The most formidable pirates from the 1770s to the later 1800s were the Sulu and Mindanao raiders, Bajau Laut, and allied groups from northeast Borneo, northwest and eastern Sulawesi. The Bugis were great traders, and generally averse to raiding. Three different vessels are involved in the action. To the far left is a pirate boat, which is attacking or has just captured a Bugis trading ship (centre); from the other side, Dutch sailors in smaller ships, presumably deployed from a larger colonial ship, are attempting to recapture the trader. A fourth, Bugis ship, on the far right, seems to be escaping.
J.E. van Heemskerck van Beest
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