Aleko Lilius - I sailed with Chinese pirates

The South China Seas in the 1920's was an ideal breeding ground for pirates. There was a flourishing sea trade out of Hong Kong and other Chines ports for a start. Then there was the helplessness and apathy of the governments in that area. China was gradually breaking apart into civil war and Hong Kong had so much sea traffic that it was impossible for the British to police. A large number of pirates operated out of Bias Bay although there pirates on most navigable rivers and the pirates also kept a network of operatives and informants on all the mainland ports. Corruption was endemic and the pirates were always able to keep one step ahead of the authorities.

Into this shuffled Aleko E Lilius, an American journalist born in Russia who grew up in Finland. In the spirit of Hemingway (and probably Daniel Defoe) he was looking for good copy - lurid accounts of piracy and murder.

What had brought him there was tales of several incidents that had reached the outside world. Between 1921 and 1929 there were 29 major pirate attacks on shipping as well as countless other smaller incidents. Here is a sample:

Date	Ship	Incident
Oct 4^th 1921	San On (steam launch)	Pirates smuggled guns on board in a clock and stole all the money and jewellery from the passengers.
Jan 13^th 1925	S.S. Hong Wa	Pirates came aboard disguised as passengers and took 53,360 in H.K. dollars
Nov 15^th 1926	S.S. Sunning	One of the most famous incidents. Pirates seized the ship having got on board disguised as passengers. The crew were overpowered but later regained the ship at the expense of several dead. The ship had to be abandoned when the pirates set it on fire.
Oct 21^st 1927	S.S. Irene	Attack by pirates foiled when submarine L4 sent a shot through the ship's hull. 238 passengers rescued. All pirates caught.

If you want a fanciful idea of what this was like then watch the 1935 film "China Seas" starring Clark Gable, Jean Harlow and Wallace Beery.

Lilius (pictured between two pirates) hung around Hong Kong but had no luck until, on a suggestion, he went to Macao where he met a contact in the Sun Tai, a fan-tan gambling house. From there he entered the pirate world and encountered ordinary Chinese people who had been victims of the pirates. Lilius noticed one man leaning against a shop and spoke to him. The man smiled broadly.

"Chinee pirates choppee off ear. Send him by my brother. He! He! He!" he replied amiably and there was the hole in the side of his head to prove it.

Eventually Lilius received an introduction to Lai Choi San, the "Mountain of Wealth" (pictured right). She commanded a pirate junk and ran a protection racket for the Macao fishing fleets as well as engaging in the usual robbery, ransom and murder. Eventually, on Lilius' request, she passed him on to one of her captains so that he could go to Bias Bay and see the inside of the notorious "House of Torture". Instead he was stoned by a crowd that had gathered to look at him - a hated foreigner. Luckily, for him, he was protected by guards.

Back in Hong Kong he tried to contact pirates who were imprisoned. Actually pirates were hanged when they were caught so he could only see those who were convicted of more minor offences and who were unwilling to discuss their maritime activities. After a meeting with a soldier, Gordon McLintock, who had spent 3 months in prison he decided to get arrested.

Lilius was imprisoned and had to put up with three inch cockroaches, awful food and a shared clipper for beard trimming (beards were not allowed and he was in danger of catching anything from leprosy to syphilis - in fact Lilius was allowed to keep his beard - possibly because the authorities knew he was a journalist) as well as hearing or witnessing the hangings and beatings that went on inside. He made some contact with the pirates inside but then succumbed to dysentery which kept him hospitalised for the remainder of his sentence.

Once released he picked up an interpreter called Weng and tried to contact Lai Choi San. Whilst going to see her, Lilius and Weng were captured by two other pirate junks. Then, after being imprisoned, he was rescued by other pirates who executed his captors. This was more to Lilius' taste. He was returned to Macao.

He encountered another pirate contact who ran a floating brothel. He was recruited as a pirate for Wong Kiu, chief of the West River pirates. Wong Kiu liked opium and pigs and he did not trust Lilius. Unsure whether to kill him or not, Wong Kiu had Lilius watched day and night.

Lilius struck up a relationship with a young Chinese prostitute who was impressed with his kissing. Together with her and Weng, he escaped in a sampan. They were taken on board a junk they encountered on the river. It was here, below deck, that Lilius encountered the dreaded Dog-Man.

Ko Leong Tai had been a rich merchant until he was captured by pirates who naturally ransomed him. Ko was prepared for this and had left money with his brother. His brother, however, was more inclined to let Ko remain a prisoner whilst he kept Ko's fortune.

The pirates punished Ko by keeping in a bamboo cage with a heavy sliding roof that rested on his shoulder and forced him to squat on all fours. He endured this for fourteen years until he was released during the revolutionary struggle that overthrew the Mandarins. By that time his limbs were so hideously deformed that he could only walk on all fours as the Dog-Man.

Ko Leung Tai joined a gang of pirates who operated on the river. His intention was to find his brother and get his revenge. Each year his activities had got him nearer and his brother, who was a wealthy man in a gambling syndicate, lived in fear of his life.

The Dog-Man gave Lilius safe passage on the understanding that he would murder a man in Macao. Lilius agreed. During this time the young prostitute kept him company and blew smoke from endless cigarettes over his body to keep him free from the bites of mosquitoes. Eventually he handed her over to a trader.

Lilius then met Wong To Ping who offered him work as a "bag man" as long as he joined Ping's secret society - "The Hall of the Righteous Heroes". This involved fasting, a bunch of white feathers, Lilius had to make a cut on his left shoulder then dip the feathers in his blood and place them in an incense burner. Then he had to kill two roosters and drink the blood.

Lilius was now a "made" man and was given a job, with Weng, to carry a sum of money. Unfortunately he was attacked by other pirates who riddled the hut, where he hid, with bullets. Lilius and Weng were rescued by Wong To Ping's men who drove off the pirates. Unfortunately Weng was mortally wounded.

Lilius was upset by the death of his friend and decided that his days of piracy were over. However he was pleased to receive a gift from Wong To Ping. It was a ring which Lilius described as one of his most valued possessions.

"Wong To Ping! You are doubtless a murderer, kidnapper, seducer, opium addict, blackmailer, and you may be bound for hell, but I believe that you are a grateful cuss and a gentleman!"

If you want to read the whole story then try and pick up "I Sailed with Chinese Pirates" by Aleko E. Lilius (The Mellifont Press - 1930 and Oxford University Press - 1991)