“I hereby certify that Messrs. Ker and Co., the shippers of the merchandize specified in this bill of lading, are British subjects established in Manilla, and that according to invoices produced, the said merchandize is shipped by order, and for account of Messrs. Halliday, Fox, and Co., British subjects of London, in Great Britain.”

As nobody swears to anything, of course this certificate is valueless, and the presumption of law prevails, viz., “that all property found under the enemy’s flag is enemy’s property,” until the contrary be shown by competent and credible testimony under oath, duly certified to by a Consul or another officer.  Ship and cargo condemned.

CHAPTER XXXII.

New cruising-ground—­Case of the Winged Racer—­A good chase—­The Contest—­On the look-out—­Not to be deceived—­No prizes—­Condore—­A French settlement—­Kindly greetings—­Monkey Island—­Far from home—­Whistling Locusts—­Instinct—­Why no one sees a dead monkey—­Homewards—­Yankee ships scarce.

The 8th of November saw the Alabama again in sight of land, and after anchoring for a night off Flat Point, and sending a boat ashore, in the vain hope of finding in the Malay villages a supply of some sort of fresh provision, she again lifted her anchor and proceeded to sea under steam.

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Tuesday, November 10th.—­Passed between the islands of Beezee and Sonbooko, both high and picturesque, the channel about a mile wide, some villages under the groves of cocoa-nut trees on the former.  The naked natives coming down to the beach to gaze at us.  We ran through the Strait of Sunda about 2 P.M., passing to the westward of Thwart-the-Way.

Soon after passing out of the Strait and shaping our course, we discovered a clipper-looking ship, under topsails, standing towards North Island.  Gave chase, although we were in the midst of a rain squall, and in the course of fifteen or twenty minutes we were near enough to him to make him show his colours.  They were United States, and upon being boarded he proved to be the Winged Racer, a vessel for which we had been hunting outside the Strait.  We captured him and sent him to anchor about three miles from North Island (the Island bearing about W.S.W.), and ran up and anchored near him ourselves.  By working hard we were enabled to get everything we wanted out of him by 2 o’clock A.M.; and having despatched her crew, together with the crew of the Amanda, in the boats of the prize, at their own request, we got under way at 4 A.M., and steamed out of sight of the coast by daylight.  We were fortunate enough to get some fowls, fruits, and vegetables from a bum-boat of Malays, who made a business of supplying ships.  The boat reported that, when she left Angra about two days before, the Wyoming was there.  Fired the ship.

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