handful of rice or raw sago twice a day." Very few of the
pirates who were not wounded surrendered. They are marvellous swimmers:
took their arms with them into the water, and fought the men in the
boats who were trying to pick up the captives. The Bishop and Mr.
Walters were fully occupied doctoring friends and foes, arresting
hemorrhage, extracting balls, and closing frightful sword or chopper
wounds. One man came on board with the top of his skull as cleanly
lifted up by a Sooloo knife, as if a surgeon had desired to take a peep
at the brain inside! It took considerable force to close it in the right
place. This man had also two cuts in his back, yet the next morning he
was discovered eating a large plate of rice, and he ultimately
recovered. Another poor fellow could not be got up the ladder because he
had a long-handled three-barbed spear sticking in his back: the Bishop
had to go down and cut it out before he could be moved.

While all this was going on, the captives told Captain Brooke that there
were three more pirate vessels out at sea, waiting for those near shore
to rejoin them; as soon, therefore, as the steamer had picked up as many
captives as she could find, she steamed out to sea in search of them.
After an hour, the look-out from the mast-head reported three vessels in
sight. It was then a dead calm, and they were using their long sweeps,
when they were seen from the deck, to arrange themselves side by side,
with their bows towards the steamer; but, a breeze springing up, they
hoisted sail, spread themselves out broadside on, and opened fire on
the _Rainbow_ as soon as she was within range, so that there was no
question as to whether these were pirate prahus or not. The same plan
was followed as in the case of the other boats, and with more success,
as there was no shore to escape to.

The pirates had secured their captives below the decks of the prahus,
but when the steamer struck them and opened their sides, they were
liberated. But few of them were drowned, being all good swimmers; but
some were killed by the pirates in their rage and despair, and some had
been lashed to the vessel and could not therefore escape.

One poor Chinaman came swimming along, holding up his long tail of hair
lest he should be suspected to be a pirate; other men held up the ropes
round their necks, to show they were captives. The deck of the steamer
was soon covered with those who had been picked out of the water, men of