, after which he despatched her to hong-kong, where she was condemned and sold. not a bale of silk or ball of opium would he keep for himself, being too proud to share in the plunder; and beyond a few flags, taken from the various pirate junks he had destroyed, he returned home no richer than he came, his principles being totally unlike those of his predecessor, who upon one occasion, after taking a junk, coolly appropriated a number of balls of opium, which for security he stowed in the lockers of his state room, the said opium being described by him as "his perquisites."
after remaining in port a few days, a grand banquet was given by the taontai, to which the captain, officers, and crew were invited; and as he was instructed to be upon friendly terms with the chinese authorities, woodward accepted the invitation, little dreaming of the surprise which the celestials had in store for them.
about three p. m. the stingers left their ship, and landed at a place designated by the taontai, where, having found a guard of honour drawn up to receive them, they proceeded at once to the governor's residence in the following order:—first marched the executioner's assistants, who cleared the way with whips; then a bannerman, bearing the taontai's flag and a gong, which he beat every few seconds. following him was a body of bannermen, who preceded a sedan, in which was seated the crafty tartar governor, who took advantage of the captain's ignorance of the rites, and appropriated to himself the place of honour. immediately after the governor's chair, came the stinger's band, playing "oh, dear, what can the matter be?" then the sedan, containing captain woodward, followed by several others, occupied by the officers and engineers.
by some mistake the chief engineer, mr. sniff, had taken the chair which was intended for the captain; and as the procession wended its way, the people applauded vociferously. this elated him to such a degree that he bowed repeatedly, first to the right and then to the left, which being a novel proceeding for an official, caused the mob to shout with laughter. we may here remark that the bobbing of the mandarin in the style of the tea-store images is a fiction, got up by the artists in those statuettes, and that a celestial dignitary would as soon think of standing upon his head as of bowing to the populace when proceeding on official business. under those circumstances a mandarin is about as motionless as a wax figure, and it may be imagined that the amoyans, who turned out to see the procession, were immensely tickled by the antics of mr. sniff, whom they termed the "nodding, red-headed barbarian of the west." the royal marines came after the sedans, and the blue jackets followed them, a detachment of tartars forming the rear-guard.
after marching to the taontai's palace and partaking of some refreshment, the captain was informed that as there was no convenient hall in the city, a building had[pg 139] been prepared outside the gates, where it was hoped that the brave western men would condescend to partake of the humble fare provided for them. hereupon the procession again formed, and marched through the city to a clear space beyond the walls, where they found an immense bamboo edifice erected. upon one side of this was an enclosed space, which the stingers imagined was fenced in to form a promenade ground for them during the intervals of the feast; but upon entering the building, they found there were no windows or doors upon that side of the edifice. the whole place was draped with banners and hung with "living-flower-mats," i. e. mats of split bamboo, upon which flowers were sewn in patterns; these decorations might by a casual observer have been taken for beautiful carpets, so evenly were the blossoms arranged upon them. at the extreme end was a raised cross table for the taontai and guests of rank, while along the length of the building two tables, laden with sweetmeats and fruits were spread for the accommodation of the crew. the officials were entertained with an infinite variety of courses, all more or less delicious, and none of them badly cooked or repulsive to their taste, while knives and forks were provided, and champagne and bitter beer poured out without stint. much to the satisfaction of their hospitable entertainer, his guests did every justice to the meal.
upon the entry of the men the whole place was lighted with candles, and a chinese band struck up a tune, which it screwed out, with more or less rapidity, during the time the banquet lasted. no doubt the celestials thought it very melodious, and at times the attendants upon the sailors would nod to the noise, as we do to our music, but the effect upon the visitors was, to say the least of it, excruciating.
when the sailors had taken their seats a number of attendants entered with huge kettles of warm wine, which they poured into little cups that were placed by the right hand of each guest. now, as a sailor's capacity for liquor of any kind is well known, it may easily be imagined that they looked rather blue upon finding such small measures allotted them; but by dint of repeatedly filling during the course of the banquet, they managed to get enough, although not one became intoxicated. when the attendants imagined the sailors had deluged themselves sufficiently with wine, they proceeded to remove the remnants of the sweets; seeing this, the jolly tars, who imagined dinner was over, motioned them to leave the dishes, which they entirely emptied of their contents. upon this the waiters cleared the tables by beat of gong. in a short time a file of men entered, and placed all sorts of food before the astonished foreigners; and as the provisions were supplied by fifty hotel-keepers who were obliged, under threat of severe punishment, to furnish a certain number of dishes, some of them were palatable, and others the reverse; however, the men were all satisfied, and attacked the viands with the full determination of trying everything which came within their reach and would shout to a shipmate at another table, or pass favourite dishes from one to another in a most amusing fashion.
"i say, number ten mess!—hi!—you at the other table come over here; we've got some biled bore-constructor, and its stunning."
"charley, how are you gettin' on?" observed a hardy-looking topman to a marine who was seated opposite him.
"i'm all right. i've eat a whole roast duck, and am trying some fried boot-heels, which ain't bad. will ye have some?"
when the dishes were removed a procession of servants entered, bearing four pigs, roasted whole; these were deposited upon the tables, and soon nothing but the bones remained. when these had been disposed of, the attendants placed bowls of thin soup before each sailor, after having partaken of which many of them felt anything but well.
[pg 140]
when the feast commenced, a heavy curtain was drawn across that portion of the edifice where the officers sat. as the taontai knew the sailors would finish their dinners long before the officials, he directed the attendants upon the men to let them eat their food, and then supply them with unlimited warm wine and tobacco, with which they managed to pass the time until eight o'clock, when the gong announced the taontai and his guests had completed their meal.
a crowd of attendants now proceeded to unhook the centre of the curtain, covering the wall upon that side of the edifice facing the enclosure, and upon its removal a guard was placed across the gap, the dinner tables cleared away, and seats placed for the guests,—the taontai and his officials upon the left, and captain woodward and his officers upon the right. footlights were then placed upon the ground in front of the guards, who, now that the party were seated, retired, and left them gazing upon a square enclosure, and they had full opportunity of listening to the enlivening agony of the chinese band, which redoubled its noise and worked away as if desirous of carrying on until something gave way.
at a signal from the taontai the doors of the banquet-hall were thrown open, and the amoyans poured in until they became so closely pressed, that you might have walked upon their heads without fear. captain woodward imagined they were going to entertain them with a theatrical performance, so he smiled at his host, and puffed at his cigar, little dreaming he was about to witness a horrible tragedy, which none but a chinese would have imagined acceptable to a foreigner. at length when a gong had been struck nine times, the taontai arose and thus addressed his guests:—
"most illustrious, brave, and honourable men of the western seas, i have this day endeavoured, out of my poverty of means, to show you how much i think of you and all your nation. i thank you for the brave act which resulted in the capture of yaou-chung, and i invite you to see the clemency of his majesty the emperor whom we all revere, extended to the defiled dog and his blood-stained accomplices. i salute you respectfully."
when this speech was ended lieutenant russell observed to woodward, "the conviction has just dawned upon my mind that they are about to consign the pirates to hades, by the hands of the public executioner, and the present company are to witness the performance."
"nonsense!" replied the commander. "they surely do not intend carrying out the sentence here."
"let me entreat you not to suffer a misconception to lead your judgment astray, as even my limited acquaintance with the chinese language enables me to affirm that the pirates are shortly to be submitted to the pangs of torture in our presence."
"i'm sorry, as we cannot back out, and must, as it were, countenance the butchery by our presence. the sly taontai has arranged this matter very cleverly; do you not think so, russell?" said the captain.
further conversation was cut short by the appearance of the chief executioner, a most revolting-looking wretch, who advanced into the arena; then, kneeling upon the sawdust with which the ground was covered, bowed his forehead (or kow-tow'd) nine times, after which his assistants, who were, like him, clad in black tunics and conical-shaped wire hats, came forward and went through the same performance.
having paid their respects, the black band brought out several movable screens, which they placed before the opening, upon which the music recommenced. after a short interval the gong again sounded, and some persons behind took the screens and carried them out of sight, when the spectators beheld about sixty men, clad only in blue trousers, kneeling with their hands resting upon the sawdust, it being noticed[pg 141] that all of them were deprived of their queues. at the back of the arena was a mat-covered pile, over which an assistant executioner, armed with a ladle was throwing some liquid.
at a signal from the taontai, a scribe read the names of the sixty prostrate men, and when that was completed called to four executioners, who stepped forward, paid their respects to their master and his guests, then taking up their positions, each at the head of fifteen recumbent criminals, raised their short swords and awaited the final order. their weapons were very keen-edged, thick-backed affairs, slightly curved, and loaded with quicksilver, in order to give force to the blows. the chief executioner received the orders and directed his assistants, he taking the left-hand row, over the last man of which he was now standing, with his eyes fixed upon the taontai.
so rapidly had all this been accomplished that the stingers could hardly comprehend the meaning of their action; but when the governor elevated the claw-like nail of his right thumb, and the four executioners simultaneously swept the heads off four of the recumbent figures, they all understood it was a real execution, and not a theatrical representation that was being enacted before their eyes. as the movements of the executioners were regulated by those of the chief, it will be sufficient to describe his action.
when he gave the swinging blow with his sword which swept off his first victim's head, he dexterously skipped across the neck of the body, and planting himself behind his second victim, repeated the cut, upon which off flew another head, he continuing his blows until he had decapitated four of the kneeling ones, when he changed his sword for a keener weapon and recommenced his labour. in a few moments fifteen heads were lying upon the sawdust near the trunks of their former bodies. it was wonderful to see how easily he sliced them off, and with what rapidity the whole of them were executed.
when all was finished the executioners picked up the heads, and carelessly placed them upon their trunks; then advancing to the front, knelt, kow-tow'd, and retired. in a few moments a number of men entered, and dragged off the bodies and heads, after which fresh sawdust was sprinkled, and the arena raked clean, in the same manner as the supers prepare the ring of a circus for a new entertainment.
captain woodward, who was thoroughly sick at the sight, but had kept his seat out of courtesy towards the taontai, now arose, and begged he would allow him to retire with his officers and crew, adding that such a method of execution was quite foreign to the ideas of all "the men of the west;" but the taontai only pointed to the swarming mass of chinese behind them, and declared it would be impossible for them to leave until the executions were over, adding, "you will be pleased with the next performance, which you will probably never have another opportunity of witnessing."
finding escape was impossible, the captain partly turned his back upon the arena, and the gong sounded for the next piece of barbarism.
a large body of the wire-hatted, black-dressed executioners now advanced and kow-tow'd, four of their number bearing long poles, to the end of which were tied lighted torches. after their prostrations were completed, two of them walked to the back of the arena, and pulled at the lines which held the covering of the pile. a yell of execration broke from the chinese spectators as, upon the mats falling down, they beheld a heap of wood, on which were placed two cages, one a large affair twenty-five feet long, by about four high, in which were chained thirteen of the officers of the pirate craft; while, in a smaller cage, above the other, was secured the notorious pirate who had given the stingers so much trouble. when the sailors recognized this villain they gave vent to a murmur, which certainly did not indicate pity.
[pg 142]
a mandarin now advanced, and thus addressed the spectators:—"list, ye people of fo-keen district. hardly a moon ago this yaou-chung seized an imperial junk, and after killing the crew, whom he tortured in a barbarous manner, deliberately enclosed thirteen of our honourable colleagues within an iron cage, and burnt them to death. to-day yaou-chung (you descendant of a dishonoured dog) and thirteen of his head men receive the clemency of our father and mother, the emperor, the common men of his crew having been despatched with the sword. beware! and follow not the example they have set, or you will be treated likewise."
neither yaou-chung nor his officers paid the slightest attention to the speech, but seemingly chaffed the executioner, who was basting them with some liquid. at length the latter retired and the mandarin gave the signal, when the torchmen applied their brands, and in an instant the pile was alight. the thirteen men were soon writhing and screaming, as their bodies were wetted with spirit which the executioners had thrown upon them, but for some time yaou-chung remained as quiet as a statue, although the torture must have been fearful; however, after the wood began to burn up he gradually showed signs of suffocation, and must have been insensible long before the flames reached his body.
when all was over the crowd dispersed, and captain woodward marched his men back to the wharf and embarked them in boats in which they were conveyed on board the ship. of course there was no help for it, and it was all right according to the chinese way of reckoning, but the gallant officer determined, that when next asked to a chinese banquet, he would, before accepting the civility, ascertain if it were "a dinner to be followed by an execution," or only a friendly "chin-chin."