hip, hoping that he would
still pick up a marine I presume, took the bait greedily, and was
hauled on board. The axe was immediately at work at his tail, which was
dismembered, and a score of knives plunged into his body, ripping him
up in all directions. His eyes were picked out with fish-hooks and
knives, and every indignity offered to him. He was then cut to pieces,
and the quivering flesh thrown into the frying-pans, and eaten with a
savage pleasure which we can imagine only to be felt by cannibals when
devouring the flesh of their enemies. Certainly, if the cannibal
nations have the same feeling towards their enemies which sailors have
against sharks, I do not wonder at their adhering to this custom, for
there was a savage delight in the eyes of every seaman in the ship as
they assisted to cut to pieces and then devour the brute who would have
devoured them. It was the madness of retaliation--an eye for an eye,
and a tooth for a tooth.

September 14th.--Arrived at Hong Kong, where we found the Castor, Vixen,
and Espiegle. The next day the Agincourt, Daedalus, Vestal, and
Wolverine, arrived from Borneo, having been engaged with the pirates of
Maludu Bay. The squadron had suffered a loss of one officer and eighteen
men killed, and about double the number wounded. This heavy loss was
occasioned by their having to cut through a large boom which the pirates
had thrown across the creek within half pistol shot of their forts. But
the official reports of Admiral Sir Thomas Cochrane have already been
published, and I need not, therefore, enter into further particulars.
One incident is, perhaps, worthy of notice, as it shows the respect
invariably paid by the British officers and seamen to a brave enemy,
although a pirate. The colours from the pirates' fort had been twice
shot away, when, to the surprise of the boat squadron, a native was seen
to ascend, without regard to our fire, and nail the colours to the
flagstaff. Instead of taking aim at him, he was enthusiastically cheered
by the seamen; and, as if with one consent, the muskets were all
dropped, and the firing discontinued until he had again got down under
cover, and was safe. The boom being at length severed, the fort in a few
minutes was in our possession. Our late first lieutenant, Mr. Heard, who
had left our ship, in consequence of the treatment he received from the
captain, was wounded in this attack. Mr. Wade was the first lieutenant
who sailed from England in