SKIPPER'S LUCK

Evening Post, Volume CX, Issue 68, 17 September 1930, Page 11

SKIPPER'S LUCK

HELD BY PIRATES

EXCITING ADVENTFEES

{From "The Post's" Representative.) SYDNEY, 28th August.

Attacked by Chinese pirates, forced to navigate a boat over treacherous rock shoals, and finally held as a hostage. Yet he is alive to tell the tale. That was the experience of Captain G. H. Hodgson, who has reached Sydney from the East on an extended holiday. His story only goes to show Low serious a menace the Chinese pirates have become. The stories which drift to the outer world now and again are meagre accounts of the growing problem.

Captain Hodgson is a master in the service of the Indo-China Steam Navigation Co., Ltd., and he was taking his ship, the Yatshing, of over 2000 tons from Hong Kong down the coast, with six European passengers and nearly 200 Chinese on board, when the pirates suddenly showed themselves. As as their custom, they had come aboard as passengers. Captain Hodgson was bailed up by eight of the Chinese, armed with a revolver, and he was bundled into one of the cabins with the rest of tho non-pirates.

The pirates then commenced a thorough search of the ship, and they were bitterly disappointed when they discovered that there was no bullion on hoard. On three previous trips Captain Hodgson, had carried on his ship 3,000,----(100 dollara (£300,000), and it was evident that the pirates knew of this. However, there must have been, a serious fault in their intelligence department, or else they were particularly unfortunate to select for their attack a ship which was carrying no money whatever. However, after expressing thoir disgust they looted the cargo of silk and all the personal belongings of tho passengers. When daylight dawned tho ship was outsido Bias Bay, the stronghold of the pirates on the China coast, and Captain Hodgson was forced to lower three of Ms lifeboats so that tho pirates could take their loot ashore. The pirates were cunning enough to force the captain to take charge of the boats that had to be taken through rocky reefs, and he was warned that if any of the boats struck one of the reefs he would be shot dead. "More by good luck than by good management I managed to, get the boats through the reefs/ 1 said Captain Hodgson. Bight of tho Chinese members of the crew were also taken, to the stronghold as hostages. After some hours Captain Hodgson was allowed to row back to his ship, but the members of the crew ■wore hold to ransom and wero taken into fix; hills ami were never seen again.