prisoners. Here we remained five or six days, during which time about an
hundred of the women were ransomed; the remainder were offered for sale
amongst the Ladrones, for forty dollars each. The woman is considered
the lawful wife of the purchaser, who would be put to death if he
discarded her. Several of them leaped overboard and drowned themselves,
rather than submit to such infamous degradation.

"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.

"The fleet then weighed," continues Mr. Glasspoole, "and made sail down
the river, to receive the ransom from the town before-mentioned. As we
passed the hill, they fired several shot at us, but without effect. The
Ladrones were much exasperated, and determined to revenge themselves;
they dropped out of reach of their shot, and anchored. Every junk sent
about a hundred men each on shore, to cut paddy, and destroy their
orange-groves, which was most effectually performed for several miles
down the river. During our stay here, they received information of nine
boats lying up a creek, laden with paddy; boats were immediately
despatched after them. Next morning these boats were brought to the
fleet; ten or twelve men were taken in them. As these had made no
resistance, the chief said he would allow them to become Ladrones, if