Obstacles in the way of coming to a satisfactory
conclusion with Muda Hassim.--The law of force and reprisal
considered.--Capabilities of Sarawak.--Account of Sarebus
and Sakarran pirates.--Excursion up the river.--Visit to
the Singe Dyaks.--Description of Mr. Brooke's house at
Sarawak.--Circumstances relating to the wreck off Borneo Proper.
During the succeeding pages of my friend's journal, one hardly knows
which to admire most; his firmness, his cool courage, his determined
perseverance, or his patience. On the other hand, it is difficult to
decide whether the rajah's indolence and ingratitude, or Macota's
low cunning and treachery are the more disgusting. But I continue
the narrative, and readers will judge for themselves.
"Yet," says Mr. Brooke, "I had confidence, and was loth to allow
any base suspicion to enter my mind against a man who had hitherto
behaved well to me, and had not deceived me before. From the time the
cargo had been disposed of, I found myself positively laid on the
shelf. No return arrived; no steps were taken to work the antimony
ore; no account appeared of the positive amount to be received: a
promise was tendered; and all my propositions--nay, my very desire
to speak of the state of the country--were evaded. I found myself
clipped like Samson, while delay was heaped upon delay, excuse
piled on excuse, and all covered with the utmost show of kindness
and civility. It was provoking beyond sufferance; but with several
strokes which I considered important, I bore it with saint-like
patience. I remonstrated mildly but firmly on the waste of my money,
and on the impossibility of any good to the country while the rajah
conducted himself as he had done. I urged upon him to release the
poor women whom he had kept confined for nearly five months; and I
guarantied the peaceful disposition of the people if it were done. I
might as well have whistled to the winds, or have talked reason to
stones. I was overwhelmed with professions of affection and kindness,
but nothing ensued. I had trusted--my eyes gradually opened--I feared I
was betrayed and robbed, and had at length determined to be observant
and watchful, when an event occurred which finished the delusion,
and woke me fully to the treachery, or at any rate the weakness,
at work against me. My house was finished, and I had just taken
possession of it, when I understood that an overwhelming body of Dyaks,
accompanied by Malays, were proceeding up the river, with the avowed
purpose of attacking a hostile tribe, but with the real design of
slaughtering all the weak tribes in their way. Upward of 100 boats,
with certainly not fewer than 2500 men, had been at Sarawak a week,
asking permission for this expedition; and I was informed there was
not the slightest chance of its being granted, when to my surprise
I saw the expedition start.
"On being convinced that they really were going up the country,
I instantly quitted the house and returned on board the Royalist,
sending to know whether the rajah had granted leave for their entrance
into the interior. By him the whole blame of the transaction was
thrown upon Macota and the Orang Kaya de Gadong; and he himself was
said to be so ill that he could not be seen; but it was added, as I
disliked the measure so greatly, the same parties who had sent the
Dyaks up could recall them down, which indeed I had insisted on being
done. They accordingly retrograded and left; after which I continued
sulky on board and the rajah, shamming sick, sulked in his harem. That
any man beside the rajah himself would have been bold enough to grant
the permission, I knew, from experience, was impossible. I accepted
his denial as the groundwork of a reconciliation. In the mean time,
as he continued indisposed, I intimated my intention of proceeding to
Borneo in three days, and dispatching the Swift at the same time to
proceed to Singapore; part of her cargo, 750 peculs of antimony ore,
having been at length put on board. On this being made known to the
rajah, he forgot his sickness, and came out and proffered me a meeting
to discuss affairs, which I postponed until the following day. In
the mean time I took a candid view of my position, and considered the
best means of extricating myself from my difficulties with as little
trouble and inconvenience as possible to either party.
"I had lost much valuable time, spent much money, and risked my life
and the lives of my crew, in order to render assistance to Rajah
Muda Hassim in his distress; in return for which he had voluntarily
offered me the country. The conditions of my acceptance had been
discussed and mutually understood, and I had, in fulfillment of my
part, brought vessel and cargo. Profit I did not much care about;
the development of the country was my chief, I may say my only, aim;
and on my arrival I had been delayed and cheated by false promises,
which showed too plainly that he neither meant to adhere to his former
agreement, nor to pay for what he had on false pretences obtained. It
may appear to many that no measures ought to be kept with one who had
so behaved; but for the following reasons I resolved still to wait his
pleasure. In the first place, it was barely possible that indolence,
and not treachery, might have actuated him; and in the next place, if
it was possible to arrange so as to get back the amount of the Swift's
cargo, I was in duty and justice bound to use every endeavor before
resorting to measures of force. As for the cession of the country,
and all the good which must have resulted from it, I put these
considerations altogether out of the question. I had been deceived
and betrayed, and had met with the grossest ingratitude; but I had no
claim, nor would any written agreement have given me one; and I was
therefore constrained to submit without returning evil for evil. Every
point weighed, I felt, from every motive, inclined, nay desirous, to
avoid a rupture, or taking an equivalent for my property by force. The
Swift, with the part of her cargo received on board, after three
months' detention, and no more even talked of, I therefore resolved,
as already stated, to dispatch to Singapore. My first intention on
arriving here had been to send the Royalist back to that port and
dispose of her; but a native rumor being afloat that the crew of a
shipwrecked vessel were in Borneo Proper, I deemed it incumbent on me
to visit that place and effect their release. I had used every means
in my power since my arrival to induce the Rajah Muda Hassim to send
one or two of his Pangerans and a letter from himself to the sultan
by the Royalist, in order to insure that object; but although, day by
day, I had received promises, they were never performed. Seeing now
that this duty of humanity could no longer be delayed with propriety,
I resolved to dispatch the Royalist to Borneo, and myself to remain
here, to endeavor, if I could, to obtain _my own_. Each vessel was
to return as quickly as possible from her place of destination;
and I then resolved to give two additional months to the rajah, and
to urge him in every way in my power to do what he was bound to do
as an act of common honesty. Should these means fail, after making
the strongest representations and giving amplest time, I considered
myself free to extort by force what I could not gain by fair means.
"Having determined on these steps, I met the rajah by appointment,
and repeated all my grievances, and set strongly before him the injury
done in consequence; and lastly, plainly told him that I only came and
now only stayed in his country at his request, but that the property
he had taken must be repaid, and subsequently to that, if he had any
proposition to make, I would endeavor to meet his wishes. To all this
I received _no one satisfactory answer_, and, from the shuffling on
every complaint, I formed the worst opinion of his intentions.
"My determination, however, having been previously made, the result of
this conversation had no effect upon me; and at the end of three days,
the time I had limited, no letter for the sultan being forthcoming,
on the fourth morning the two schooners proceeded to sea, one for
Borneo, the other for Singapore, while, with three companions,
I remained in my new house. [12]
"I wish now to discuss a question which has often occupied my mind,
and upon which I have been very desirous to arrive at a right
conclusion. It is certain that a British subject cannot wrongfully
attack or injure any prince or person in his own country without
rendering himself liable to be punished by the laws of England. It is
both right and just that it should be so, because in demi-civilized or
savage countries the natives are often unable to protect themselves,
and an attack upon them savors of piracy. On the other hand, if the
native prince be the party to blame; if he fraudulently possess himself
of property under false pretences, make promises which he breaks,
and enter into agreements before witnesses which he never intends
to fulfill; then, I ask, is a British subject to submit to the loss,
when the party defrauding him is able to pay and will not? I answer
decidedly, he is not bound to submit to be cheated, and, if he have
the means, he has the right to enforce repayment. It may be urged that
trust ought not to be reposed; but trust is the ordinary course of
trade, and cannot alter the question. Again, it may be said, Apply
to the government; but it is well known and acknowledged that the
government will not interfere in any case of the sort. Seek redress by
law! there is no law to meet the contingency. Bear the loss, _i. e._
be betrayed, deceived, and cheated, and submit! It cannot be; for
although the law may properly inquire into the circumstances, yet
as it will not protect me here, or give me any redress for _fraud_
or _murder_, it cannot punish, if right be on my side. Am I quite
sure that the right is on my side? It is, as far as I can judge; and
having candidly stated every fact and circumstance, I am convinced
there can be but one opinion on the subject. I am sure that if I
seize property to the amount of that taken from me, I act justly,
though perhaps not legally; yet I firmly believe legally likewise,
although law and justice do not necessarily go always hand in hand. On
the whole, there was the old sore rankling--the false promises, the
gross deceit, the base ingratitude to a man who had done everything
to relieve this equivocating rajah from disgrace, defeat, and perhaps
death. But here I close this account for the present, to be resumed
on the return of the Royalist from Borneo.
"_August 4th._--Both retrospectively and prospectively the grounds for
all these transactions were ever pressing on my mind and guiding my
actions. The capabilities of the Sarawak country were very great. It
could abundantly supply the richest produce of the vegetable kingdom;
it abounded in mineral wealth, and especially in a vast staple
commodity of antimony ore; with a considerable population of Dyaks,
whose condition was decidedly improvable; a Malay population, by no
means large, which was advantageous; and a Chinese population ready to
immigrate with even a moderate prospect of protection. Beside these
inducements, must be added its propinquity to the Pontiana river,
and the trade which by that route might flow even from the center
of this little-known island. To crown all, there were the credit to
myself in case of success, the amelioration of the native condition,
however partial, and the benefit to commerce in general. These were
the reasons that induced me to enter on this arduous task; and to
these I may add a supplementary one, viz., that when I had struggled
for a time, I might rouse the zeal of others, and find efficient
support either from government or the mercantile body.
"I have in a former part of my journal mentioned the Illanun pirates,
and my meeting with them here. On our return we heard of their being
still on the coast, and from that time to this they have been ravaging
and plundering between Tanjong Datu, Sirhassan, and Pontiana. Malays
and Chinese have been carried off in great numbers; Borneo and Sambas
prahus captured without end; and so much havoc committed, that the
whole coast, as far as the natives are concerned, may be pronounced
in a state of blockade.
"Beside the Illanuns, there are two other descriptions of pirates
infesting these seas: one, the Dyaks of Sakarran and Sarebus, two
predatory tribes already mentioned; the other called Balagnini, a wild
people represented to come from the northward of Sooloo. I have not
seen them; but their boats are said to be very long and swift, with
sometimes outriggers; and one particular in their mode of attack is
too curious to omit. In closing on their victims they use long poles,
having a hook made fast at the extremity, with which, being expert,
they hook their opponents at a distance and drag them overboard,
while others are fighting with saligis and spears.
"I have before mentioned the arrival of one hundred Dyak boats at
Sarawak, to request permission from the rajah to ascend the river
and attack a tribe toward Sambas. What a tale of misgovernment,
tyranny, and weakness, does this request tell! These Dyaks were
chiefly from Sakarran, mixed with the Sarebus, and with them three
boats of the Malo tribe, whose residence is toward the Pontiana
river. The Sakarrans are the most powerful, the most predatory,
and the most independent tribe on the N.W. coast, their dependence
on Borneo being merely nominal. The latter are likewise predatory
and numerous, but they are on good terms with all the coast tribes
and with the Malays, while the Sarebus are against all, and all are
against them. Speaking generally, they are a remarkably fine body of
people, handsome, intelligent, powerful, well-made, beautifully-limbed,
and clear-skinned. They are somewhat fairer than the Malays and the
mountain Dyaks; but in manners, customs, and language, exactly resemble
the Sibnowans, except that the last, from misfortune, have become a
peaceful tribe. The Sarebus and Sakarrans are only distinguishable
by the numerous rings they wear in their ears. On one man I counted
fourteen of brass, various sizes, in one ear only. They are rather
fond of ornament, and wear grotesque caps of various-colored cloths
(particularly red), some of them square, others peaked, and others like
a cocked hat worn athwart-ships, and terminating in sharp points on
the top of the head. These head-dresses are ornamented with tufts of
red hair or black human hair, shreds of cloth, and sometimes feathers;
but what renders them laughable to look at is, that the hair is cut
close to match the shape of the cap; so that when a man displaces it,
you find him bare of hair about the forehead and posterior part of
the skull, that over the ears cut into points, and the rest of the
skull showing a good crop of black bristles.
"The commanders of this party were yclept poetically by their own
people, as _noms de guerre_, the Sun and the Moon, _i. e._, _Bulan_,
for moon, and _Matari_ for sun. The Sun was as fine a young man as the
eye would wish to rest upon; straight, elegantly yet strongly made,
with a chest and neck, and head set on them, which might serve Apollo;
legs far better than his of Belvidere; and a countenance mild and
intelligent. I became very good friends with both Sun and Moon, and
gave them a great deal of good advice about piracy, which, of course,
was thrown away.
"Their boats are built very long, raised at the stern, and the largest
pulling as many as sixty paddles; but I should not think them fast,
and any boat with a swivel might cut them up. The least average I
could give the hundred boats is twenty-five men per boat, making,
as already observed, 2500 in all. We counted ninety, and there were
others down the reach we could not see; and they themselves stated
their force to be 140 boats and 4000 men. The manners of these Dyaks
toward us were reserved, quiet, and independent. They stole nothing,
and in trading for small quantities of rice, bees-wax, cotton, and
their cloths, showed a full knowledge of the relative value of the
articles, or rather they priced their own at far above their proper
worth. I may indeed say of all the Dyaks I have seen, that they are
anxious to receive, but very loth to give; and when they have obtained
cloth, salt, copper, beads, &c. to the amount of two or three dollars
as a present, will bring in a bunch of plantains or a little rice,
and ask you _to buy_. The Sibnowans are the chief exceptions to this,
and they are my pet tribe. The language of Sakarran and Sarebus is the
same as the Sibnowan; and with all the word God, the _Allah Talla_
of the Malays, is expressed by _Battara_, from which we may infer
that their notion of the Deity, as probably was all the religion of
these regions, was derived from the Hindoos.
"When this force of Dyaks was, contrary to the assurance given to
me, sweeping up the river, I had just finished a late dinner. I was
_angry enough_, and resolved instanter to leave the house, when who
should come in, _as if by pure accident_, but Pangeran Budrudeen,
the rajah's brother. I controlled myself, spoke strongly withal but
civilly, and sent him away wishing he had not come near me; and the
boat being ready, I retired from the house to the Royalist. Their
immediate recall was the consequence; for the rajah having denied his
permission, those who fathered the act dared not persist in it when I
told them it was an act of disobedience. They tried to frighten me with
the idea that the Dyaks would attack us; but as I felt sure we could
blow them away in ten minutes, it had not the desired effect. They
had in the mean time reached Leda Tanah, whence they were brought down
again sulky enough, and did show a slight inclination to see whether
the people on board the Swift were keeping watch; for several of their
boats dropped close to her, and one directly under the bowsprit, as
silently as death; but on being challenged, and a musket leveled near
them, they sheered off, and the next day finally departed. The poor
Dyaks in the interior, as well as the Chinese, were in the greatest
state of alarm, and thence I gained some credit among them for my
interference on their behalf. The very idea of letting 2500 wild
devils loose in the interior of the country is horrible; for though
they have one professed object, they combine many others with it,
and being enemies of all the mountain tribes, they cut them up as much
as they can. What object, it may be inquired, can the Malays have in
destroying their own country and people so wantonly? I must endeavor
to explain, to the best of my belief and knowledge. The Malays take
part in these excursions, and thirty men joined the Sakarrans on
the present occasion, and consequently they share in the plunder,
and share largely. Probably Muda Hassim would have got twenty shares
(women and children); and these twenty being reckoned at the low rate
of twenty reals each, makes four hundred reals, beside other plunder,
amounting to one or two hundred reals more. Inferior Pangerans would
of course partake likewise. Muda Hassim _must_ have given his consent,
must have been a participator in this atrocity, nobody being desperate
enough to do such a thing without his orders. In fact, they dare not
move up the river themselves without leave, much less send up the
Dyaks. It is a hateful feature in this government, newly developed
since the close of the war.
"_August 5th._--One excursion I made up the river over our old
ground, staying a week, visiting various places. Where the village
of Siniawan once stood is now a small Chinese settlement, and their
garden bespeaks the fertility of the soil. From Siniawan I walked
over to Tundong, now the principal Chinese station. The scenery was
beautiful all the way from Siniawan to Tundong--gently undulating
ground rising into respectable hills, and backed by noble mountains,
and valleys so quiet and still, and looking so fertile, that I sighed
to think man's cultivating hand was not here. We paused, and rested
at a farm of the Paninjow. Their mode of cultivation is the same as
described by Marsden--cutting, clearing, planting, and abandoning
after one or two crops. They seem likewise to prefer the upland to
the wet ground. Tundong is quite a new settlement, situated close on
the banks of the river, which is here quite narrow and shallow. The
distance may be ten miles by water, as it took our boat four hours
and a half to pull against stream. We spent the same time walking,
but diverged from the road. Wherever the Chinese are, the sound of
the axe and the saw is to be heard in the woods as you approach, and
all are industriously employed. They have their carpenters, sawyers,
blacksmiths, and housebuilders, while the mass work the antimony
ore, or are busy constructing the trench where they find and wash
the gold. With such inhabitants a country must get on well, if they
are allowed fair play. I was quite tired, and stayed all night at
Tundong. On the following morning I started for the Singe mountain,
which is the residence of the Dyak tribe of the same name. The walk,
including a rest, occupied nearly three hours, the latter part uphill,
and we reached the village a good deal knocked up from the heat of the
sun and the badness of the way. Our entertainment was not of the best;
yet the Singe were not inhospitable, but suspicious that we came to
rob them. The rice and the fowls we required, although we paid for
them at double their value, were reluctantly produced; while at the
same time they showed themselves anxious enough to obtain the salt
we had brought to exchange, without giving the equivalent.
"The village is built on the shoulder of a mountain, not half way up,
and only accessible by a ladder-like path on either side. It consists
of about 200 miserable huts, and is as dirty and filthy as any place
I ever was in, with numerous half-starved pigs and dogs running about
it. The houses are small and mean, and detached from each other,
contrary to the usage of the other Dyaks, who inhabit one large house
containing numerous partitions for families; here, however, they have
one or two public halls or council-houses, which are built and thatched
in a circular form, and in which their young men and bachelors sleep;
here likewise are deposited the heads, of which they have more than
enow, as above one hundred ghastly remnants of mortality ornamented
the abode in which we slept. I could not on this occasion find
out that they professed to take the heads of friends or strangers,
though the latter may fall victims if on enemies' ground. They seem
to have no idea of cannibalism or human sacrifice, nor did they accuse
their enemies of these practices. They have a custom, that in case of
sickness in a house, or child-bearing, the house is forbidden to the
males and strangers, which is something similar to the tabboo of the
South-Sea Islands. This plea was urged as a reason why the head man or
Orang Kaya Parembam could not receive us in his dwelling. The Dyaks
are always decorous in their behavior, rarely give way to mirth, and
never annoy by their curiosity. Toward the Malays they are extremely
sulky and mulish; but they have good reasons, as the Malays are ever
extorting from them, and threatening them with the anger of the rajah
or the incursion of the Sakarrans. The women wear black bamboo stays,
which are sewn on when they arrive at the age of puberty, and never
removed save when _enceinte_. These Singe Dyaks, like the others,
attend to the warning of birds of various sorts, some birds being
in more repute than others. On starting for a hunting excursion we
met one of them on the hill-side, who said, 'You will be fortunate:
I heard the bird behind you.' Here, if a bird is before you, it is
a sign that enemies are there too, and they turn back: if behind,
they proceed in good spirits. They have a prejudice against the flesh
of deer, which the men may not eat, but which is allowed to women and
children. The reason given for this is, that if the warriors eat the
flesh of deer, they become as faint-hearted as that animal. These may
be called their superstitions, but religion they have none; and though
they know a name for God, and entertain some faint notion of a future
state, yet it is only in the abstract, for practically the belief
seems to be a dead letter. At their marriage they kill fowls, as I
have narrated; but this is a ceremony, not a sacrifice. They have no
priests or idols, say no prayers, make no offerings to propitiate the
Deity, and it is little likely therefore that human sacrifice should
exist among them. In this respect they are different from any known
people who have arrived at the same state of civilization. The New
Zealanders, the inhabitants of the South Seas, &c. &c., for instance,
all bow to their idols, toward which the same feelings of reverence
and devotion, of awe and fear, obtain as with more civilized beings
in regard to the invisible Deity; but here are the mere words, barren
and without practice.
"The day following our arrival at Singe we descended into the plains,
amid their former rice-fields, to shoot deer. The place is called
Pasar (bazaar or market), though it could scarcely ever have been
one. The rice-cultivation was formerly very extensive, and the low
ground all about the mountain is well cleared of wood by the industry
of these Dyaks. But the country becoming unsettled and troubled, and
roving parties of strange Dyaks landing on the coast near Onetong,
cut off the people employed in the fields, and they consequently were
abandoned. We took up our quarters in a ruinous little deserted hovel,
and in the evening walked over the neighboring district, where the
cocoanut and betel-trees mark its former state of prosperity. The sago
is likewise planted in considerable quantity, and serves for food,
when rice falls short. Deer, the large deer of Borneo, abound, and in
a walk of a few miles we saw from fifteen to twenty, and from their
tracks they must be very numerous indeed. The walking was difficult,
for owing to the softness of the ground, we often sank in up to our
thighs, and generally to our knees: and a short distance in this sort
of wading in stiff mud serves to knock a man up. I was fortunate enough
to kill one of the deer, and have no doubt that with more favorable
light a man might get many. The night's repose in the hut was broken
and uncomfortable, and our people were busy for several hours curing
the flesh of the animal, which is done as follows: first it is slightly
salted, and then burnt over a quick wood-fire in slices or lumps,
and thus keeps for many days, and is very palatable. Seriff Hussein
(formerly of Siniawan) was my companion on this excursion. He had
three followers, while I had three Javanese with me, beside my Bugis
boy Situ, who walks with the best of us. The morning after killing
the deer we ascended the Singe again by a desperately steep path;
and after resting an hour or two, walked to our boats, and descended
the stream to Siniawan. The night was marked by torrents of rain,
thunder, and lightning, which left the roads so bad that I resigned
my intention of walking up to Sarambo, and in the evening dropped
down to Leda Tanah, and tried unsuccessfully for another deer. We
saw some, but could not get near them. Here likewise are plenty of
rice-fields deserted, but which a little labor would bring again
into cultivation. The day following we rejoined the schooner, and,
as usual, found everything at a stand-still on shore.
"I may here mention our house, or, as I fondly styled it, our
palace. It is an edifice fifty-four feet square, mounted upon
numerous posts of the Nibong palm, with nine windows in each
front. The roof (_atap_) is of Nipah leaves, and the floor and
partitions are all of plank: furnished with couches, tables, chairs,
books, &c. the whole is as comfortable as man would wish for in
this out-of-the-way country; and we have, beside, a bathing-house,
cook-house, and servants' apartments detached. The view from the
house to the eastward comprises a reach of the river, and to the
westward looks toward the blue mountains of Matang; the north fronts
the river, and the south the jungle; and but for the uncertainty of
our affairs, I would have had a garden ere this, and found amusement
in clearing and improving. Farewell, I fear, to these aspirations;
our abode, however, though spacious, cool, and comfortable, can only
be considered a temporary residence, for the best of all reasons--that
in the course of a year it will tumble down, from the weight of the
superstructure being placed on weak posts. The original plan was
to have had a lower story, but about this I am now indifferent. The
time here passes monotonously, but not unpleasantly. Had we but the
animation of hope, and the stimulus of improvement, time would pass
rapidly, though without a companion to converse with.
"_August 6th._--The Royalist, as I mentioned before I reverted
to the subject of the pirate fleet, started for Borneo Proper,
to inquire respecting the crew of an English vessel, reported to
have been shipwrecked. Pangeran Sulieman brought the intelligence
from Borneo, but he knew very few particulars; and having been here
four months before my arrival, the chances were that with the change
of the monsoon they had sailed for Manilla. As, however, he assured
me he had seen European men and women, and a numerous Lascar crew, I
thought it right, at all events, to ascertain the fact; and in case of
their being there still, to endeavor to obtain their release. For this
purpose I was very desirous of procuring a letter from Muda Hassim to
the sultan, conveyed by a Pangeran of rank; which, in addition to my
own application, would most likely insure the object in view. This,
however, though promised, I could not accomplish; delay coming upon
delay, and the plague of my own affairs also intervening, postponed
my intention till I could see the Swift fairly off for Singapore. The
Royalist then went out with her on the Sunday, July 25th, proceeding
to Borneo to demand the crew, if there: and the other to Singapore. On
the 2d of August I was surprised by the receipt of a letter brought
from Sadong, and bearing date the 10th of July. The gentleman who
writes it can best tell his own story.
'Island Sirhassan, off Tan Datu,
'July 10th, 1841.
'A boat leaves this to-morrow for Sarawak; perhaps this may fall
into the hands of Mr. Brooke, or some of my countrymen, which,
should I not succeed in getting to Singapore, I trust will lose
no time in letting the authorities know, so that steps may be
taken for the release of the remaining thirty-six British subjects
now at Borneo; which I fear nothing but one of H. M. ships will
effect. The pirates are cruising in great force between Sambas
and this, and have taken thirteen Borneo prahus, or more; they
know that there are Europeans in the prahu, and have expressed a
wish to take them. Our situation is not very enviable. The bearer
of this has just escaped from them. I have been living ashore
with Abduramon, a native of Pulo Pinang, who knows Mr. Brooke,
and has been very kind to me. Trusting penmanship and paper will
be excused,
'I remain, &c. &c.
'G. H. W. Gill.'
"On the reverse was the following attestation, which threw more light
on the circumstances:--
'I, G. H. Willoughby Gill, late chief officer of the ship
Sultana, of Bombay, do hereby certify that the said ship was
totally destroyed by lightning, thirty miles N. E. of the Bombay
shoal, coast of Palawan, on the 4th of January, 1841. Part of
the crew, forty-one in number, succeeded in reaching Borneo on
the 16th of January, in a state of starvation and misery not to
be described; the remainder are reported to have landed on the
coast of Borneo per long-boat:--Captain John Page; G. H. W. Gill,
chief officer; Alexander Young, second officer; one gunner; five
sea-cunnies; two carpenters; twenty-three natives and Lascars; two
Nakodas. Passengers:--Mrs. Page (of a daughter, 31st of March);
Mr. and Miss de Souza; Mrs. Anderson, servant; one Ayah; in all
forty-two souls. The sultan has permitted myself, Mr. and Miss de
Souza, with three servants, to proceed to Singapore in one of his
prahus, where I hope to succeed in procuring the release of the
remainder of my companions from their present very uncomfortable
situation. I dare not say more. Mr. de Souza and myself left on
the 24th of May, and put in here dismasted on the 20th of June;
since then have been detained by a fleet of piratical prahus,
which arrived on the 24th, and left 9th of July. Should nothing
prevent, we expect to be ready by the 15th; but am very doubtful
of ever getting to Singapore, as I fear they are on the look-out
for us outside.'
"This is the contents of the paper, which arriving after I had
retired to rest, effectually banished sleep from my pillow. The
'uncomfortable situation,' coupled with 'I dare say no more,' gives
the worst suspicions of their treatment in Borneo; while the chance
of the party at Sirhassan falling into the hands of the pirates is
extremely shocking. I instantly, on the receipt of the letter, sent
to the rajah to request that he would dispatch a boat for Sirhassan,
with a person competent to treat with the pirates; and on the morning
of the 3d I succeeded in dispatching a boat to Songi, in the Sadong,
to get some of the Datu Pangeran's people, who are Illanuns; but up to
this time they have not returned. I can only hope these poor people
at Sirhassan will be wise enough to stay there, instead of risking a
capture by the pirates. Should the Royalist return shortly, and have
obtained the crew, we may fight our way to that place and release
the party, who, I have little doubt, are still detained there. If the
Royalist is long away, and the captain goes in search of the missing
boat's crew, we may yet have the Illanuns from Sadong here in time
to dispatch. As for myself, I am tied, and have not the means at
present of locomotion; my situation is an anxious one. The Swift
must have been liable to fall in with this great force of pirates
on her way to Singapore, and will be again liable on her return. The
doubt and uncertainty about the poor fellows in Borneo and Sirhassan,
and the wretched condition of my own affairs, all cause unpleasant
reflections to my mind; yet I yield not, but will fight it out.
"I have just brought up my history to the present time; and, like a
log on the water, must wait for events to develop themselves.
"_7th._--A report arrived this morning that the Sirhassan party sailed
for Singapore on the 3d of the moon; and as Mr. Gill says they would
be ready for sea about the 15th of last month, I consider it likely
to be true. I trust they may escape the pirates, and safely reach
their destination."