"The fire in the sea: It happens sometimes that sea waves have such a luminous appearance, as if the whole sea were full of fire. If you cast any thing into the sea, it becomes luminous like a star; but you do not see this during moonlight. Wood having in itself no fire, receives a fiery appearance, after having been passed through the water."
From the notes of History of the Pirates Who Infested the China Sea From 1807 to 1810; [79]
"The pirates went in four divisions to plunder; they took here, an immense quantity of clothes and other goods, and carried away one thousand one hundred and forty captives of both sexes. They set on fire about ten houses; the flames could not be extinguished for some days; in the whole village you could not hear the cry of a dog or a hen.
The other inhabitants retired far from the village, or hid themselves in the fields. In the paddy fields about a hundred women were hidden, but the pirates on hearing a child crying, went to the place and carried them away. Mei ying, the wife of Ke choo yang, was very beautiful, and a pirate being about to seize her by the head, she abused him exceedingly. The pirate bound her to the yard-arm; but on abusing him yet more, the pirate dragged her down and broke two of her teeth, which filled her mouth and jaws with blood. The pirate sprang up again to bind her. Ying allowed him to approach, but as soon as he came near her, she laid hold of his garments with her bleeding mouth, and threw both him and herself into the river, where they were drowned. The remaining captives of both sexes were after some months liberated, on having paid a ransom of fifteen thousand leang or ounces of silver.
Travelling once to Pwan peen jow I was affected by the virtuous behavior of Mei ying, and all generous men will, as I suppose, be moved by the same feelings. I therefore composed a song, mourning her fate:
'Cease fighting now for awhile!
Let us call back the flowing waves!
Who opposed the enemy in time? A single wife could overpower him.
Streaming with blood, she grasped the mad offspring of guilt,
She held fast the man and threw him into the meandering stream.
The spirit of the water, wandering up and down on the waves,
Was astonished at the virtue of Ying.
My song is at an end!
Waves meet each other continually.
I see the water green as mountain Peih,
But the brilliant fire returns no more!
How long did we mourn and cry!' "
History of the Pirates Who Infested the China Sea from 1807 to 1810.
P.S. The sentiments and creative instincts from the likes of these blood thirsty cut throats and scoundrels is astounding.
Sao Feng, Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End.
"I am Sao Feng."
"Sao Feng, Sao Feng. Nope, never heard of 'im."
"Never heard of me! I'm only the fiercest captain to ever sail the South China Sea!"
An interchange between Sao Feng and Jack Sparrow, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End.
Screenshot of the epub’s front cover which was found on the Project Gutenberg site.
I had previously posted a similar and abbreviated list of these regulations sometime ago.
"Being chief captain, Chang Paou robbed and plundered incessantly, and daily increased his men and his vessels. In order to maintain some sort of order in the midst of mayhem Paou issued the three following regulations:—
If any man goes privately on shore, or what is called transgressing the bars, he shall be taken and his ears be perforated in the presence of the whole fleet; repeating the same act, he shall suffer death.
Not the least thing shall be taken privately from the stolen and plundered goods. All shall be registered, and the pirate receive for himself, out often parts, only two; eight parts belong to the storehouse, called the general fund; taking anything out of this general fund, without permission, shall be death.
No person shall debauch at his pleasure captive women taken in the villages and open places, and brought on board a ship; he must first request the ship's purser for permission, and then go aside in the ship's hold. To use violence against any woman, or to wed her without permission, shall be punished with death."
History of the Pirates Who Infested the China Sea from 1807 to 1810
Sao Feng, played by Chow Yun-Fat, is the leader of the squadron of Chinese pirates that the crew of the Black Pearl tried to enlist his help. Sao Feng would eventually betray his comrades to the British.
“We are like vapors dispersed by the wind; we are like waves of the sea roused up by a whirlwind; like broken bamboo-sticks on the sea, we are floating and sinking alternately without enjoying any rest.”
Chang Paou (pirate captain on the South China Sea)
Pirates of the South China Sea
Chinese Junk that the crew of the Black Pearl have on loan from Sao Feng. The crew takes the ship to "Worlds End" to try to rescue Jack Sparrow from Davy Jones Locker.
“Without darkness, there is not light; without virtue, there is no splendor.”
King Chung Ho
Pirates of the South China Sea
Images are from Pirates of the Caribbean-At Worlds End.
The Red Fleet, the largest plying the South China Sea, was a force to be reckoned with. Not only was the fleet larger than most navies of the day, but they were also well armed and manned.
The oceangoing junks were equipped with between twenty and thirty cannon and could carry up to four hundred men. The coastal junks usually carried anywhere from twelve to twenty five cannon and two hundred men. Imagine watching swarms of pirates coming over your bulkheads
And, although the smaller river junks may not have carried too much in the way ordinance there were dozens of these craft each carrying between twenty and thirty men. The Red Fleet was a formidable force indeed.
Under the Black Flag, David Cordingly
