Many year ago there was a pirate who lived in the Rhio Is land. He had one hundred men, and one day they had a terrible fight, one of the pirates cut the leader's face with a knife. After that, the pirate leader was called “scarface.”
Scarface took some of his inert and went to look for another place to live. Before long they came to the village of Pasir Panjang on the western coastof Singapore. Now, the people who lived in Pasir Panjang were fishermen. Theylived quietly. and when they saw the pirates, they were very frightened.
“Help us, and we won't hurt you,” said Scarface to the people. “If you don't Help us, we'll burn your village.”
The people were poor, and they would be even poorer if the pirates burned the village. They agreed to let the pirates stay, but soon they learned that Scarface arid his men were very cruel. One afternoon, a man was carryinga chicken home to his family when a pirate stopped him. “Give me that chicken,” said the pirate.
'But my wife is ill, and I need it to make her some soup,'” said the man.
At this, the pirate drew his sword and cut off the poor man's head. Then he picked up the chicken and walked away laughing.
The next day, the villagers talked to their headman. “These pirates must leave our village,” they said. “And you are the headman, so you must tell them to leave.”
Like everyone else in Pasir Panjang, the headman was afraid of the pirates, but he went to see Scarface. “You have made my people angry, and we want you to leave,” he said.
Scarface laughed. “You are a stupid old man,” he said, and kicked the headman down the stairs.
That night the old headman died. The next morning, after the pirates had left. the village to rob some Chinese junks, the villagers talked among themselves. “Our headman is dead, and we have no one to help us now,” they said. “We must tell the sultan.”
“I'll go to tell the sultan.” said the headman's son.
“Brave boy!” said the villagers.
And so, the headman's son ran to see the sultan in his palace. When the boy finished telling the sultan about the pirates. the sultan said, “You are a brave boy, and I will certainly help the people in Pasir Panjang. Go back to the village arid tell the people that will send the soldier tonight. Tell themto stay in their houses when the soldiers come.”
“Oh, thank you, Your Majesty,” said the boy, and he ran all the way back to his village. When hecame to the village, he told the villagers what the sultan had said.
That afternoon, the pirates returned. They had stolen many jewels, clothes and baskets of fine food. They asked the villagers to cook the food for them. The villagers did as they were told and then went quietly to their homes. Scarface and his men ate too much and drank too much palm wine. Soon all the pirates were asleep.
When the pirates were asleep, the sultan's soldiers came into the village. They tied all the pirates with strong rope and took them to the sultan's palace. The next day all the pirates were hanged, and the sultan said he would hang any other pirate who came ashore.
Once again Pasir Panjang became a peaceful place, butpeople never forgot Scarface the pirate.
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