LAST week’s tale of an unfortunate man who experienced a serious wardrobe malfunction is followed this week by a ship captain who faced a pirate attack. But while the previous account dates back only a few years, the captain speaks to us through two hundred years of history.
The waters of Indonesia were, and are, plagued by piracy. With busy shipping lanes, thousands of islands among which to hide, and a desperate population willing to supplement honest income with the other kind, a sailor takes his life in his own hands by navigating in the vicinity of Borneo or Bali.
A merchant named Mr. Burns related his unfortunate story to the wife of a whaling boat captain who, in 1831, had the good sense to write it down. After making a rather large sale of muskets to a chief on Sulawesi, Mr. Burns was flush with cash and gold, as well as the remaining cargo of muskets he hoped to sell on another island. Imagine his horror when he spotted a fleet of seven pirate ships on the horizon.
Mr. Burns was no stranger to these waters or the dangers that lurked in them. He knew pirates chose their vessels because of their speed above all else, so he could not hope to outrun them in a wallowing cargo ship. He also did not put much stock in the bravery of his crew who were, after all, merchants and not naval seamen, although with the cargo of muskets it may have been possible to fight a pitched battle with the pirates. But the sailors had nothing to gain by such a stand and a great deal to lose.
Burns urged them to sail near the shore of an island, hoping that their draft was shallower than the pirate vessels. Perhaps they could not follow in so close. Much to his dismay, as the ship neared the shore the crew jumped overboard and fled into the jungle. Burns expressed surprise at their cowardice but their behavior is hardly surprising. Men rarely fight for other men’s gold. It is also likely that his crew was familiar with these pirates and were quite aware of what they were capable of, both in terms of shallow water and in spilling blood.
Finding himself alone and in a serious pickle, Burns took the one reasonable option left to him. He gathered a few weapons and as much gold he could carry and leapt overboard himself, leaving his ship to the criminals. He hoped the prized vessel would slake the thirst of the buccaneers and buy him enough time to make good his escape, but as he hustled toward the cover of the jungle, he saw some of the pirates chasing after him.
Burns quickly calculated what was most important to him. He made a great show of opening his money bag and flamboyantly threw gold pieces around just at the edge of the jungle, after which he ran headlong and buried himself deeply within its warm, covering embrace. The ruse worked. The pirates stopped to gather the loot and forgot all about Burns, who escaped with a few gold pieces, a sword and dagger, and his life. It was a close call that we may have never heard of if it were not for the insatiable appetite of pirates for gold.
BC Cook, PhD lived on Saipan and has taught history for 20 years. He currently resides on the mainland U.S.
