age or sex! I must not omit to mention a most horrid (though ludicrous)
circumstance which happened at this place. The Ladrones were paid by
their chief ten dollars for every Chinaman's head they produced. One of
my men turning the corner of a street was met by a Ladrone running
furiously after a Chinese; he had a drawn sword in his hand, and two
Chinaman's heads which he had cut off, tied by their tails, and slung
round his neck. I was witness myself to some of them producing five or
six to obtain payment!

"On the 4th of November an order arrived from the admiral for the fleet
to proceed immediately to Lantow, where he was lying with only two
vessels, and three Portuguese ships and a brig constantly annoying him;
several sail of Mandarin vessels were daily expected. The fleet weighed
and proceeded towards Lantow. On passing the island of Lintin, three
ships and a brig gave chase to us. The Ladrones prepared to board; but
night closing we lost sight of them: I am convinced they altered their
course and stood from us. These vessels were in the pay of the Chinese
Government, and styled themselves the Invincible Squadron, cruising in
the river Tigris to annihilate the Ladrones!

"On the fifth, in the morning, the red squadron anchored in a bay under
Lantow; the black squadron stood to the eastward. In the afternoon of
the 8th of November, four ships, a brig, and a schooner came off the
mouth of the bay. At first the pirates were much alarmed, supposing them
to be English vessels come to rescue us. Some of them threatened to hang
us to the mast-head for them to fire at; and with much difficulty we
persuaded them that they were Portuguese. The Ladrones had only seven
junks in a fit state for action; these they hauled outside, and moored
them head and stern across the bay, and manned all the boats belonging
to the repairing vessels ready for boarding. The Portuguese observing