the scene of action, while the barge and two cutters were despatched in
search of the gig, of whose safety we had great doubts. About 11.30, A.M.,
the second cutter, being in advance, discovered a sail in shore, and
which, by the aid of our telescopes, we made out to be the gig. When we
closed with her, and found that all was right we were greatly relieved.
We heard from Mr. Hooper, the purser, who was in her, that after waiting
in vain for the barge's return, he set fire to the prahus. In one of
them he found a woman and child alive, whom he landed at the nearest
point. He then pulled in the direction we had gone, being guided by the
sound of our guns. On his arrival in the bay we were not in sight, and
perceiving several prahus with flags flying and gongs beating, he
naturally concluded that we had been overpowered, and he was making the
best of his way towards the ship. The boats continued pulling towards
the shore, leaving the gig to return to the ship and ease the minds of
the ship's company respecting her safety.
On our arrival in the bay with the barge and cutters, we found that the
prahus had hauled into a creek, on the banks of which was a masked
battery, which opened a spirited fire upon us as soon as we came within
range. After an hour's cannonading on both sides we were joined by the
gig, with orders for us not to land, but to return to the ship at
sunset. This order was not received with pleasure, as we hoped to have a
chance of punishing the fellows a little more. We pulled a short
distance along the coast, and entered another bay, in which we destroyed
two prahus; after which we returned to the ship. Calms, and a strong
current setting to the northward, detained the ship near the scene of
action for several days. We at length passed through the straits of
Patientia, but did not get the breeze until we sighted the Isle of
Bouro. Passing through the Bonta passage, straits of Salayer, and Java
sea, we arrived at Sincapore on the 28th of June.
Here we found the Harlequin, which had had a brush with the pirates on
the coast of Sumatra. The Harlequin, Wanderer, and Diana were sent to
the villages of Micedo and Batta, to demand the murderers of an English
captain. On the rajah refusing to deliver them up, the vessels opened
their fire and burnt the villages. The Harlequin lost two men killed and
five wounded; among the latter was Lieutenant Chads, whose arm was
nearly severed by a Malay kris. While here the Superb arrived from Hong
Kong on her way to England; the Driver, with Sir Henry Pottinger on
board; and the Cambrian, Commodore Chads. Also the Iris from England,
and the Dido from Hong Kong, which latter vessel sailed for Sarawak.
I may as well here remark, that the Dutch made a formal complaint
against our captain for having attacked their prahus, which they
asserted were not pirates, but employed by them against the pirates. It
is but fair to give the arguments that were used against us,
particularly as the authorities at Sincapore appeared to think that we
were to blame. They said, you were in boats, and you touched at Gillolo;
the natives, accustomed to be taken off by the Illanoan pirates, were
naturally jealous and suspicious, seeing no vessel. They came alone,
armed, to ascertain who you were. At 100 yards they stopped; you
signalled them to go away, and they advanced nearer to you, but they
committed no act of hostility. You fired a volley at them, and they
retreated. Here the aggression was on your side.
At the same time, you say, a war prahu pulled round the point, and
approached to within range; when the prahu was close to you she ceased
paddling, and hoisted Dutch colours. You desired it to pull for the
Gillolo shore, which it did. There was no aggression in this instance,
and nothing piratical in the conduct of the prahu. After she had obeyed
your order to pull to the Gillolo shore, you wantonly fired a Congreve
rocket at her; your conduct in this instance being much more like that
of a pirate than hers. In the afternoon you pull along the Gillolo
shore, and you discover a village; you send your boat ashore and set
fire to it. Why so? You state that you were attacked by Illanoan
pirates, who reside at Tampassook, some hundred miles from Gillolo, and
you then burn the village of the people of Gillolo, and that without the
least aggression on their part. Is it surprising that you should be
supposed to be pirates after such wanton outrage? To proceed: you state
that you then go in search of the prahu which you ordered away, and that
on your way you captured a large canoe, which you take in tow, and
afterwards perceive the pirates hauling their vessel into a creek. You
attack them, and they run away, leaving the prahu in your possession,
and, as usual, after rifling the prahu and canoe, you set them on fire.
Up to this point there has been nothing but aggression on your part; and
it is not, therefore, surprising that you were supposed to be pirates,
and that the communication was made along the coast, and the vessels
employed against the pirates were summoned for its protection. Again,
the prahus came out and surrounded you; they did not fire at you, but
hailed you in English, requesting to know if you belonged to a ship.
Now, if any thing could prove that they were not pirate vessels, it was
their doing this; and had you replied, they would have explained to you
what their employment was: but you think proper to give no answer to
this simple question, order them to go away, and then fire a loaded
musket into them, which brings on the conflict which you so much
desired. That these observations were true, it must be admitted, and the
complaint of the Dutch, with the hoisting of the Dutch flag, gave great
weight to them: however, pirates or no pirates, the Admiralty Court, on
our arrival in England, considered them to have been such; and, as will
be seen by the extract from the "Times" below, awarded head money to the
amount of about 10,000l. to the captain and crew of the Samarang, and
for his wound received, our captain obtained a pension of (I believe)
£250 a year.[1]
"ADMIRALTY COURT.
(_Before Dr. Lushington._)
"ILLANOAN PIRATES.--BOUNTY.
"In this case a petition was presented by Sir Edward Belcher,
the captain, and the rest of the officers and crew of Her
Majesty's ship-of-war Samarang, setting forth that on the 3d of
June, 1844, the Samarang being then engaged in surveying duties,
and near the island of Gillolo, on her passage towards the
Straits of Patientia, Sir E. Belcher, with two officers and four
men, quitted her in the gig, accompanied by the second barge,
armed with a brass six-pounder gun and small arms, and manned
with twenty officers and men. While engaged on the extreme side
of a reef, extending from a small islet, in taking astronomical
observations, they were disturbed by an extraordinary yell
proceeding from about forty men of colour, who were advancing
from the islet along both sides of the reef, with the evident
intention of surrounding Sir E. Belcher and his party, on
nearing whom they commenced hurling spears and arrows, though
without effect. They were soon repulsed and put to flight by
musketry. In the course of the day several large prahus made
their appearance, manned by large crews of Malay pirates, and
severe conflicts took place between the respective parties, in
one of which a ball from the leading prahu struck Sir E. Belcher
on the thigh, and knocked him overboard, severely and
dangerously wounding him; but, having been lifted out of the
water, and dragged into the barge, _he shortly after resumed the
command_, and ultimately succeeded in destroying all the prahus.
"Dr. Addams applied to the Court to award the bounties specified
in the 6th of George IV. c. 49. for the capture and destruction
of piratical ships and vessels. He submitted that the affidavits
produced clearly showed the character of the persons on board
the prahus, and that not less than 1,330 persons were alive on
board the several prahus at the beginning of the attack, 350 of
whom were killed.
"The Queen's Advocate, on behalf of the Crown, admitted that a
very meritorious service had been performed, and made no
opposition to the application.
"The Court pronounced for the usual bounties on the number of
pirates stated."
[Footnote 1: The account of this transaction is taken from the
private log of one of the officers who was present in the barge
during the whole time. I was not there myself. In his narrative
it will be observed that he makes no mention of the natives who
came down upon them having _thrown spears_ at them, although in
the extract from the "Times" it is so stated. It would appear
also that there was some mistake as to the number of men on
board of the prahus and the number killed. A war prahu generally
contains from fifty to eighty men. Some are smaller, and
occasionally they are larger, but not often. Capt. Keppell
states fifty men to be the usual number in his work; and, in his
conflict with the pirates, estimates the force accordingly. Now
the first day there was one war prahu, which ran up a creek;
and, on being fired at, the crew deserted her. On the second day
there were five prahus, all captured. On the third day the five
prahus engaged were not captured, the boat returning to the ship
after the captain was wounded; so that in all it appears that
there were nine prahus; and, allowing eighty men to each, the
force would only amount to 720 men, or about one half of the
number stated, viz. 1330. How the killed, amounting to 350, or
about half the number, were arrived at and estimated, it is
impossible to say; but in the narrative of the officer, which I
have given, the major portion of the crews deserted the prahus
and got on shore.]
Our captain having now nearly recovered from the wound which he had
received, we found that our destination was Borneo; but previous to the
ship getting under weigh, the boats were ordered to be manned and armed,
to proceed on an excursion to Romania Point, distant about thirty miles
from Sincapore. It was expected that we might there fall in with some of
the piratical vessels which so completely infest the Indian Archipelago;
and if so, we trusted to give them a lesson which might for a time put a
check to their nefarious and cruel system of plunder and rapine. I found
that my name was down in the list of the party selected for the
expedition. Bidding, therefore, a temporary adieu to Sincapore, on the
2d of August we set off on the expedition, with a force consisting of
two barges, one cutter, and a gun-boat belonging to the merchants of
Sincapore, which had been expressly built to resist any attacks of these
bold assailants.
Although the real object of the expedition was, as I have above stated,
to fall in with the pirates, our ostensible one was to survey the
islands off the Point Romania, which is the most unfrequented part of
the Malay peninsula. We arrived there late at night, as ignorant whether
the pirates were there, as the pirates would have been of our arrival.
We had, therefore, nothing to do but to anchor close under the land, and
keep a sharp look-out, in case of being the attacked instead of the
attacking party. As we were not indifferently provided with the creature
comforts which Sincapore afforded, we amused ourselves pretty well; but
if we occasionally opened our mouths, we took good care not to shut our
eyes, and were constantly on the alert. There is a far from pleasant
feeling attached to lying in an open boat, in a night as dark as pitch,
expecting a momentary attack from an insidious enemy, and wholly in a
state of uncertainty as to from what quarter it may be made, or as to
what odds you may be exposed. Under these circumstances, we remained in
watching and silence during a night which appeared interminably long;
and daylight was gladly welcomed by the whole party; and when it arrived
we found ourselves anchored among a crowd of small islands, which were
covered from the beach to their summits with the most luxuriant foliage.
Within shore of us was a beautiful little sandy bay; while the whole
coast, as far as the eye could reach, was one extended jungle, by all
accounts extending many hundred miles inland, and infested with tigers
and other beasts of prey. As for pirates, we saw nothing of them, or any
signs of their having been in that quarter; either they were away on
some distant marauding party, or, having received intelligence of our
approach and force, had considered us too strong to be opposed, and had
kept out of the way. Our warlike expedition, therefore, was soon changed
into a sort of pic-nic party--we amused ourselves with bathing, turning
of turtle, shooting, and eating the wild pine-apples which grew on all
the islands. We remained there for three days, during which nothing
occurred worth narrating, unless it is an instance of the thoughtless
and reckless conduct of midshipmen. We were pulling leisurely along the
coast in one of the boats, when we perceived a very large Bengal tiger
taking an evening stroll, and who, by the motion of his tail, was
evidently in a state of much self-satisfaction. We winded the boat's
head towards him, and were preparing to give him a round of grape from
the gun, but before we could get the gun well pointed, he retreated
majestically into the jungle, which was in the bight of a small bay, and
cut off from the main jungle by some large rocks. Three of our party
immediately declared that they would have a tiger-hunt, and bring back
his skin as a trophy. They landed, two of them having each a ship's
musket, a very uncertain weapon, as they are at present provided, for,
whether from damp or careless manufacture, the percussion caps will not
often go off; and the third armed with nothing but a knife. On their
landing, they took their position on the rocks, and were delighted to
find that the tiger could not retreat to the main jungle without passing
them. They had not long taken up their position before they heard the
crackling of the wood in the jungle, announcing the tiger's approach
towards them. They fixed their bayonets and cocked their locks; the
young gentleman with the knife was also prepared; but the noise in the
jungle ceased. Whether it was that the tiger was afraid to attack three
at the same time, or was making a circuit for a more convenient spring
upon them, certain it is that our three young gentlemen either became
tired of waiting for him, or had thought better of their mad attempt.
One proposed returning to the boat, the others assented; and after
denouncing the tiger as a coward, and wholly unworthy of the name of a
royal tiger, they commenced their retreat as the dark set in; gradually
their pace quickened, in two minutes they were in a hard trot; at last
the panic took them all, and by the time they arrived at the boats they
could not speak from want of breath, so hurried had been their retreat.
We sincerely congratulated them upon their arrival safe and sound, and
having escaped without loss of life and limb from a very mad adventure.
I subsequently related this incident to an old Indian sportsman, who
told me that my messmates had had a most fortunate escape, as they would
have had little or no chance had the tiger made his spring, which he
certainly would have done had they remained much longer, and that one of
them at least must have been sacrificed. On the morning of the fourth
day, the ship, having made sail from Sincapore, hove in sight, and
picked us up. The boats were hoisted in, and we steered for Borneo, to
complete some surveys on the north-east coast.
The island of Borneo, throughout the whole of the N. E. coast, is, with
few exceptions, a low land, covered with jungle; but so beautifully
verdant does it appear when viewed from some distance, that you would be
led to suppose that it was widely cultivated. This idea is, however,
soon dispelled on a near approach, when you discover the rich groups of
acacias, palms, pandani, and numerous trees as yet unknown, so luxuriant
in themselves, but forming one entangled mass, alike impenetrable to
European or native. What, in the distant view, we fancied a verdant
meadow, where we might relax from our long confinement, and amuse
ourselves with recreation, now proved to be ranges of long damp grass,
interspersed with swamps, and infested with venomous snakes. In short, I
never yet was on a coast which, on arriving on it, promised so much,
and, on landing, caused such a series of disappointments to those who
love to ramble about, than the coast of Borneo. To the naturalist,
however, confined as he is to the shelving beach, there is ample food
for employment and research: the island abounds in novel objects of
natural history, both in the animal and vegetable kingdom.
Nothing certain is as yet ascertained relative to the interior of this
immense island, if island it can with propriety be called. From the
accounts of the natives (which, however, must be received with due
caution), it consists of a large plain, devoid of jungle, and inhabited
by cannibals. Two adventurous Dutchmen have latterly set off from
Pontiana, the Dutch settlement, on an excursion into the interior; but
it is doubtful if they succeed, where so many others have already
failed.
[Illustration: KEENEY-BALLO.
(OOSOKAN BAY, BORNEO.)
F. M. DELT.
M. N. HANHART LITH. PRINTERS
LONDON; LONGMAN & CO. 1848]
Borneo has but small elevation for so large an island; in the immediate
vicinity of Keeney Ballu the country is hilly, but by far the greatest
portion of Borneo is but a few feet above the level of the sea. Keeney
Ballu is the highest mountain in the island,--its height is estimated at
14,000 feet or more,--and it can be seen at 150 miles distant on a very
clear day. It is very singular that there should be a mountain of so
great a height rising from an island of otherwise low land. Near Sarawak
there is mountainous country, where live the Dyaks, previously
described, and a mountain of the name of Santabong, which has already
been made mention of. On the S. E. coast of the island we saw no
elevation of land of any consequence. I have given a drawing of the
mountain of Keeney Ballu, distant forty miles. At this distance, with
the aid of the glass, you may perceive the numerous cascades which fall
from its summit in every direction. The Dyaks of Borneo imagine that a
lake exists at the top of this mountain, and that it is to be their
receptacle after death.
As the island is in most parts a flat and marshy jungle, extending about
200 miles inland, and the rivers are not rapid, although numerous, it
would be presumed, especially as the dews of the night are very heavy,
that the island would be fatal to Europeans. Such, however, proved not
to be the case. During our repeated visits to the island (a period of
nearly two years), we only lost one man, by a most imprudent exposure
to the night air, sleeping in an open boat, without the awning being
spread, and exposed to a very heavy dew.
Borneo abounds with rivers, some of them very fine, running inland for
one or two hundred miles. Most of these rivers have been taken
possession of and colonised by the various tribes indigenous to the
neighbouring isles and continent, to wit, Arabs, Malays, Illanoans,
Bughis, the natives of Celebes, Chinese, &c. The reason for this
emigration to Borneo is the protection afforded by these rivers; for as
all these tribes live entirely by piracy, they here find a safe retreat
for themselves and their vessels. How long ago their settlements may
have been first made, or what opposition they may have received from the
Dyak aborigines, it is impossible to say; but as most of the head men in
Borneo claim to be of Arab descent, it may be presumed that many years
must have elapsed since the aboriginal tribes of Dyaks and Dusums were
dispossessed of the rivers, and driven into the interior. Of these
people I shall speak hereafter; there is no doubt but that they were the
original inhabitants of the whole island, and that the various tribes I
have mentioned are but colonists for piratical purposes.
These piratical hordes generally infest the high lands upon the shores
of these rivers, which are difficult of navigation; and, moreover, from
their numerous branches, their resorts are not very easily discovered.
These towns are fortified with stockades, guns of various calibre, and
the passage up the river defended by booms or piles of timber, which
admit of but one narrow passage for their prahus.
It must be understood that these piratical hordes are not only
independent of each other, but often at war, in consequence of their
spoliations. Some of their chiefs have taken upon them the titles of
princes; and one has assumed, as is well known, that of Sultan of
Borneo, another of Sooloo,--how far entitled to such a rank it would be
difficult to say; but this is certain, that there must be a beginning
to every dynasty; and if we trace back far into history, we shall find,
both at home and abroad, that most dynasties have had their origin in
freebooting on a grand scale,--even the House of Hapsburg itself is
derived from no better an origin; and the Sultan of Borneo, whoever he
may be, and if a Sultan does exist, some 800 years hence will, by the
antiquity of his title, prove his high descent, as the German emperor
now does his own.
On the 20th of August we came to an anchor at the mouth of the Sarawak
river, where we remained three weeks completing some very important
surveys. When our work was done, the captain, accompanied by several
officers, went up the river.
On our arrival at Kuchin, we found the Dido corvette, commanded by
Captain Keppell, lying abreast of the town. We also found that Kuchin
was at present nearly deserted, as the Dido's boats, with the Phlegethon
steamer, and all the native war prahus which could be mustered, had
proceeded with Mr. Brooke to the Sakarron, a neighbouring river, to
punish some of the mixed tribes who had lately been detected in an act
of flagrant piracy. On the change of the tide we started for the
Sakarron, with the hope of gaining the Dido's boats, and rendering them
some assistance. Our men exerted themselves to the utmost; but it
requires time to pull eighty miles; and I will therefore, _en voyage_,
explain more fully the cause and the object of the expedition.
The river Sakarron, with its tributaries, the Linga and Serebis, have
been for a long while in the possession of a proverbial piratical tribe
of Malays, governed by chiefs, who are of Arab descent, and much better
acquainted with the art of war than those lawless communions are in
general. Their towers and fastnesses on the banks of their rivers they
have contrived to fortify in a very superior manner. Living wholly by
the proceeds of their piratical excursions, and, aware of the efforts
made by the European rajah, Mr. Brooke, to put it down, they resolved to
take the first opportunity which might offer to show their hostility and
contempt to their new-raised enemy. The occasion soon presented itself.
Seven of the Kuchin Malays, having ventured in a canoe up the Sakarron
river, were all murdered, and their heads cut off, and kept, as usual,
as trophies; and the intelligence of this outrage communicated by them
to Mr. Brooke, with defiance.
Captain Keppell, of the Dido, had just arrived at Sarawak when this news
was brought to Mr. Brooke. Captain Keppell had been sent by Admiral Sir
Thomas Cochrane to the island on purpose to look out for pirates, and to
destroy them and their nests wherever he could find them. He therefore
gladly offered his assistance to Mr. Brooke to punish these murderous
wretches; and the Phlegethon steamer coming in while they were preparing
for the expedition, was, of course, added to the force employed. This
fortunate accession of strength, assisted by all the Malay war boats
which Mr. Brooke could muster, enabled them to give an effectual check
to a band of pirates, so numerous and so warlike as to have become most
formidable. To proceed:--
That night we anchored with the last of the flood at the entrance of the
Sakarron. We had great fear, from the intelligence we had received from
time to time, from boats we fell in with on our passage, that we should
arrive too late to be partakers of the affray; and so it proved, for the
next morning, while proceeding higher up the river, we perceived a large
force of native boats coming down with the ebb, and all of them filled
to the gunwale with plunder.