The _Dido_, after leaving Sarawak, proceeded to the island of Burong,
which was appointed as the place of rendezvous. The force selected for
the expedition consisted of the _Dido's_ pinnace, two cutters, and a
gig, with Rajah Brooke's boat, the _Jolly Bachelor_, carrying a long
six-pounder brass gun and thirty of the _Dido's_ men. Several chiefs
sent their fleets, so that the native force was considerable, and it
caused no little trouble to keep them in order.
On the 11th, as they passed rapidly up the stream, the beating of gongs
and the loud yelling warned them that they were approaching their
enemies. A sudden turn in the river brought them in front of a steep
hill, which rose from the bank. As they hove in sight, several hundred
savages rose up, and gave one of their war-yells. "It was the first,"
says Captain Keppel, "I ever heard. No report from musketry or ordnance
could ever make a man's heart feel so _small_ as mine did at that horrid
yell. I had no time to think, but took a shot at them with my
double-barrel as they rushed down the steep, while we hurried past." As
the large boat came up, she gave them a dose from her heavy gun. A
barrier of stakes was now encountered, but the gig pushed through, and
found herself in the presence of three formidable-looking forts, which
immediately opened a heavy fire on her. Luckily the enemy's guns were
elevated for the range of the barrier, a few grape-shot only splashing
the water round the gig. The boat was drifting fast towards the enemy.
The banks of the river were covered with warriors, who yelled and rushed
down to secure her. With some difficulty the long gig was got round,
and, Rajah Brooke steering, she was paddled up against the stream.
During this time Captain Keppel and his coxswain kept up a fire on the
embrasures, to prevent the enemy reloading before the pinnace could
bring her twelve-pounder carronade to bear. Unfortunately she fell
athwart the barrier, and had three men wounded while thus placed. With
the aid, however, of some of the native auxiliaries, the rattan lashings
which secured the heads of the stakes were cut, and the first cutter got
through. The other boats then followed, and kept up a destructive fire
on the fort. Mr D'Aeth, who was the first to land, jumped on shore
with his crew at the foot of the hill on the top of which the nearest
fort stood, and at once rushed for the summit.
This mode of warfare--this dashing at once in the very face of their
fort--was so novel and incomprehensible to the enemy, that they fled
panic-struck into the jungle, and the leading men of the British could
scarcely get a snap-shot at them. That evening the country was
illuminated for miles by the burning of the capital, Paddi, and the
adjacent villages. The guns in the forts were also taken and the
stockades burnt. The banks of the river were here so narrow that it was
necessary to keep vigilantly on the alert, as a spear even could easily
be thrown across, though for the greater part of the night the burning
houses made it light as day. In the evening, Doctors Simpson and
Treacher amputated the arm of the captain of the forecastle on board the
_Dido_. In the morning, a fleet of prahus came sweeping towards them,
and were only discovered to be friends just in time to save them from a
deadly discharge from the six-pounder.
In the evening, a party under Lieutenant Horton, who was accompanied by
Rajah Brooke, was sent up the left stream. Captain Keppel was at supper
on board the _Jolly Bachelor_, when the sound of the pinnace's
twelve-pounder carronade broke through the stillness of the night. This
was responded to by one of those simultaneous war-yells, apparently from
every part of the country. Captain Keppel, on this, jumping into his
gig, pulled off to the aid of his friends. From the winding of the
stream, the yells appeared to come from every direction--sometimes
ahead, sometimes astern. Proceeding thus for nearly two hours, a sudden
and quick discharge of musketry warned him that he was approaching the
scene of action.
He kept his rifle ready for use on his knee; and to give an idea that he
was bringing up a strong reinforcement, he ordered the bugler he had
with him to strike up "Rory O'More." This was immediately responded to
by three British cheers, followed, however, by a deathlike silence,
which made him suppose that the enemy were between him and his friends.
Seeing some human forms before him, he hailed, and, receiving no answer,
fired, supposing them to be Dyaks, when, to his horror, Lieutenant
Horton exclaimed, "We are here, sir." Providentially no one was hurt.
The sound of the current had prevented his hail being heard. The party
had taken up a very clever position on the top of a bank from which the
jungle had been cleared for about thirty yards, and which rose
perpendicularly from a little bay just big enough to hold the boats.
Here Lieutenant Gunnel was posted, with seven royal marines as a
rear-guard. This was an important position, and one of danger, as the
jungle itself was alive with the enemy; and although spears were hurled
from it continually during the night, no shot was thrown away unless the
figure of a pirate could be distinctly seen. The rain fell heavily, the
men wore their greatcoats to keep their pieces dry. Often during the
long night a musket was raised to the shoulder, and lowered, as the
enemy flitted by. Those in the boats below stood facing the opposite
bank of the river, with their arms in their hands.
It appears that the enemy had come down in great force to attack the
boats from that side; and as the river was there very shallow, and the
bottom hard, they could, by wading not more than knee-deep, have
approached to within five or six yards of them. But in the first attack
they had lost a good many men, and it is supposed that their repeated
advances during the night were more to recover their dead and wounded,
than to make any attack on the compact little force of British, whose
deadly aim and rapid firing had told with such effect, and who certainly
were, one and all, prepared to sell their lives as dearly as possible.
For some object, the enemy had begun felling some large trees, and their
torches showing their position, Mr Partridge kept up a hot fire on them
from the pinnace, till a signal rocket fired among them made them take
to flight. Two natives and one marine of the British party were
wounded; and the latter poor fellow, a gallant young officer named
Jenkins, already distinguished in the Chinese war, volunteered to convey
in the second gig, with four boys only, down to the _Jolly Bachelor_.
He performed his duty, and was again up with the party before daylight.
At dawn the pirates began assembling in some force; but as the boats
advanced up the river towards a spot where they had left their wives and
children, they sent in a flag of truce. Several chiefs soon appeared,
and the result of the conference was, that they undertook to abandon
piracy if their lives were spared. This was agreed to, and they have
strictly adhered to their promises.