Page:Ossendowski - The Shadow of the Gloomy East.djvu/85

 CHAPTER X

HE life of the Eastern borderland of Russia has brought forth other still more sinister, more wildly romantic characters: buccaneers. Five and thirty years ago piracy was carried on by foreigners and Russians, who subsequently became opulent traders and proprietors of immense urban areas within some of the larger cities.

Now they have vanished and their traces have gone. A few died, others left for strange lands. They were men familiar with the sea. Having built stout and swift sailing brigs, they manned them with criminals picked out of the refuse of the ports, and cleared off for action.

This action consisted In running down Japanese, American, and Chinese sailors in the Caribbean, the Chinese Sea, and in the open Pacific, in killing off the crew and finally scuttling the vessel.

The spoils of conquest were sold as merchandise in the shabby shops of the seacoast towns. The profits were enormous, and became the basis of future fortunes and honours. The practical adventures of these buccaneers in the Far East live still in memory and