Seriff Muller's town sacked.--Ascend the river in pursuit
of the enemy.--Gallant exploit of Lieutenant Wade.--His
death and funeral.--Interesting anecdote of him.--Ascend the
Sakarran branch.--Native boats hemmed in by pirates, and their
crews slaughtered to a man.--Karangan destroyed.--Captain
Sir E. Belcher arrives in the Samarang's boats.--Return to
Sarawak.--New expedition against Seriff Sahib and Jaffer.--Macota
captured.--Flight of Seriff Sahib.--Conferences.--Seriff Jaffer
deposed.--Mr. Brooke's speech in the native tongue.--End of the
expedition, and return to Sarawak.--The Dido sails for England.
At daylight we were joined by Lieutenant Wade and Mr. Brooke--their
division making a very acceptable increase to our force--and by
8 o'clock the last barrier was cut through between us and Seriff
Muller's devoted town. With the exception of his own house, from which
some eight or nine Malays were endeavoring to move his effects, the
whole place was deserted. They made no fight; and an hour afterward
the town had been plundered and burnt. The only lives lost were a few
unfortunates, who happened to come within range of our musketry in
their exertions to save some of their master's property. A handsome
large boat, belonging to that chief, was the only thing saved; and
this I presented to Budrudeen. After a short delay in catching our
usual supply of goats and poultry, with which the place abounded, we
proceeded up the river in chase of the chief and his people; and here
again we had to encounter the same obstacle presented by the felled
trees thrown across the river--if possible of increased difficulty,
owing to their greater size and the narrow breadth of the stream;
but although delayed we were not to be beaten. We ascertained that
the pirates had retreated to a Dyak village, situated on the summit
of a hill, some twenty-five miles higher up the Undop, five or six
miles only of which we had succeeded in ascending, as a most dreary
and rainy night closed in, during which we were joined by Mr. D'Aeth
and his division from the Lupar river.
The following morning, the 13th of August, at daybreak, we again
commenced our toilsome work. With the gig and the lighter boats we
succeeded better; and I should have despaired of the heavier boats
ever getting up, had they not been assisted by an opportune and sudden
rise of the tide, to the extent of twelve or fourteen feet, though
with this we had to contend against a considerably increased strength
of current. It was on this day that my ever active and zealous first
lieutenant, Charles Wade, jealous of the advanced position of our
light boats, obtained a place in my gig. That evening the Phlegethon's
first and second cutters, the Dido's two cutters, and their gigs,
were fortunate enough to pass a barrier composed of trees evidently
but recently felled; from which we concluded ourselves to be so near
the enemy, that, by pushing forward as long as we could possibly see,
we might prevent further impediments from being thrown in our way. This
we did; but at 9 P.M. arriving at a broad expanse of the river, and
being utterly unable to trace our course, we anchored our advanced
force for the night.
On Wednesday, 14th, we again pushed on at daylight. We had gained
information of two landing-places leading to the Dyak village on the
hill, round three-fourths of the foot of which the Undop flowed. The
first landing-place we had no trouble in discovering, from the number
of deserted boats collected near it. Leaving these to be looted by our
followers, we proceeded in search of the second, which we understood
was situated more immediately under the village, and which, having
advanced without our guides, we had much difficulty in finding. The
circuit of the base of the hill was above five miles. In traversing
this distance, we had repeated skirmishing with straggling boats
of the enemy, upon whom we came unexpectedly. During this warfare,
Patingi Ali, who, with his usual zeal, had here come up, bringing a
considerable native force of both Malays and Dyaks, was particularly
on the alert; and while we in the gig attacked the large war-prahu
of Seriff Muller himself--the resistance of whose followers was only
the discharge of their muskets, after which they threw themselves
into the river, part only effecting their escape--the Patingi nearly
succeeded in capturing that chief in person. He had escaped from his
prahu into a remarkably beautiful and fast-pulling sampan, in which he
was chased by old Ali, and afterward only saved his life by throwing
himself into the water, and swimming to the jungle; and it was with
no small pride that the gallant old chief appropriated the boat to his
own use. In the prahu were captured two large brass guns, two smaller
ones, a variety of small arms, ammunition, provisions, colors and
personal property, among which were also two pair of handsome jars of
English manufacture. After this, having proceeded some considerable
distance without finding the second landing-place, we put in close
to a clear green spot, with the intention of getting our breakfasts,
and of waiting the arrival of the other boat with the guides.
While our crew were busily employed cooking, Lieutenant Wade and
myself fancied we heard the suppressed voices of many people not
far distant, and taking up our guns we crept into the jungle. We had
not penetrated many yards before I came in sight of a mass of boats
concealed in a snug little inlet, the entrance to which had escaped
our notice. These were filled with the piratical Dyaks and Malays,
and on shore at various points were placed armed sentinels. My first
impulse was to conceal ourselves until the arrival of our force; but
my rash, though gallant friend deemed otherwise; and without noticing
the caution of my upheld hand, dashed in advance, discharging his gun,
and calling upon our men to follow. It is impossible to conceive the
consternation and confusion this our sudden sally occasioned among
the pirates. The confused noise and scrambling from their boats I
can only liken to that of a suddenly-roused flock of wild ducks. Our
attack from the point whence it came was evidently unexpected; and it
is my opinion that they calculated on our attacking the hill, if we
did so at all, from the nearest landing-place, without pulling round
the other five miles, as the whole attention of their scouts appeared
to be directed toward that quarter. A short distance above them was
a small encampment, probably erected for the convenience of their
chiefs, as in it we found writing materials, two or three desks of
English manufacture, on the brass plate of one of which, I afterward
noticed, was engraved the name of "_Mr. Wilson_." To return to the
pirates: with our force, such as it was--nine in number--and headed
by Lieutenant Wade, we pursued our terrified enemy, who had not the
sense or courage to rally in their judiciously selected and naturally
protected encampment, but continued their retreat (firing on us from
the jungle) toward the Dyak village on the summit of the hill.
We here collected our force, reloaded our fire-arms; and Lieutenant
Wade, seeing from this spot the arrival at the landing-place of the
other boats, again rushed on in pursuit. Before arriving at the foot
of the steep ascent on the summit of which the before-mentioned
Dyak village stood, we had to cross a small open space of about
sixty yards, exposed to the fire from the village as well as the
surrounding jungle. It was before crossing this plain that I again
cautioned my gallant friend to await the arrival of his men, of
whom he was far in advance; and almost immediately afterward he fell
mortally wounded at my feet, having been struck by two rifle-shots,
and died instantaneously. I remained with the body until our men
came up, and giving it in charge, we carried the place on the height
without a check or further accident. The Dyak village we now occupied
I would have spared, as on no occasion had we noticed any of the tribe
fighting against us; but it was by shot fired from it that poor Wade
was killed, and the work of destruction commenced simultaneously with
the arrival of our men. It was most gratifying to me throughout the
expedition to observe the friendly rivalry and emulation between the
crews of the Phlegethon and the Dido's boats. On this occasion the
former had the glory of first gaining the height; and one of the
officers of the former, Mr. Simpson, wounded, with a pistol-shot,
a man armed with a rifle, supposed to have been the person who had
slain our first-lieutenant.
I may here narrate a circumstance, from which one may judge of the
natural kind-heartedness of my lamented friend. During the heat of
the pursuit, although too anxious to advance to await the arrival of
his men, he nevertheless found time to conceal in a place of security
a poor terrified Malay girl whom he overtook, and who, by an imploring
look, touched his heart. The village and the piratical boats destroyed,
and the excitement over, we had time to reflect on the loss we had
sustained of one so generally beloved as the leader of the expedition
had been among us all. Having laid the body in a canoe, with the
British union-jack for a pall, we commenced our descent of the river
with very different spirits from those with which we had ascended only
a few hours before. In the evening, with our whole force assembled,
we performed the last sad ceremony of committing the body to the deep,
with all the honors that time and circumstance would allow. I read
that beautiful, impressive service from a prayer-book, the only one,
by the by, in the expedition, which he himself had brought, as he said,
"in case of accident."
Before we again got under weigh, several Malay families, no longer
in dread of their piratical chief, Seriff Muller, who had fled nobody
knew whither, gave themselves up to us as prisoners, trusting to the
mercy of a white man; the first instance of any of them having done
so. We heard, also, that Macota had retreated with the seriff; and on
examination we found the papers captured in the encampment belonged to
them, exposing several deep intrigues and false statements addressed
to the sultan, the purport of which was to impress his mind with the
belief of a hostile intention on the part of the British government
toward his country. We brought-up for the night off the still-burning
ruins of Seriff Muller's town.
On Thursday the 15th we again reached the steamer. We found her
prepared for action, having been much annoyed during the night by the
continued Dyak war-yells--sounds, to uninitiated ears, as unpleasant
as those of musketry. Having driven away the two principal instigators
and abettors of all the piracies committed along the coast of Borneo
and elsewhere, and destroyed their strongholds, it now remained for
us to punish the pirates themselves as far as lay in our power. The
Sakarran Dyaks being the only ones now remaining who had not received
convincing proofs that their brutal and inhuman trade would be no
longer allowed, the 15th and 16th were passed on board the steamer,
to rest the men after the severe fatigue encountered up the Undop,
and in making preparations for an advance up the Sakarran. During the
night of the 16th, several of our native followers were wounded. Their
boats not being furnished with anchors, and the river being deep, they
were obliged to make fast to the bank, which in the dark afforded great
facility for the enemy to creep down through the jungle unperceived,
so close as to fire a shot and even thrust their spears through the
thin mat covering of the boats. One poor fellow received a shot in
his lungs, from which he died the following day; a Dyak likewise
died from a spear-wound; and in the morning we witnessed the pile
forming for burning the Dyak, and the coffin making for conveying the
body of the Malay to Sarawak, his native place; both parties having
an equal horror of their dead falling into the hands of the enemy,
although differing in their mode of disposing of them.
On Saturday, the 17th, the expedition, consisting of the Dido's
pinnace, her two cutters and gig, the Jolly Bachelor, and the
Phlegethon's first and second cutters and gig, started up the
Sakarran. A small division of light native boats, under the command of
the brave old Patingi Ali, were selected to keep as a reconnoitering
party with our leading boats, while the remaining native force, of
above thirty boats, followed as a reserve. We advanced the first day
some twenty miles without so much as seeing a native, although our
progress was considerably delayed by stopping to burn farm-houses,
and a number of war-prahus found concealed in the jungle or long grass
on either side of the river. We brought up early in the afternoon, for
the purpose of strongly fortifying ourselves, both ashore and afloat,
against surprise before the night set in, by which time it would have
taken a well-disciplined and powerful force to have dislodged us.
This evening we had unusually fine weather; and we squatted down to
our meal of curry and rice with better appetites and higher spirits
than we had done for some days. We advanced the following day: and
although we reached several villages, the grain had been removed
from them all; which, in all probability, was done immediately upon
their hearing of the fall of their supposed impregnable Patusen. In
the evening we took the same precautions as on the preceding night,
considering that our enemies were not to be despised. Owing to heavy
rains which fell during the night, and caused a strong current, our
progress was considerably retarded. The scenery was beautiful--more
so than in any of the rivers we had yet visited. We likewise now
repeatedly fell in with small detachments of the enemy, and spears
were thrown from the banks, which added considerably to our excitement
and amusement. On every point we found the remains of the preceding
night's watch-fires, so that news of our approach would have been
conveyed rapidly along. While leading in the gig with a select
few of our followers, we came suddenly on a boat full of warriors,
all gorgeously dressed, and apparently perfectly unconscious of our
approach. The discharge of our muskets and the capsizing of their
war-boat was the work of an instant; but most of their crew saved
their lives by escaping into the jungle.
This evening, Sunday, the 18th, we experienced some difficulty
in finding a suitable place for our bivouac. While examining the
most eligible-looking spot on the bank of the river, the crew of
one of the Phlegethon's boats, having crept up the opposite bank,
came suddenly on a party of Dyaks, who saluted them with a war-yell
and a shower of spears; and it was absurd to see the way in which
they precipitated themselves into the water again to escape from
this unexpected danger. The Dyaks, too, appear to have been equally
surprised. The place we selected for the night was a large house about
forty yards from the edge of the river; and for a musket-range around
which we had not much difficulty in clearing the ground. Here we all
united our different messes, and passed a jovial evening. The night,
however, set in with a most fearful thunder-storm, accompanied by the
most vivid flashes of lightning I ever witnessed. The rain continued
to fall in torrents; it cleared up at daylight, when we proceeded. As
yet the banks of the river had been a continued garden, with sugarcane
plantations and banana-trees in abundance. As we advanced, the scenery
assumed a wilder and still more beautiful appearance, presenting high
steep points, with large overhanging trees, and occasionally forming
into pretty picturesque bays, with sloping banks. At other times we
approached narrow gorges, looking so dark that, until past, you almost
doubted there being a passage through. We were in hopes that this
morning we should have reached their capital, a place called Karangan,
supposed to be about ten miles farther on. At 9 o'clock Mr. Brooke,
who was with me in the gig, stopped to breakfast with young Jenkins
in the second cutter. Not expecting to meet with any opposition for
some miles, I gave permission to Patingi Ali to advance cautiously
with his light division, and with positive instructions to fall back
upon the first appearance of any natives. As the stream was running
down very strong, we held on to the bank, waiting for the arrival of
the second cutter. Our pinnace and second gig having both passed up,
we had remained about a quarter of an hour, when the report of a few
musket-shots told us that the pirates had been fallen in with. We
immediately pushed on; and as we advanced, the increased firing from
our boats, and the war-yells of some thousand Dyaks, let us know that
an engagement had really commenced. It would be difficult to describe
the scene as I found it. About twenty boats were jammed together,
forming one confused mass; some bottom up; the bows or sterns of
others only visible; mixed up, pell-mell, with huge rafts; and among
which were nearly all our advanced little division. Headless trunks,
as well as heads without bodies, were lying about in all directions;
parties were engaged hand to hand, spearing and krissing each other;
others were striving to swim for their lives; entangled in the common
_melee_ were our advanced boats; while on both banks thousands of
Dyaks were rushing down to join in the slaughter, hurling their
spears and stones on the boats below. For a moment I was at a loss
what steps to take for rescuing our people from the embarrassed
position in which they were, as the whole mass (through which there
was no passage) were floating down the stream, and the addition of
fresh boats arriving only increased the confusion. Fortunately, at
this critical moment one of the rafts, catching the stump of a tree,
broke this floating bridge, making a passage, through which (my gig
being propelled by paddles instead of oars) I was enabled to pass.
It occurred to Mr. Brooke and myself simultaneously, that, by advancing
in the gig, we should draw the attention of the pirates toward us,
so as to give time for the other boats to clear themselves. This had
the desired effect. The whole force on shore turned, as if to secure
what they rashly conceived to be their prize.
We now advanced mid-channel: spears and stones assailed us from
both banks. My friend Brooke's gun would not go off; so giving
him the yoke-lines, he steered the boat while I kept up a rapid
fire. Mr. Allen, in the second gig, quickly coming up, opened upon
them, from a congreve-rocket tube, such a destructive fire as caused
them to retire panic-struck behind the temporary barriers where they
had concealed themselves previous to the attack upon Patingi Ali,
and from whence they continued, for some twenty minutes, to hurl
their spears and other missiles. Among the latter may be mentioned
short lengths of bamboo, one end heavily loaded with stone, and
thrown with great force and precision; the few fire-arms of which
they were possessed were of but little use to them after the first
discharge, the operation of reloading, in their inexperienced hands,
requiring a longer time than the hurling of some twenty spears. The
sumpitan was likewise freely employed by these pirates; but although
several of our men belonging to the pinnace were struck, no fatal
results ensued, from the dextrous and expeditious manner in which
the wounded parts were excised by Mr. Beith, the assistant-surgeon;
any poison that might remain being afterward sucked out by one of
the comrades of the wounded men.
As our force increased, the pirates retreated from their position,
and could not again muster courage to rally. Their loss must have
been considerable; ours might have been light, had poor old Patingi
Ali attended to orders.
It appears that the Patingi (over-confident, and probably urged
on by Mr. Steward, who, unknown to me, was concealed in Ali's beat
when application was made by that chief for permission to proceed
in advance for the purpose of reconnoitering), instead of falling
back, as particularly directed, on the first appearance of any of
the enemy, made a dash, followed by his little division of boats,
through the narrow pass above described. As soon as he had done so,
huge rafts of bamboo were lanched across the river, so as to cut off
his retreat. Six large war-prahus, probably carrying 100 men each,
then bore down--three on either side--on his devoted followers;
and one only of a crew of seventeen that manned his boat escaped to
tell the tale. When last seen by our advanced boats, Mr. Steward and
Patingi Ali were in the act (their own boats sinking) of boarding the
enemy. They were doubtless overpowered and killed, with twenty-nine
others, who lost their lives on this occasion. Our wounded in all
amounted to fifty-six.
A few miles higher up was the town and capital of Karangan, which
place it was their business to defend, and ours to destroy, and this
we succeeded in effecting without further opposition. We ascended a
short distance above this, but found the river impracticable for the
further progress of the boats; but our object having been achieved,
the expedition may be said to have closed, as no more resistance was
offered; so we dropped leisurely down the river, and that evening
reached our resting-place of the previous night: but having burnt
the house in the morning, we were obliged to sleep in our boats,
with a strong guard on shore.
Attempts were made to molest the native boats by hurling spears
into them from the jungle under cover of the night; but after a few
discharges of musketry the enemy retired, leaving us to enjoy another
stormy and rainy night as we best could.
On the 20th we reached the steamer, where we remained quiet all the
next day, attending to the wounded, and ascertaining the exact extent
of our loss. On the 22d we again reached Patusen. We found everything
in the same wretched state as when we left; and a pile of firewood,
previously cut for the use of the steamer, had not been removed. After
dark a storm of thunder, lightning, and heavy rain, came on as usual,
and with it a few mishaps. A boat belonging to the old Tumangong was
capsized by the bore, by which his plunder, including a large brass
gun, was lost, and the crew with difficulty saved their lives. At
eight we heard the report of a gun, which was again repeated much
nearer at nine; and before a signal-rocket could be fired, or a
light shown, we were astonished by being hailed by the boats of
a British man-of-war; and the next moment Captain Sir E. Belcher,
having been assisted by a rapid tide, came alongside the steamer with
the welcome news of having brought our May letters from England. On
the arrival of the Samarang off the Morotaba, Sir Edward heard of
the loss we had sustained; and, with his usual zeal and activity,
came at once to our assistance, having brought his boats no less
than 120 miles in about thirty hours. At the moment of his joining
us, our second mishap occurred. The night, as previously mentioned,
was pitch dark, and a rapid current running, when the cry of "a man
overboard" caused a sensation difficult to describe. All available
boats were immediately dispatched in search; and soon afterward we
were cheered by the sound of "all right." It appears that the news
of the arrival of the mail was not long in spreading throughout our
little fleet, when Mr. D'Aeth, leaving the first cutter in a small
sampan, capsized in coming alongside the steamer; the man in the bow
(who composed the crew) saved himself by catching hold of the nearest
boat; Mr. D'Aeth would have been drowned had he not been an excellent
swimmer. This was not the last of our mishaps; for we had no sooner
arranged ourselves and newly-arrived visitors from the Samarang
comfortably on board the steamer from the pelting rain, than the
accustomed and quick ear of Mr. Brooke heard the cry of natives in
distress. Jumping into his Singapore sampan, he pushed off to their
assistance, and returned shortly afterward, having picked up three,
half drowned, of our Dyak followers, whom he had found clinging
to the floating trunk of a tree. They too had been capsized by the
bore; when, out of eleven composing the crew, only these three were
saved--although the Dyaks are invariably expert swimmers.
On the 23d, after waiting to obtain meridian observations, we moved
down as far as the mouth of the river Linga, and then dispatched one
of our Malay chiefs to the town of Bunting to summon Seriff Jaffer
to a conference. This, however, he declined on a plea of ill health,
sending assurance, at the same time, of his goodwill and inclination
to assist us in our endeavors to suppress piracy.
On the night of the 24th, we once again reached Sarawak, where the
rejoicings of the previous year, when we returned from a successful
expedition, were repeated. On the third evening after our return,
we were just settling down to enjoy a little rest, having got our
sick and wounded into comfortable quarters, and were beginning
heartily to indulge in the comforts of a bed after our fatigue and
harassing duties in open boats during the previous three weeks, when
information arrived that Seriff Sahib had taken refuge in the Linga
river, where, assisted by Seriff Jaffer, he was again collecting his
followers. No time was to be lost; and on the 28th, with the addition
of the Samarang's boats, we once more started, to crush, if possible,
this persevering and desperate pirate; and, in the middle of the night,
came to an anchor inside the Linga river.
When our expedition had been watched safely outside the Batang
Lupar, on its return to Sarawak, all those unfortunate families that
had concealed themselves in the jungle, after the destruction of
the different towns of Patusen and Undop, had emerged from their
hiding-places, and, embarking on rafts, half-ruined boats, or,
in short, anything that would float, were in the act of tiding and
working their passage toward the extensive and flourishing town of
Bunting. Their dismay can well be imagined, when, at daylight on the
morning of the 29th, they found themselves carried by the tide close
alongside the long, black, terror-spreading steamer, and in the midst
of our augmented fleet. Escape to them was next to hopeless; nor did
the softer sex seem much to mind the change--probably thinking that to
be swallowed up by the white man was not much worse than dying in the
jungle of starvation. I need not say that, instead of being molested,
they were supplied with such provisions and assistance as our means
would permit us to afford, and then allowed to pass quietly on;
in addition to which we dispatched several of our native followers
into the Batang Lupar, to inform the poor fugitives that our business
was with the chiefs and instigators of piracy, and not to molest the
misguided natives.
With the ebb tide a large number of boats came down from the town--the
news of our arrival having reached them during the night--containing
the principal chiefs, with assurances of their pacific intentions,
and welcoming us with presents of poultry, goats, fruit, &c., which
we received, paying the fair market-price for them, either by way of
barter or in hard dollars. They assured us that Seriff Sahib should not
be received among them; but that they had heard of his having arrived
at Pontranini, on a small tributary stream some fifty miles above
their town. We immediately decided on proceeding in pursuit before he
could have time to establish himself in any force. It was also evident
that the Balow Dyaks, who inhabit this part of the country, were
decidedly in favor of our operations against Seriff Sahib, although
afraid--on account of Seriff Jaffer and his Malays--to express their
opinions openly. We also ascertained that Macota, with a remnant of
his followers, was hourly expected in the mouth of the river, from the
jungle, into which he had been driven during the fight on the Undop
heights. Knowing that it would fare badly with this treacherous and
cunning, although now harmless chief, should he fall into the hands of
any of our native followers, I dispatched two boats to look out for and
bring him to us alive. This they succeeded in doing, securing him in a
deep muddy jungle, into which he had thrown himself upon perceiving the
approach of our men. Leaving him a prisoner on board the Phlegethon,
we, with the floodtide pushed forward in pursuit of Seriff Sahib.
For two days we persevered in dragging our boats, for the distance
of twenty miles, up a small jungly creek, which, to all appearance,
was impassable for anything but canoes. But it had the desired
effect, proving to the natives what determination could achieve in
accomplishing our object, even beyond the hopes of our sanguine Balow
Dyak guides. The consequence was, that Seriff Sahib made a final and
precipitate retreat, across the mountains, in the direction of the
Pontiana river. So close were we on his rear--harassed as he was by the
Balow Dyaks, who had refused him common means of subsistence--that he
threw away his sword, and left behind him a child whom he had hitherto
carried in the jungle; and this once dreaded chief was now driven,
single and unattended, out of the reach of doing any further mischief.
The boats returned, and took up a formidable position off the town of
Bunting, where we summoned Seriff Jaffer to a conference. To this he
was obliged to attend, as the natives had learnt that we were not to
be trifled with, and would have forced him on board rather than have
permitted their village to be destroyed. With Pangeran Budrudeen,
acting as the representative of the sultan, Seriff Jaffer was obliged
to resign all pretensions to the government of the province over
which he had hitherto held sway, since it was considered, from his
being a Malay and from his relationship to Seriff Sahib, that he was
an unsafe person to be intrusted With so important a post.
A second conference on shore took place, at which the chiefs of
all the surrounding country attended, when the above sentence was
confirmed. On this occasion I had the satisfaction of witnessing what
must have been--from the effect I observed it to have produced on
the hearers--a fine piece of oratory, delivered by Mr. Brooke in the
native tongue, with a degree of fluency I had never witnessed before,
even in a Malay. The purport of it, as I understood, was, to point
out emphatically the horrors of piracy on the one hand, which it was
the determination of the British government to suppress, and on the
other hand, the blessings arising from peace and trade, which it was
equally our wish to cultivate; and it concluded by fully explaining,
that the measures lately adopted by us against piracy were for the
protection of all the peaceful communities along the coast. So great
was the attention bestowed during the delivery of this speech that
the dropping of a pin might have been heard.
From these people many assurances were received of their anxiety
and willingness to cooperate with us in our laudable undertaking;
and one and all were alike urgent that the government of their river
should be transferred to the English.
On the 4th September the force again reached Sarawak, and thus
terminated a most successful expedition against the worst pirates on
the coast of Borneo.
We found the Samarang off the Morotaba entrance, when Mr. Brooke
and myself became the guests of Sir Edward Belcher for several days,
during which time we made excursions to all the small islands in that
neighborhood, discovered large quantities of excellent oysters, and
had some very good hog-shooting. Afterward, accompanied by the boats
of the Samarang, we paid a visit to the Lundu Dyaks, which gave them
great delight. They entertained us at a large feast, when the whole
of the late expedition was fought over again, and a war-dance with
the newly-acquired heads of the Sakarran pirates was performed for
our edification. Later in the evening, two of the elder chiefs got
up, and, walking up and down the long gallery, commenced a dialogue,
for the information, as they said, of the women, children, and poorer
people who were obliged to remain at home. It consisted in putting
such questions to one another as should elicit all the particulars of
the late expedition, such as, what had become of different celebrated
Sakarran chiefs (whom they named)? how had they been destroyed? how
did they die? by whom had they been slain? &c. All these inquiries
received the most satisfactory replies, in which the heroic conduct
of themselves and the white men was largely dwelt upon. While this
was performing, the two old warriors, with the heads of their enemies
suspended from their shoulders like a soldier's cartouch-box, stumped
up and down, striking the floor with their clubs, and getting very
excited. How long it lasted none of our party could tell, as one and
all dropped off to sleep during the recital. Mr. Brooke has given so
good a description of these kind and simple people that I need not
here farther notice them.
Shortly after our return to the Samarang, she, getting short of
provisions, sailed for Singapore, and Mr. Brooke and myself went up
to Sarawak, where the Dido was still lying. Great rejoicings and
firing of cannon, as on a former occasion, announced our return;
and, after paying our respects to the rajah, we visited the Tumangong
and Patingis.
A curious ceremony is generally performed on the return of the chiefs
from a fortunate war expedition, which is not only done by way of
a welcome back, but is supposed to insure equal success on the next
excursion. This ceremony was better performed at the old Tumangong's
than at the other houses. After entering the principal room we seated
ourselves in a semicircle on the mat floor, when the old chief's
three wives advanced to welcome us, with their female relatives,
all richly and prettily dressed in sarongs suspended from the waist,
and silken scarfs worn gracefully over one shoulder, just hiding or
exposing as much of their well-shaped persons as they thought most
becoming. Each of these ladies in succession taking a handful of
yellow rice, threw it over us, repeating some mystical words, and
dilating on our heroic deeds, and then they sprinkled our heads with
gold-dust. This is generally done by grating a lump of gold against
a dried piece of shark's skin. Two of these ladies bore the pretty
names of Inda and Amina. Inda was young, pretty, and graceful; and
although she had borne her husband no children, she was supposed to
have much greater influence over him than the other two. Report said
that she had a temper, and that the Tumangong was much afraid of her;
but this may have been only Sarawak scandal. She brought her portion
of gold-dust already grated, and wrapped up in a piece of paper,
from which she took a pinch; and in reaching to sprinkle some over
my head, she, by accident, put the prettiest little foot on to my
hand, which, as she wore neither shoes nor stockings, she did not
hurt sufficiently to cause me to withdraw it. After this ceremony we
(the warriors) feasted and smoked together, attended on by the ladies.
Another conference with Muda Hassim took place, and I subsequently
quitted Sarawak for Singapore, intending to re-provision the Dido
at that port, and then return to Sarawak, in order to convey the
rajah and his suite to Borneo Proper. At Singapore, however, I found
orders for England, and sailed accordingly; but the service alluded
to was readily performed by Sir Edward Belcher, in H.M.S. Samarang,
accompanied by the H. C.'s steamer Phlegethon.
On my return to England I had the gratification to learn that
Mr. Brooke had been appointed agent for the British government in
Borneo, and that Captain Bethune, R.N., C.B., had been dispatched on
special service to that island: events I cannot but consider of great
importance to the best interests of humanity, and to the extension
of British commerce throughout the Malayan Archipelago.