might force the blockade or not on leaving his station to-morrow, was also happy,[84] three times one after another. [Sidenote: 1809.] There arose with the day-light on the twenty-second a light southerly breeze; all the squadrons began to move, and the pirates prepared themselves joyfully to leave their station. About noon[85] there was a strong southerly wind, and a very rough sea on. As soon as it became dark the pirates made sail, with a good deal of noise, and broke through the blockade, favoured by the southerly wind. About a hundred vessels were upset, when the pirates left Ta yu shan. But our commander being unaware that the pirates would leave their entrenchments, was not prepared to withstand them. [sd: (7 r.)] The foreign vessels fired their guns and surrounded about ten leaky vessels, but could not hurt the pirates themselves; the pirates left the leaky vessels behind and ran away. After this they assembled outside at Hung chow in the ocean. [Sidenote: 1809.] Notwithstanding that the pirates had broken through the blockade, Tsuen mow sun desisted not from pursuing them; he followed the pirates into the open sea in order to attack them. On the fifth of the eleventh moon he met the pirates near Nan gaou, and prepared his vessels[86] to attack them. The pirates spread out all their vessels one by one, so that the line of their fleet reached the forces of our commander; they then tried to form a circle and surround our admiral. [sd: (7 v.)] Our commander, in order to prevent this, divided his force,--he separated from him eighty vessels, which had orders to join him afterwards. Before they united again, a great battle took place between the two fleets; the firing lasted from three till five in the afternoon; our crew fought exceedingly hard and burnt three pirate-vessels. The pirates retreated, and our navy declined pursuing them, because it would carry them too far out of the way. Our crew being still elated at this transaction, the pirates on a sudden returned, roused them out of their sleep and constrained them to fight a second time. The commander had no time to make preparations, so that two vessels were burnt by the fire of the pirates, and three were captured. [Sidenote: 1809.] [sd: (8 r.)] At the time when Chang paou was blockaded in Chih leih ke[)o], and was afraid that he should not be able to come out again, he sent to O po tae, who was at Wei chow, to rescue him. His message was in the following words:--"I am harassed by the government's officers outside in the sea; lips and teeth must help one another, if the lips are cut away the teeth will feel cold. How shall I alone be able to fight the government forces? You should therefore come at the head of your crew, to attack the government squadron in the rear, I will then come out of my station and make an attack in front; the enemy being so taken in the front and rear, will, even supposing we cannot master him, certainly be thrown into disorder."