Now arose the cries and shouts of the Malays, andthe sound of their matchlocks, as they fought desperately to defend theapproach to their village.
"If they are beaten, they will come in and knock us on the head inrevenge," said Dicky Plumb. "It cannot be helped, though; I wish wewere out of this, however, for we might then have, at all events, a runfor life."
The sounds grew louder and louder. It was evident that our captors werebeing driven back.
"It is just like our captain," observed Dicky. "When he found one ofthe boats missing, he came on shore to look for her, and then discoveredthis village, and determined to attack it, hoping to find us inside. Hewill be very sorry when he hears of the death of Mr. Mason and the otherpoor fellows."
"I think we could get out through the roof of this place, though wecannot force open the door," observed Ned, beginning to climb up theside.
In a little time he had worked a hole in the thick thatch; in anotherminute he was through it.
"Now, sir, catch hold of my hand and I'll haul you up," he said to Mr.Plumb.
The midshipman was speedily on the top of the hut; I followed, hauled upby the same friendly hand, scarcely had I reached the top when the doorof the hut was opened, and we heard several voices utter exclamations ofsurprise.
"Follow me," whispered Mr. Plumb; "there is not a moment to be lost! wemust run for it, that's evident!"
We dropped down to the ground as noiselessly as we could. It was broaddaylight; but, happily, we had got to the rear of the hut, which, as itseemed, was on the outside of the village. The ground was very wild andrough, sloping rapidly down towards the sea.
We had got a considerable distance, however, before we were discovered.As soon as we were seen the Malays pursued us, for they had no intentionthat we should escape. Several shots were sent after us, but from theroughness of the ground, as we kept leaping from rock to rock, weescaped being hit. Our enemies pursued us, determined to prevent ourescape. If we were active, so were they; and away we all went, leapingfrom rock to rock, they jumping as we did. A curious sight it must havebeen to any one looking on. A stumble or fall would have been fatal.We mercifully kept our legs; still, they were overtaking us, when wecaught sight of a party of our own men, who finding that side of thehill undefended were advancing towards the village. We ran towardsthem. And now the tables were turned, and the Malays had to scrambleback as fast as they had come. In the meantime Captain Sharpe with themain body was fighting his way up towards the village, the road beingdesperately defended by the piratical inhabitants. Conducted by us, thesmaller party we had joined now attacked the enemy in flank. They atlength gave way, though they bravely covered the retreat of their womenand children. A large number of the men were killed, but we were tooglad to let the others escape. Having driven out the inhabitants, wewere now ordered to search for booty. We had soon ample proof of thecharacter of the people by the various bales of silk and cotton goods,cutlery, and other articles which were discovered in differentstore-houses, apparently the property of the Rajah and other principalmen. Having made a thorough search, and collected all the articles ofvalue to be found, we conveyed them down to the boats. This done, thevillage was set on fire in several places, to secure its completedestruction--no very difficult matter, considering the materials ofwhich it was composed. We then pulled back towards the barque which Ihave before mentioned. Her unfortunate crew and passengers, for sheapparently had had some, were all murdered. Not a human being belongingto her could be discovered. How the Malays had allowed Dicky, Rawlings,and myself to escape, we could not at first tell. We had, I should say,taken a few prisoners, and among them was a lad who was discovered to bethe Rajah's son. It was concluded, therefore, that they had spared ourlives for the sake of exchanging us for him. Our victory was complete;for we had captured all their prows, and recovered the merchant vesselthey had carried off. It had, however, been dearly purchased; for wehad lost the best part of a boat's crew and a boat which the Malays haddestroyed. The cries we heard just before leaving the beach we foundafterwards had been those of our unfortunate countrymen when they wereattacked by the Malays, who had immediately put them to death. As soonas all the articles of value had been taken out of the prows and put onboard the prize, they were set on fire, and, burning rapidly, one afterthe other quickly went to the bottom. The prize, I should have said,had been hove off the shore. A breeze now springing up, sail was made,and taking our boats in tow, we stood back to the _Roarer_. It washoped that the lesson we had given the pirates would make them and theirfriends behave better for the future. We cruised for another fortnightin search of any similar gentry. The barque was very useful, as whilewe lay at anchor, concealed in some wooded bay, she was sent out to actas a bait, for the purpose of drawing any pirates from their lairs.Fifty hands were sent on board her, including a dozen marines, besideswhich she was armed with four long sixes and half a dozen brass swivels.After all, however, the pirates were too wary, and the bait did nottake. At length, without any further success, our time to remain inthose seas was up, and Captain Sharpe had, according to orders, toproceed to Calcutta.
CHAPTER TWELVE.
I GET PROMOTED.
We brought up for a few days at Singapore. It is a large place,numerous fine buildings, warehouses, public edifices, and privateresidences extending along the shore to a considerable distance, whilethe harbour is full of vessels of all nations from China, Japan, Russia,America, and every portion of the Eastern seas. I had never before seensuch a curious collection of rigs, the _Roarer_ looking somewhat like aleviathan among minnows. Summary justice was here executed on thepirates we had captured, many of them having been taken red-handed fromthe murder of the crew of the barque. They themselves died with themost perfect indifference, fully impressed with the idea that they hadlived excellent lives, and that their last act was highly meritorious.It was necessary, however, to read a lesson to the crews of thenumberless vessels crowding the harbour, who would carry an account ofthe execution wherever they went, and show the piratical tribes that theEnglish were determined to make them change their mode of life for oneof a more peaceable character, and more conducive to the prosperity ofcommerce in those regions. The son of the Rajah whom we had capturedwas, however, pardoned; and it was made known that this was inconsequence of the way we had been treated by our captors. The younggentleman was, however, not allowed to return to his family and friends,but kept at Singapore that he might receive instruction, and be inducedto lead a more creditable life than his father and his ancestors hadprobably done. At first he begged very hard that instead of going toschool he might be taken off and hung at the yard-arm as his friends hadbeen. However, he shortly became reconciled to his lot, and is, I havereason to believe, by this time a very respectable member of civilisedsociety.
Sergeant Turbot told me that in his younger days he had come out toSingapore when it was little better than a sandbank with a fewtumble-down huts upon it, inhabited by the followers of the Rajah, whosechief occupation was to pounce out and rob all passers-by.
"That was a good many years ago, as you may suppose," said the sergeant."There was, however, at that time, a man out in these parts who had ahead on his shoulders. He was called Sir Stamford Raffles. He wasGovernor of Java, which our Government, very foolishly, afterwards gaveup to the Dutch, who owned it before we took it. Well, Sir Stamford sawthat it was very important to have a place to which the traders in thoseseas could resort under English protection, and so he got the Governmentto purchase the island from the Malay owners, and it was established asa free port. That was all that was done. People very quickly came andbought the land and built the warehouses, and the place became what younow see it."
We had to keep a bright look-out as we passed through the Straits ofMalacca. We made the northern end of Sumatra and were about a couple ofdays' sail from it when the weather gave indications of a comingtyphoon. All hands were on deck shortening sail when down it came uponus. Over heeled the old ship,
and it seemed at first as if the mastswould be taken out of her, or that she would go over altogether. Sherighted, however, and by desperate exertions she was made snug beforeany great damage was done. It reminded us somewhat of the one we hadencountered at Hong Kong, but it was not so severe. Had we, however,delayed another five minutes in shortening sail, it would have made uslook very foolish. All night we lay hove-to, trusting to One who looksafter sailors, but feeling that we could do very little for ourselves.Next morning by daybreak the weather began to moderate. The hands hadjust been sent aloft to shake a reef out of the topsails, when DickyPlumb, who was in the foretop, shouted out--
"A vessel on the lee bow! Dismasted! She seems a large ship, sir!"
All eyes were turned in the direction to which Mr. Plumb pointed, but asyet the ship could not be seen from the deck. Mr. Ormsby accordinglywent aloft, and