Borneo and the Indian Archipelago
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Title: Borneo and the Indian Archipelago
Author: Frank Marryat
Release date: October 8, 2008 [eBook #26844]
Most recently updated: January 4, 2021
Language: English
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*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK BORNEO AND THE INDIAN ARCHIPELAGO ***
Produced by Ronald Lee
BORNEO
AND
THE INDIAN ARCHIPELAGO.
London:
SPOTTISWOODE AND SHAW,
New-street Square.
[Illustration: CHINESE JOSS HOUSE.
F. M. DELT.
M. N. HANHART LITH. PRINTERS
LONDON; LONGMAN & CO. 1848]
[Illustration: (Transcriber's Note: No caption in original
text--Picture shows a Bornean ship with the book title, author's
name and publisher printed on the sails and hull.)
F. M. DELT.
M. N. HANHART LITH. PRINTERS]
BORNEO
AND
THE INDIAN ARCHIPELAGO.
WITH
DRAWINGS OF COSTUME AND SCENERY.
BY
FRANK S. MARRYAT,
LATE MIDSHIPMAN OF H. M. S. SAMARANG,
SURVEYING VESSEL.
LONDON:
LONGMAN, BROWN, GREEN, AND LONGMANS,
PATERNOSTER-ROW.
1848.
INTRODUCTION.
I wish the readers of these pages to understand that it has been with
no desire to appear before the public as an author that I have
published this Narrative of the Proceedings of Her Majesty's ship
Samarang during her last Surveying Cruise.
During the time that I was in the ship, I made a large collection of
drawings, representing, I hope faithfully, the costumes of the natives
and the scenery of a country so new to Europeans. They were considered,
on my return, as worthy to be presented to the public, as being more
voluminous and more characteristic than drawings made in haste usually
are.
I may here observe, that it has been a great error on the part of the
Admiralty, considering the great expense incurred in fitting out
vessels for survey, that a little additional outlay is not made in
supplying every vessel with a professional draughtsman, as was
invariably the case in the first vessels sent out on discovery. The
duties of officers in surveying vessels are much too fatiguing and
severe to allow them the time to make anything but hasty sketches, and
they require that practice with the pencil without which natural talent
is of little avail; the consequence is, that the engravings, which have
appeared in too many of the Narratives of Journeys and Expeditions,
give not only an imperfect, but even an erroneous, idea of what they
would describe.
A hasty pencil sketch, from an unpractised hand, is made over to an
artist to reduce to proportion; from him it passes over to the hand of
an engraver, and an interesting plate is produced by their joint
labours. But, in this making up, the character and features of the
individual are lost, or the scenery is composed of foliage not
indigenous to the country, but introduced by the artist to make a good
picture.
In describing people and countries hitherto unknown, no description
given by the pen will equal one correct drawing. How far I may have
succeeded must be decided by those who have, with me, visited the same
places and mixed with the people delineated. How I found time to
complete the drawings is explained by my not doing any duty on board at
one time, and at another by my having been discharged into the
hospital-ship at Hong Kong.
It was my intention to have published these drawings without
letter-press, but in this I have been overruled. I have therefore been
compelled to have recourse to my own private journal, which certainly
was never intended for publication. As I proceeded, I found that, as I
was not on board during the whole of the time, it would be better, and
make the work more perfect, if I published the whole of the cruise,
which I could easily do by referring to the journals of my messmates.
I would gladly mention their names, and publicly acknowledge their
assistance; but, all things considered, I think it as well to withhold
them, and I take this opportunity of thanking them for their kindness.
FRANK S. MARRYAT.
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.
LITHOGRAPHIC PLATES.
Chinese Joss House _Frontispiece_
Bornese Vessel _Title-page_
Loondoo Dyak _To face page_ 5
River Sarawak and Town
of Kuchin 6
Keeney-Ballo 59
Serebis Dyak 79
Saghai Dyak 80
War Dance of the Dyaks 85
Malay Chief (Sooloo) 101
Bruni 106
Court of the Sultan of Borneo 109
West Point, Hong Kong 142
View on the Island of Poo-too 151
Chinese Joss House at Ningpo 156
Quelpartians 182
Mandarin of Quelpart (Corea) 183
Japanese 185
Natives of Luzon (Philippines) 199
View in Samboangan 201
Illanoan Pirate 207
Dusum 210
Port Louis 220
WOODCUTS.
Mr. Brooke's House 7
Dyak Head 13
Malays of Kuchin 23
Native of Batan 27
Native of Pa-tchu-san 31
Sooloo Village 42
Native Boat--Borneo 63
Dyak War Prahu 64
Dyak Women in Canoe 74
Teeth of Dyaks 79
Costumes of Dyak Women 80
Sum-pi-tan--Blow-pipe,
with poisoned Arrows 80
Dyak Village 82
Obtaining Fire 89
View of Sincapore 93
Malay Woman 100
Proboscis Monkey 103
Natives of Bruni 108
City of Manilla 121
Procession of the Sultan of
Gonong Tabor 133
Ears of Dyaks at Gonong Tabor 135
Portrait of Mahomed Pullulu,
Sultan of Sooloo 139
Tanka Boats--Hong Kong 141
Chinese Fishermen 145
Cook's Shop 146
Pagoda--Ningpo 154
Tanka Boat Women 165
Man-of-War Junk 168
Trading Junks 169
Japanese Boat 184
Salt Smugglers 193
Spanish Galleon 196
Water Carriers--Manilla 199
Illanoan Pirates 208
Natives of N. E. Coast of Borneo 210
Convict 215
Kling Woman 216
BORNEO
AND
THE INDIAN ARCHIPELAGO.
On the 25th of January, 1843, H. M. S. Samarang, being completely
equipped, went out of Portsmouth harbour and anchored at Spithead. The
crew were paid advanced wages; and, five minutes after the money had
been put into their hats at the pay-table, it was all most dexterously
transferred to the pockets of their wives, whose regard and affection
for their husbands at this peculiar time was most exemplary. On the
following day, the crew of the Samarang made sail with full hearts and
empty pockets.
On the 25th February, sighted Fuerto Ventura: when off this island, the
man at the mast-head reported a wreck in sight, which, as we neared it,
appeared to be the wreck of a brig. Strange to say, the captain
recognised it as an old acquaintance, which he had seen off Cape
Finisterre on his return from China in the Sulphur. If this was not a
mistake, it would be evidence of a southerly current in this quarter of
the Atlantic. This may be, but I do not consider the proof to be
sufficient to warrant the fact; although it may lead to the
supposition. If this was the wreck seen at such a long interval by the
captain, a succession of northerly winds and gales might have driven it
down so far to the southward without the assistance of any current. It
is well known that the great current of the Atlantic, the gulf stream
(which is occasioned by the waters, being forced by the continuous trade
winds into the Gulf of Mexico, finding a vent to the northward by the
coast of America, from thence towards Newfoundland, and then in a more
easterly direction), loses its force, and is expended to the northward
of the Western Islands; and this is the cause why so many rocks have
been yearly reported to have been fallen in with in this latitude.
Wrecks, all over the Atlantic, which have been water-logged but do not
sink, are borne by the various winds and currents until they get into
the gulf stream, which sweeps them along in its course until they arrive
to where its force is expended, and there they remain comparatively
stationary. By this time, probably, years have passed, and they are
covered with sea-weeds and barnacles, and, floating three or four feet
out of the water, have every appearance of rocks; and, indeed, if run
upon on a dark night, prove nearly as fatal.
March 3rd.--Anchored off the town of Porto Praya, Island of St. Jago, in
nine fathoms. Porto Praya is a miserable town, built on a most unhealthy
spot, there being an extensive marsh behind it, which, from its miasma,
creates a great mortality among the inhabitants. The consul is a native
of Bona Vista: two English consuls having fallen victims to the climate
in quick succession, no one was found very willing to succeed to such a
certain provision from the Foreign Office. The interior of the island
is, however, very different from what would be expected from the sight
of Porto Praya. Some of the officers paid a visit to the valley of St.
Domingo, which they described as a perfect paradise, luxuriant with
every tropical fruit. Porto Praya is renowned for very large sharks. I
was informed by a captain in Her Majesty's service, that once, when he
anchored at Porto Praya, he had left the ship to go on shore in one of
the twenty-two-foot gigs, not unaptly nick-named coffins in the service.
He had not pulled more than a cable's length from the ship, when a
shark, nearly as long as the gig, came up swimming with great velocity
after them; and as he passed, the animal shouldered the boat, so as
nearly to upset it: as it was, the boat took in the water over the
gunwale. As the animal appeared preparing for another attack, the
captain thought it advisable to pull alongside, and go on shore in the
cutter instead of his own boat; and on this large boat the shark did not
make a second attempt.
April 25th.--Anchored in Simon's Bay, Cape of Good Hope. Sailed again on
the 7th of May, and fell in with a favourable wind; and too much of it.
For six days we were scudding before it under a close-reefed
main-topsail and fore-staysail. On the 10th we lost one of the best men
in the ship, the sailmaker, Charles Downing, who fell overboard; the
ship was rounded to, the life-buoy let go, but we saw nothing of him.
June 7th saw Christmas Islands, and on the same afternoon the land of
Java. On the 11th we arrived off the town of Anger, in company with a
fleet of merchant vessels of all nations and of all rigs. Having been so
long without a fresh meal, we were not sorry to find ourselves
surrounded by boats loaded with fish, fruit, and vegetables; we ate
enormously, and they made us pay in proportion.
On the 19th we arrived at Sincapore, and found the roads very gay with
vessels of all descriptions, from the gallant free trader of 1000 tons
to the Chinese junk. As Sincapore, as well as many other places, was
more than once visited, I shall defer my description for the present. On
June the 27th we weighed and made sail for the river of Sarawak
(Borneo), to pay a visit to Mr. Brooke, who resides at Kuchin, a town
situated on that river.
The public have already been introduced to Mr. Brooke in the volumes
published by Captain Henry Keppel. Mr. Brooke is a gentleman of
independent fortune, who was formerly in the service of the Company. The
usefulness and philanthropy of his public career are well known: if the
private history which induced him to quit the service, and afterwards
expatriate himself, could with propriety, and also regard to Mr.
Brooke's feelings, be made known, it would redound still more to his
honour and his high principle; but these I have no right to make public.
Mr. Brooke, having made up his mind to the high task of civilising a
barbarous people, and by every means in his power of putting an end to
the wholesale annual murders committed by a nation of pirates, whose
hands were, like Ishmael's, against every man, sailed from England in
his yacht, the Royalist schooner, with a crew of picked and tried men,
and proceeded to Sarawak, where he found the rajah, Muda Hassein, the
uncle to the reigning sultan of Borneo, engaged in putting down the
insurrection of various chiefs of the neighbouring territory. Mr.
Brooke, with his small force, gave his assistance to the rajah; and
through his efforts, and those of his well-armed band, the refractory
chiefs were reduced to obedience. Willing to retain such a powerful
ally, and partial to the English, the rajah made Mr. Brooke most
splendid promises to induce him to remain; but the rajah, like all
Asiatics, did not fulfil the performance of these promises until after
much delay and vexation to Mr. Brooke, who required all the courage and
patience with which he is so eminently gifted, before he could obtain
his ends. At last he was successful: Muda Hassein made over to him a
large tract of land, over which he was constituted rajah, and Mr. Brooke
took up his residence at Kuchin; and this grant was ultimately confirmed
by the seal of the sultan of Borneo. Such, in few words, is the history
of Mr. Brooke: if the reader should wish for a more detailed account, I
must refer him to Capt. Henry Keppel's work, in which is published a
great portion of Mr. Brooke's own private memoranda.
[Illustration: LOONDOO DYAK.
(N. W. COAST OF BORNEO.)
F. M. DELT.
M. N. HANHART LITH. PRINTERS
LONDON; LONGMAN & CO. 1848]
On the morning of the 29th June we saw the high land of Borneo, but for
several days were unsuccessful in discovering the mouth of the river. On
the night of July the 4th we anchored off the entrance of a river, which
the captain supposed to be the Sarawak. The next morning the two barges,
well armed, were sent up the river to obtain information. After pulling
with the stream six or eight miles, they discovered a small canoe,
which, on their approach, retreated up the river with great speed. Mr.
Heard, the officer in charge of the boats, had taken the precaution, as
he ascended the river, of cutting a palm branch for each boat, and these
were now displayed at the bows as a sign of peaceable intentions.
These universal tokens of amity reassured the natives, who, seeing them,
now turned the bows of their canoes, and paddled towards the boats. The
canoe contained four men, almost in a state of nudity, their only
covering consisting of a narrow slip of cotton fastened round the
middle. They were copper-coloured, and extremely ugly: their hair jet
black, very long, and falling down the back; eyes were also black, and
deeply sunk in the head, giving a vindictive appearance to the
countenance; nose flattened; mouth very large; the lips of a bright
vermilion, from the chewing of the betel-nut; and, to add to their
ugliness, their teeth black, and filed to sharp points. Such is the
personal appearance of a Loondoo Dyak.
They informed us that the river we were then in was the Loondoo, and
that the Sarawak was some distance to the eastward. They also gave us
the information that the boats of the Dido had been engaged with
pirates, and had been successful, having captured one prahu and sunk
another. After great persuasion, we induced one of them to accompany us
to the ship, and pilot her to the Sarawak.
The same evening we weighed anchor, and stood towards a remarkable
promontory (Tangong Sipang), to the eastward of which is the principal
entrance of the Sarawak river; a second, but less safe, entrance being
within a mile of the promontory. Light and variable winds prevented our
arrival at the mouth of the river until the evening of the following
day. From thence, after two days' incessant kedging and towing, we
anchored off the town of Kuchin, on the morning of the 8th instant. The
town of Kuchin is built on the left-hand side of the river Sarawak going
up; and, from the windings of the river, you have to pull twenty-five
miles up the river to arrive at it, whereas it is only five miles from
the coast as the crow flies. It consists of about 800 houses, built on
piles driven into the ground, the sides and roofs being enclosed with
dried palm leaves. Strips of bamboo are laid across, which serve as a
floor. In fact, there is little difference between these houses and
those built by the Burmahs and other tribes in whose countries bamboo
and ratan are plentiful. The houses of Mr. Brooke and the rajah are much
superior to any others, having the advantage and comfort of wooden sides
and floorings. We visited the rajah several times, who invariably
received us with urbanity, and entertained us in a very hospitable
manner. Muda Hassein is a man about fifty years of age,--some think
more,--of low stature, as are most of the Malays, well made, and with a
very prepossessing countenance for a Malay. His brother, Budruden, is a
much finer man, very agreeable, and very partial to the English. The
Malays profess Mahomedanism; but Budruden in many points followed
European customs, both in dress and drinking wine.
[Illustration: RIVER SARAWACK AND TOWN OF KUCHIN.
(BORNEO.)
F. M. DELT.
M. N. HANHART LITH. PRINTERS
LONDON; LONGMAN & CO. 1848]
The residence of Mr. Brooke is on the side of the river opposite to the
town, as, for the most part, are all the houses of the Europeans. In
structure it somewhat resembles a Swiss cottage, and is erected upon a
green mound, which slopes down to the river's bank, where there is a
landing-place for boats. At the back of the house is a garden,
containing almost every tree peculiar to the climate; and it was a
novelty to us to see collected together the cotton-tree, the areca,
sago, palm, &c., with every variety of the Camellia japonica in a state
of most luxurious wildness.
[Illustration: MR. BROOKE'S HOUSE.]
The establishment consists of six Europeans, and the house contains one
large receiving-room, and several smaller ones, appropriated to the
residents as sleeping apartments, besides Mr. Brooke's own private
rooms. The large room is decorated with rifles, swords, and other
instruments of warfare, European and native; and it is in this room that
the European rajah gives his audiences: and it is also in this room that
every day, at five o'clock, a capital dinner is served up, to which we
were made heartily welcome. During our stay, Mr. Brooke, accompanied by
several of our officers and some of the residents, made an excursion up
the river. We started early in the morning, with a flowing tide; and,
rapidly sweeping past the suburbs of the town, which extend some
distance up the river, we found ourselves gliding through most
interesting scenery. On either side, the river was bounded by gloomy
forests, whose trees feathered down to the river's bank, the water
reflecting their shadows with peculiar distinctness. Occasionally the
scene was diversified by a cleared spot amidst this wilderness, where,
perchance, a half-ruined hut, apparently not inhabited for years, the
remains of a canoe, together with fragments of household utensils, were
to be seen, proving that once it had been the abode of those who had
been cut off by some native attack, and probably the heads of its former
occupants were now hanging up in some skull-house belonging to another
tribe. The trees were literally alive with monkeys and squirrels, which
quickly decamped as we approached them. Several times we were startled
by the sudden plunge of the alligators into the water, close to the
boats, and of whose propinquity we were not aware until they made the
plunge. All these rivers are infested with alligators, and I believe
they are very often mischievous; at all events, one of our youngsters
was continually in a small canoe, paddling about, and the natives
cautioned us that if he was not careful he certainly would be taken by
one of these animals.
Early in the afternoon we disembarked at a Chinese village twenty-five
miles from Kuchin. The inhabitants of this village work the gold and
antimony mines belonging to Mr. Brooke. We remained there for the
night, and the next morning proceeded further up the river, and landed
at another village, where we breakfasted, and then proceeded on foot to
visit the mines. Our path lay through dense forests of gigantic trees,
whose branches met and interlaced overhead, shading us from the burning
rays of the sun. At times we would emerge from the wood, and find
ourselves passing through cultivated patches of ravines, enclosed on all
sides by lofty mountains, covered with foliage. In these spots we found
a few natives with their families, who seemed to be contented in their
perfect isolation; for in these secluded spots generations may pass
away, and know no world beyond their own confines of forest jungle. At
times our route was over mountains, whose appearance was so formidable
that our hearts almost failed us at the prospect of having to scale
them; but we succeeded beyond our expectations, and at length arrived at
the antimony village, not a little pleased at our labours being ended.
Our spirits, which had been flagging, were revived by a pull at the
bottle. From our resting-place we had a good view of the mine, which is
a source of great profit to Mr. Brooke. The antimony is obtained from
the side of a hill, the whole of which is supposed to be formed of this
valuable mineral. The side at which the men are at work shines like
silver during the day, and may be seen several miles distant, strangely
contrasting with the dark foliage of the adjoining jungles. The ore is
conveyed to Kuchin, and is there shipped on board of the Royalist, (Mr.
Brooke's schooner yacht,) and taken to Sincapore, where it is eagerly
purchased by the merchants, and shipped for England.
After partaking of a little refreshment we set off, through woods and
over mountains, as before, to visit the gold mine. On our arrival at
every village on the road, a certain number of guns were fired by the
natives, in honour of the European rajah; and the same ceremony was
repeated when we left it. It was late in the afternoon before we
arrived at the village attached to the gold mine. It is prettily
situated in the depth of a valley, through which runs a small rivulet.
On every side mountains soar into the clouds, which must be passed
before you can reach the village. Dinner had been prepared for us by the
inhabitants of the village, who were a colony of Chinese; and it was
served up in a large building dedicated to Joss, whose shrine was
brilliantly illuminated with candles and joss-sticks. Some of the
officers unthinkingly lighted their cigars at the altar. The Chinese,
observing it, requested very civilly that they would do so no more; a
request which was, of course, complied with. After dinner we all
proceeded to the rivulet, in search of gold; the natives had cleared out
the bed of the river; the sand and stones were thrown into an artificial
sluice for washing it; and a little gold was found by some of the party.
This gold mine, if it may be so called, is worth to Mr. Brooke about
1000l. per annum, after all the expenses are paid. Its real value is
much greater; but the Chinese conceal a great quantity, and appropriate
it to themselves. But if the particles of gold which are brought down by
a small rivulet are of such value, what may be the value of the mines
above, in the mountains as yet untrodden by human feet? This, it is to
be hoped, enterprise will some day reveal.
We remained at the village that night, and at daylight commenced our
journey back to the village from which we had started the day before.
There we embarked, and proceeded down the river to the first Chinese
village, at which we arrived in the course of the afternoon. A short
distance inland is a mountain, called Sarambo, which it was proposed to
ascend, as, by our telescopes, we could perceive houses near to its
summit, and were told it was the residence of some of the mountain Dyaks
under Mr. Brooke's sway. From the village this mountain wore the
appearance of a huge sugar-loaf, and its sides appeared inaccessible.
Mr. Brooke, with his usual kindness, gave his consent, and despatched a
messenger to the Dyak village, requesting the chief to send a party down
by daylight the next morning, to convey our luggage up the mountain. At
day-dawn we were awakened by a confused noise outside of the house, and,
looking out, we perceived that more than a score of these mountain Dyaks
had arrived. Most of them had nothing on but the usual strip of cotton;
some few had on red baize jackets. They all wore a peculiar kind of
_kris_, and many had spears, sampitans, and shields. They were
fine-limbed men, with muscles strongly developed. Their hair fell down
their backs, and nearly reached their middle: it was prevented from
falling over the face by a fillet of grass, which was ornamented with
mountain flowers.
After a hurried breakfast we set off for the foot of the mountain, our
party amounting to about eighty people. The guides led the way, followed
by the Europeans; and the Dyaks, with the luggage, brought up the rear.
In this order we commenced the ascent. Each person was provided with a
bamboo, which was found indispensable; and thus, like a party of
pilgrims, we proceeded on our way; and before we had gone very far, we
discovered that we were subjected to severe penance. The mountain was
nearly perpendicular. In some places we had to ascend by a single piece
of wood, with rough notches for the feet, resting against a rock twenty
or thirty feet above our heads; and on either side was a precipice, so
that a false step must have been certain death. In other places a single
piece of bamboo was thrown over a frightful chasm, by way of bridge.
This, with a slight bamboo rail for the hand, was all that we had to
trust to. The careful manner in which we passed these dangers was a
source of great laughter and amusement to the Dyaks who followed us.
Accustomed from infancy to tread these dangerous paths, although heavily
laden, they scorned to support themselves. Some of our party were nearly
exhausted, and a long way in the rear before we came to the village. We
had to wait for their coming up, and threw ourselves under the shade of
some huge trees, that we might contemplate the bird's-eye view beneath.
It was a sight which must be seen to be appreciated. Almost as far as
the eye could reach was one immense wooded plain, bounded by lofty
mountains in the far distance, whose tops pierced the clouds. The rivers
appeared like silver threads, running through the jungles; now breaking
off, and then regained. At our feet lay the village we had started from,
the houses of which appeared like mere points. Shakspeare Cliff was as
nothing to it, and his beautiful lines would have fallen very short of
the mark; and while we gazed, suddenly a cloud below us would pass
between us and the view, and all would be hidden from the sight. Thus we
were far above the clouds, and then the clouds would break, and open,
and pass and repass over each other, until, like the dissolving views,
all was clear again, although the landscape was not changed. It was
towards noon before we saw the first mountain village, which we did not
immediately enter, as we waited the arrival of the laggards: we stopped,
therefore, at a spring of cold water, and enjoyed a refreshing wash.
Here we fell in with some pretty Dyak girls, very scantily clothed, who
were throwing water at each other in sport. We soon came in for a
plentiful share, which we returned with interest; and in this amusing
combat we passed half an hour, until all had joined the party. We then
entered the village, which was situated in a grove of trees. The houses
were built upon posts, as those down by the river side. They were
immensely large, with a bamboo platform running the whole length of the
building, and divided into many compartments, in each of which a Dyak
family resides. We were escorted, through a crowd of wondering Dyaks, to
a house in the centre of the village, which was very different in
construction from the others. It was perfectly round, and well
ventilated by numerous port-holes in the roof, which was pointed. We
ascended to the room above by means of a rough ladder, and when we
entered we were rather taken aback at finding that we were in the Head
House, as it is termed, and that the beams were lined with human heads,
all hanging by a small line passed through the top of the skull. They
were painted in the most fantastic and hideous manner; pieces of wood,
painted to imitate the eyes, were inserted into the sockets, and added
not a little to their ghastly grinning appearance. The strangest part of
the story, and which added very much to the effect of the scene, was,
that these skulls were perpetually moving to and fro, and knocking
against, each other. This, I presume, was occasioned by the different
currents of air blowing in at the port-holes cut in the roof; but what
with their continual motion, their nodding their chins when they hit
each other, and their grinning teeth, they really appeared to be endowed
with new life, and were a very merry set of fellows. However, whatever
might be the first impression occasioned by this very unusual sight, it
very soon wore off, and we amused ourselves with those motions which
were "not life," as Byron says; and, in the course of the day, succeeded
in making a very excellent dinner in company with these gentlemen,
although we were none of us sufficiently Don Giovannis to invite our
friends above to supper. We visited three villages on the Sarambo
mountain. Each of these villages was governed by a chief of its own, but
they were subordinate to the great chief, residing in the first village.
[Illustration: DYAK HEAD.]
In the evening the major portion of the population came to the Head
House, to exhibit to us their national dances. The music was composed of
two gongs and two large bamboo drums. The men stood up first, in war
costume, brandishing their spears and shields, and throwing themselves
into the most extraordinary attitudes, as they cut with their knives at
some imaginary enemy; at the same time uttering the most unearthly
yells, in which the Dyak spectators joined, apparently highly delighted
with the exhibition. The women then came forward, and went through a
very unmeaning kind of dance, keeping time with their hands and feet;
but still it was rather a relief after the noise and yelling from which
we had just suffered. The chief, Macuta, expressing a wish to see a
specimen of our dancing, not to let them suppose we were not as warlike
as themselves, two of the gig's boat's crew stood up, and went through
the evolutions of the broad-sword exercise in a very creditable manner.
After this performance one of the seamen danced the sailor's hornpipe,
which brought forth a torrent of yells instead of bravos, but they
certainly meant the same thing. By this time, the heat from a large
fire, with the smell of humanity in so crowded a room, became so
overpowering, that I was glad to leave the Head House to get a little
fresh air, and my ears relieved from the dinning of the drums and gongs.
It was a beautiful starry night, and, strolling through the village, I
soon made acquaintance with a native Dyak, who requested me to enter his
house. He introduced me to his family, consisting of several fine girls
and a young lad. The former were naked from the shoulders to below the
breasts, where a pair of stays, composed of several circles of
whalebone, with brass fastenings, were secured round their waists; and
to the stays was attached a cotton petticoat, reaching to below their
knees. This was the whole of their attire. They were much shorter than
European women, but well made; very interesting in their appearance, and
affable and friendly in their manners. Their eyes were dark and
piercing, and I may say there was something wicked in their furtive
glances; their noses were but slightly flattened; the mouth rather
large; but when I beheld the magnificent teeth which required all its
size to display, I thought this rather an advantage. Their hair was
superlatively beautiful, and would have been envied by many a courtly
dame. It was jet black, and of the finest texture, and hung in graceful
masses down the back, nearly reaching to the ground. A mountain Dyak
girl, if not a beauty, has many most beautiful points; and, at all
events, is very interesting and, I may say, pretty. They have good eyes,
good teeth, and good hair;--more than good: I may say splendid;--and
they have good manners, and know how to make use of their eyes. I shall,
therefore, leave my readers to form their own estimates by my
description. Expecting to meet some natives in my ramble, I had filled
my pockets with ship's biscuit, and which I now distributed among the
ladies, who appeared very grateful, as they rewarded me, while they
munched it, by darting wicked glances from their laughing eyes.
Observing that the lad wore a necklace of human teeth round his neck,
his father explained to me, in pantomime, that they were the teeth of an
enemy whom he slew in battle, and whose head was now in the Head House.
As it was getting late I bade my new friends farewell, by shaking hands
all round. The girls laughed immoderately at this way of bidding
good-bye, which, of course, was to them quite novel. I regretted
afterwards that I had not attempted the more agreeable way of bidding
ladies farewell, which, I presume, they would have understood better; as
I believe kissing is an universal language, perfectly understood from
the equator to the pole.
At daylight the next morning we descended the mountain, and, embarking
in the boats, arrived at the ship late in the afternoon.
While at Sarawak we witnessed a very strange ceremony. Hearing a great
noise in a house, we entered, and found ourselves in a large room
crowded to excess by a numerous assemblage, singing in any thing but
harmony. They proved to be natives of Java, assembled for the purpose of
celebrating one of their festivals. On our entrance into the house, we
were literally covered by the inmates with perfumes of the most
delightful fragrance. Some of these odours were in a liquid state, and
were poured down our backs, or upon our heads; others were in a state of
powder, with which we were plentifully besprinkled. We were then
escorted into the centre of the room, where we found a circle of elderly
men, who were reading portions of their sacred books, and their voices
were accompanied by music from instruments of native manufacture. We
were treated with great attention, being permitted to enter the circle
of the elders, who ordered the attendants to hand us refreshments, which
consisted of cakes made of rice and cocoa-nut oil, and Sam-schoo. Some
of our party, having become slightly elevated, volunteered a song, which
proposition was opposed by the more reasonable. The Javanese were
appealed to by the former, and they gave their votes in favour of the
song. It was accordingly sung by our whole party, much to the delight of
our kind entertainers, who, no doubt, considered that we felt and
appreciated their rites. At length we took our leave, well pleased with
our novel entertainment. So well did we succeed in making ourselves
agreeable, that we received an invitation for the following night.
July 10th.--In the evening a display of fireworks took place, notice of
which had been given to the rajah, and, indeed, to the whole population
of Kuchin, who had all assembled near to the ship, to witness what they
considered a most wonderful sight. Seamen were stationed at all the
yard-arms, flying jib, and driver booms, with blue-lights, which were
fired simultaneously with the discharge of a dozen rockets, and the
great gun of a royal salute. The echoes reverberated for at least a
minute after the last gun of the salute had been fired; and, judging by
the yells of the natives, the display must have created a strong
sensation. Immediately after the salute, the anchor was weighed, and we
commenced dropping down the river with the ebb tide; but we soon
grounded on the mud, and we remained all night with the bowsprit in the
bushes which grow on the banks of the river.
The ship floated the next morning; the anchor was weighed, and with the
assistance of the ebb tide, we dropped down the river at the rate of
five miles per hour. As we were nearing a cluster of dangerous rocks,
about a mile below Kuchin, we found that the ship was at the mercy of
the rapid tide; and, notwithstanding all our endeavours, the ship struck
on the rocks. Anchors were immediately laid out, but to no effect: the
water rapidly shallowed, and we gave up all thoughts of getting off
until the next flood tide. As the water left the ship, she fell over to
starboard, and, an hour after she had grounded, she listed to starboard
25 degrees. Our position was now becoming critical: the main deck ports
had been shipped some time previous, but this precaution did not prevent
the water from gaining entrance on the main and lower decks. As she
still continued to heel over to starboard, a hawser was taken on shore,
and, by purchases, set taut to the mast head; but before this could be
accomplished she had filled so much that it proved useless.
A boat was now despatched to Kuchin, to acquaint Mr. Brooke with our
disaster, and to request the assistance of the native boats. During the
absence of the boats, the top-gallant-masts had been sent down, and
topmasts lowered; but the ship was now careening over 46 degrees, and
full of water. All hopes of getting her off were therefore, for the
present, abandoned; and we commenced removing every thing that could be
taken out of her in the boats. The surveying instruments and other
valuables, were sent up to Kuchin in the gig; and afterwards every thing
that could be obtained from the ship was brought up in the native boats,
as well as the whole crew of the Samarang. Mr. Brooke insisted upon all
the officers making a temporary abode at his house, and prepared a shed
for the crew. An excellent dinner was laid before the officers, while a
substantial mess of fowls and rice was served out to the crew. In fact,
the kindness of Mr. Brooke was beyond all bounds. The gentlemen who
resided with him, as well as himself, provided us with clothes from
their own wardrobes, and during our protracted stay did all in their
power to make us comfortable; indeed, I may safely say, that we were so
happy and comfortable, that there were but very few of the officers and
crew of the Samarang that ever wished to see her afloat again. But I
must return to my narrative.
The morning after our disaster we went down to the ship, and commenced
recovering provisions and stores, sending down masts and yards, and
every other article deemed necessary; and this was continued for several
days: during which the midshipmen, petty officers, and seamen were
removed to the opposite shore, where two houses had been, by Mr. Brooke,
prepared for their reception. Our house, (the midshipmen's) we
christened Cockpit Hall; it was very romantically situate in the middle
of a plantation of cocoa nut, palm, banana, and plantain trees. It was
separated from the house in which the seamen were barracked by a small
kind of jungle, not more than 300 yards in extent, but so intricate that
we constantly lost our way in it, and had to shout and receive an
answer, or go back and take a fresh departure. Our garden, in which
there was a delightful spring of cold water, extended on a gentle slope
about a hundred yards in front of the house, where its base was watered
by a branch of the Sarawak; in which we refreshed ourselves by bathing
morning and evening, in spite of the numerous alligators and water
snakes with which the river abounds. But our incautious gambols received
a check. Two of our party agreed to proceed to the mouth of the branch I
have mentioned, to determine which could return with the greatest
speed. They had commenced their swimming race, when we, who stood ashore
as umpires, observed an enormous water snake, with head erect, making
for the two swimmers. We cried out to them to hasten on shore, which
they did; while we kept up a rapid discharge of stones at the head of
the brute, who was at last driven off in another direction. This
incident induced us to be more cautious, and to keep within safe
boundary for the future.
Our repose at Cockpit Hall was, however, much disturbed by the nightly
visits of wild hogs, porcupines, wild cats, guanos, and various other
animals, some of which made dreadful noises. When they paid us their
visits, we all turned out, and, armed with muskets, commenced an assault
upon them, which soon caused them to evacuate our domain; but similar
success did not attend our endeavours to dislodge the swarms of
musquitos, scorpions, lizards, and centipedes from our habitations. They
secreted themselves in the thatch, and the sides of the house during the
day, and failed not to disturb with their onslaughts during the whole of
the night.
July 22d.--Mr. Hooper, the purser, was despatched in the Royalist to
Sincapore, to purchase provisions and obtain assistance from any of the
men-of-war who might be lying in the roads.
It is not necessary to enter into a minute detail of the service which
we were now employed upon. It certainly was not a service of love, as we
had to raise a ship which we hoped would remain where she was. To enter
into particulars, technical terms must be resorted to, which would only
puzzle the reader. The position of the Samarang was simply this: she lay
on a rock, and had filled by careening over; as long as she was on her
side, the water rose and fell in her with the flood and ebb of the tide;
but if once we could get her on an even keel, as soon as the water left
her with the ebb of the tide, all we had to do was to pump her out, and
then she would float again. To effect this, we had to lighten her as
much as possible, by taking out of her her guns and stores of every
description; then to get purchases on her from the shore, and assist the
purchases with rafts under her bilge, so as to raise her again upon an
even keel. On the second day after she filled, when the tide had run
out, we removed all our chests from the lower deck; most of them were
broken, and a large proportion of the contents missing. On the 27th May
every thing had been prepared, and the attempt to get the vessel on an
even keel was made, and it proved successful, as it well might with the
variety of purchases, and the force of men we had at our disposition.
When we repaired to the ship with 100 Malays to man the purchase-falls,
the tide was ebbing fast, and the pumps were immediately set to work; so
that at midnight, when the tide commenced flowing, the ship was nearly
free of water. The purchases were then manned, and with the assistance
of the rafts the ship gradually righted. The following day, about
half-past two in the morning, the ship was free of water, and had risen
to a careen of 30°; at 3 o'clock she floated into deep water, and was
then anchored. During the forenoon of the same day the ship was towed to
her former anchoring ground off Kuchin. The same night the Harlequin and
Royalist arrived in the river, and a day or two afterwards a brig and
schooner came over with the intention of bidding for the remains of the
ship, and of stocking the officers with clothes and necessaries. This
was a losing speculation, as may be imagined, arising from a report
having been circulated that it was impossible to raise the ship,
whereas, as the reader will perceive, there was very little difficulty
in so doing, nothing but sufficient strength being required.
Our ship, as may be supposed, was in a most filthy state after the late
immersion. Plunging into a river does not clean a vessel, although it
does a man. The decks were literally coated with mud and slime, which
emitted the most foetid odour. Silver spoons, watches, and valuables of
every description, were everywhere strewed about, few of which ever
reached their rightful owners; for the Malays who were employed to clean
the ship had an eye to business, and secreted every thing which was
portable. By dint of great exertion, the ship was in a few days ready to
receive her tanks, guns, and stores, which were embarked by the
Harlequin's boats and boats' crews. She was soon in a forward state, and
an expedition was formed to survey a part of the coast during the
completion of her refitting. The gig and one of the barges were fitted
out for this service, and on August the 13th, at daylight, we left
Kuchin, well armed, and provisioned for ten days. At 10 A. M. we dropped
anchor under the Peak of Santabong, from which the branch of the Sarawak
we were then in derives its name. Here we remained a short time to
refresh the men, who had not ceased tugging at the oar from the time
that we started. The foot of the Santabong mountain is about a quarter
of a mile from the river. It then ascends almost perpendicularly to a
great height, towering far above the neighbouring mountains. Afterwards
it runs seaward for a mile or two, and terminates in a remarkable peak,
which forms the eastern horn of the extensive bay between it and Tanjon
Datu. Here we were about a week, during which time we had extended our
survey to the last-mentioned cape, which is about forty miles to the
westward of Santabong. While in the vicinity of Datu, a strict watch was
kept, that we might have timely notice of the approach of any prahus. A
short distance from the cape is a delightful bay studded with small
islets, which is known by the appellation of Pirate's Bay, so called
from its being a favourite resort of the Illanoan pirates. It was in
this bay that the Dido's boats were anchored when they were surprised by
several piratical prahus, the look-out men in the European boats,
exhausted by the heat and long pulling at the oar, having fallen asleep.
They had scarcely time to cut the cables and grasp their weapons ere
they were assailed on all sides by the pirates, who felt confident of
success, from having found them napping. But they little knew what
people they had to deal with, and if Jack was asleep when they made the
attack, they found him wide awake when they came to close quarters. All
their endeavours to board in the face of the rapid fire of the boats'
guns and small arms proved abortive, and they soon discovered that it
would be quite sufficient for their purpose if, instead of capturing the
boats, they could make their own escape. One of the prahus, pierced by
the well-directed shot, foundered, another was abandoned, and the rest,
favoured by darkness, made their escape. For a more detailed account, I
must refer the reader to Captain Keppel's work on Borneo.
During the survey, we visited the islands of Talen Talen--the Malay word
for turtle. These islands are the property of Mr. Brooke. A few Malays
lived on the largest of them for the purpose of getting turtle eggs,
with which they supply the trading prahus, who continually call here to
lay in a stock of these eggs, which are considered a great luxury by the
Malays. We landed with Mr. Williamson, the Malay interpreter at Sarawak,
belonging to Mr. Brooke's establishment. We were well received by the
Malays, who knew Mr. Williamson well, and he informed them that our
object was to procure a live turtle. They requested us to take our
choice of the numerous turtle then lying on the beach. We selected one
of about three cwt.; but although the turtles are never turned on this
island, she appeared to be aware that such was our intention, and
scuttled off as fast as she could for the water; however, we intercepted
her, and with some difficulty secured our prize. From one of the
numerous nests on the beach we took 600 turtle eggs. As many thousands
could have been as easily procured, but we had sufficient for our wants.
The Malays watch during the night, to ascertain where the turtle
deposits her eggs, for as soon as she has finished her task, she covers
them with her nippers with sand, and immediately retires into the sea. A
piece of wood is then set up as a mark for the nest, which is rifled as
occasion requires. It is a curious fact that the male turtle never
lands.
[Illustration: MALAYS OF KUCHIN.]
After visiting several villages on the coast, we returned to Kuchin on
Saturday the 19th, when we found that death had deprived us of our only
musician on board the ship, a loss which was much felt by the crew, as
he contributed much to their amusement. One of the supernumerary boys
had also fallen a victim to the dysentery; but, although we deplored our
loss, we had great reason to be thankful that it had been no greater, as
on the day we left Kuchin, we had upwards of seventy men on the sick
report. The same day, at noon, the anchor was weighed, and we dropped
down the river with the ebb tide. Strange to say, in spite of all our
precautions, we struck on the same reef of rocks again; fortunately,
however, the ship turned with the tide and grounded in the mud close to
the bushes, from whence there was no extricating her till the flood tide
had made. In the afternoon, when it was low water, a very large
alligator was discovered asleep upon the rocks, which had been properly
christened the Samarang Rocks, and which were now, at low ebb, several
feet above water. A party of officers and marines pulled towards him,
and fired a volley at him. The brute was evidently wounded, as he sprang
up several feet in the air, and then disappeared under the water.
Shortly after he again made his appearance, having landed on the
opposite side of the river; his assailants again gave chase, and again
wounded him, but he shuffled into the river and escaped.
At three in the afternoon, we were much pleased at the arrival of the
Diana, one of the Company's steamers, sent from Sincapore to our
assistance. She proved extremely useful, for that night we gained
fifteen miles, when we again grounded and remained all night. On the
following day, at eleven A. M., a cloud of thick smoke was observed
rising above the jungle, which we immediately decided to proceed from a
steamer. Shortly afterwards two masts appeared above the trees, and at
one of them the Vixen's number was flying: she soon hove in sight. We
weighed, and with the Harlequin, were towed down the river at a rapid
pace. When we arrived at the entrance we anchored, finding there the
Wanderer, and being joined soon afterwards by the Ariel, Royalist, and
Diana, we formed a squadron of six vessels.
On the 23d August, the Samarang, Harlequin, Ariel, and Royalist, weighed
anchor and steered along the coast for Borneo Proper, where we arrived
on Tuesday the 29th. On the Thursday following, Mr. Brooke, accompanied
by the captains of the three men-of-war and some officers, started in
one of the barges for the city of Bruni, which was about eighteen miles
from our anchorage. They had an audience with the sultan, but upon what
cause I do not exactly know. They were treated with great civility, and
returned to the ship about one o'clock on the following morning. My
description of Bruni I shall reserve for a future visit. On the 5th of
September we made sail for Hong Kong, with the Vixen in company, leaving
the Ariel and Royalist to carry Mr. Brooke and the rajah's brother down
to Sarawak. The Harlequin sailed for Sincapore. The Vixen having parted
company to obtain fuel at Manilla, we continued our course to Hong Kong,
where we arrived on the 14th inst., and found there Admirals Parker and
Cochrane, in their respective ships the Cornwallis and Agincourt, with
others of the squadron. We sailed again on the 2d of November, and after
working up the coast of China for a week, we steered to the eastward,
and on the 12th sighted the Bashee group. Here our surveying duties
commenced in earnest, as we left the ship at four A. M. and did not
return till darkness put an end to our labours. The governor of this
group of islands sent a letter to our captain requesting the pleasure of
seeing the ship in San Domingo Bay, where wood, water, and live stock
could be obtained on reasonable terms. This letter was accompanied with
a present of fruit and vegetables. A few days afterwards, we worked up
to San Domingo Bay (Batan Island), and we were much surprised on our
arrival to perceive that the town had a cathedral, of apparently ancient
architecture, besides several houses built on the European style. The
remainder of the town, which is of some extent, was composed of houses
built of bamboo, and thatched with palm leaves.
We anchored late in the afternoon, and were boarded by a Spanish
military officer, who, to judge by certain signs and peculiarities, had
been imbibing something stronger than water. The captain and some of
the officers went on shore, to call upon the governor. The governor's
house was distinguished by a flag-staff, with the Spanish colours, or,
rather, a remnant of the Spanish colours; and around the door stood a
group of most indifferently clad Luzonian soldiers, turned out, we
presumed, as a guard of honour. The governor was as much in dishabille
as his troops, and shortly afterwards the party was joined by two
priests and the governor's wife, a very pretty Creole, about twenty
years of age. We were regaled with wine and chocolate, and parted late
in the evening, on very friendly terms. The governor's house is a
miserable abode: it has but one story, and the basement is a barrack for
the soldiers. The upper part, inhabited by the governor, was very
scantily furnished: a few old chairs, a couple of tables, and the walls
whitewashed and decorated with prints of the Virgin Mary and his
excellency's patron saint. The house of the priests, which adjoined the
cathedral, was in much better repair, and more gaudy in the inside.
There are three missions in Batan, each settlement having its cathedral
and officiating priests. The natives, who are a distinct race, are
well-proportioned, of a copper colour, and medium stature. They are very
ugly: their hair is black, and cut short. Their usual dress consists of
a piece of cotton, passed round the loins, and a peculiar-looking
conical hat, surmounted with a tuft of goat's hair. In rainy weather
they wear a cloak of rushes, through which the water cannot penetrate.
The sole covering of the women is a piece of cotton, fastened below the
bosom, and reaching down to the knee. Almost the whole of the Bashee
group of islands are very mountainous. At the back of San Domingo the
land rises to a great height, forming a remarkable peak, which can be
seen many leagues distant. Bullocks, goats, pigs, and vegetables, can be
obtained at a very moderate price; but very little fruit is grown, the
natives usually preferring to cultivate yams, cocoas, and sweet
potatoes. The sugar-cane is cultivated, and the tobacco grown here is
considered, with great justice, far superior to any grown at Luzon.
After a week's stay at San Domingo we ran down to Ivana, one of the
missions, and made a rough survey of the bay. The mission house at this
place was fitted up with every comfort, and we even found luxuries which
we looked in vain for at San Domingo.
[Illustration: NATIVE OF BATAN.]
After completing the survey of this portion of the island, the governor
(who had accompanied us from San Domingo) and a party of us set off to
return to San Domingo by land. Our path lay over mountains nearly 2000
feet in height, from the summit of which every point and inlet could be
discerned, over the whole of the group which lay below, exactly as if
they were laid down on a chart. Our walk was very fatiguing, and we were
all rejoiced when, from an eminence, we descried the village of San
Carlos, the residence of the warm-hearted and hospitable Father
Nicholas. We descended into the vale, and were heartily welcomed by the
jolly old priest, who regaled us with all that his larder could supply
us. It had been arranged that the ship should leave Ivana for San
Domingo on the following morning. At the entreaty of the good padre we
remained at San Carlos all night, and the following morning returned to
San Domingo, the ship anchoring in the bay on the same afternoon. We had
now become quite domesticated with the friendly Spaniards. In the
evenings we were received by an assemblage of the natives at the
governor's house. They were dressed in their best, and went through an
unmeaning dance, which was kept up till a late hour.
On the 27th November we left Batan, and its kind inhabitants, who
exacted a promise that we would return at some future period, and shaped
a course for the Madjicosima islands, which are subject to the kingdom
of Loo Choo. On the afternoon of the 1st of December land was discovered
ahead, and a few hours afterwards we anchored in a narrow passage,
surrounded by reefs on every side. We were anchored off the island of
Pa-tchu-san, one of the group: it was very mountainous. On the following
morning the captain and some of the officers went on shore. They were
received by several hundred natives, who saluted them as they passed on
their way to a temporary shed, where a levee was held by all the
principal mandarins. Our Chinese interpreter, who was a native of
Canton, explained the captain's wishes, and the nature of the service
that we were employed on. They appeared uneasy at the proposal of our
surveying the whole group, and informed the captain that they would
refer the question to the viceroy, and give him a final answer on the
morrow. This answer was in the affirmative, and a few days afterwards we
commenced our survey of the islands. We were attended by the natives,
who furnished us with horses, and anticipated our wishes in every thing
that could make us comfortable. On the first day, at sunset, we arrived
at a temple dedicated to Fo, romantically situated in a grove of trees,
which concealed the elevation until you were within a few yards of it.
Here it was proposed to take up our quarters for the night, and a more
delightful spot could not well be imagined than our resting-place.
The temple was built at the foot of a hill, within a few hundred yards
of the sea. Lights were displayed as a signal to the stragglers, groups
of whom might be seen by the light of the moon, reposing themselves on
the ridge behind us. The glare of the torches brought them all down to
us, both men and horses anxious for rest after the arduous toil of the
day. Just as I was dropping off to sleep, one of my messmates said to
another, "I say, Jemmy, I wonder whether your mother has any idea that
you are sleeping in the temple of Fo, on the island of Pa-tchu-san?" A
loud snore was the only reply, proving that the party addressed was
unconscious of the island Pa-tchu-san, the temple of Fo, or of his
mother, and the bells ringing for church.
Pa-tchu-san, as I have before observed, is very mountainous and
exceedingly picturesque. A high ridge covered with trees extends the
whole length of the island, north and south. On either side of this
ridge are innumerable grassy knolls and mounds from which we looked down
upon the extensive plain on either side, which was studded with knolls
similar to those that we were standing on. During our survey we passed
through all the villages bordering the sea, at the entrance of which we
were invariably received by all the principal inhabitants. All their
villages or towns are surrounded by the most luxurious groves, which
have been apparently planted, for in many parts not a shrub could be
seen beyond the confines of the town. The roads through the towns or
streets generally meet at right angles, lined on each side with gigantic
trees. The houses are built within enclosures raised with huge stones.
These houses are strongly built, the frame being composed of four
uprights of large timber, to which are attached cross pieces on the top
of them, of the same dimensions as their supporters. Openings are left
on each side of the house, which, when the owner pleases, can be closed
by well-fitted shutters on the sliding principle. The roofs are thatched
with paddy stalks. The floor frame is raised about two feet from the
ground, and on it are fixed strong slips of bamboo, which are covered
over with mats. These afford very comfortable sitting and sleeping
apartments. The only inconvenience was, that the fire was made in the
corner of the sitting-room, and as there was no vent for the smoke, we
were nearly stifled. This nuisance was, however, soon removed by a word
to the natives through the medium of the interpreter, and afterwards the
fire was lighted, and the victuals cooked, at an adjoining shed.
The natives of the Madjicosima islands are rather below the middle
stature, but very strong and muscular. Their hair is worn in a very
peculiar manner; the crown of the head is shaved, leaving a circle of
long hair, which is turned up on the top of the head and tied into a
knot of a peculiar shape. Through this knot of hair are passed two brass
ornaments by the common people, but the chiefs are distinguished by
silver ones. These are evidently intended to keep the knot in its right
position. They cultivate the moustache and the beard, the latter being
worn pointed. Their dress consists of a long loose robe of blue or
cross-barred cotton stuffs, which reaches down nearly to the ancles.
This robe is fastened to the waist by a girdle of the same material, and
in which they keep their fans, pipes, &c. The sleeves of the robe are
very large, widening as they approach the wrists, which are consequently
bare. Their shoes or sandals are very ingeniously made of wicker work,
and confined to the foot by means of a strap between the larger toes of
each foot.
[Illustration: NATIVE OF PA-TCHU-SAN.]
The inhabitants of these islands certainly deserve to be ranked among
the most gentle and amiable of nations: no boisterousness attends their
conversation, no violent gestures to give effect to the words; on the
contrary, their voices are modulated when they are speaking, and their
actions, although decided, are gentle. Their mode of salutation is
graceful in the extreme. It consists in a low bending of the head,
accompanied with a slight inclination of the body, and the hands closed,
being raised at the same time to the forehead. What a change in a few
degrees of latitude, in manners, customs, and dispositions, between the
savage pirates of Borneo and these amiable islanders!
The plains between the mountains are cultivated as paddy fields: the
soil appears very good, and there is little doubt but that every kind of
fruit would grow if introduced into these islands; and what a fitting
present it would be to them, if they were to be sent. They grow
radishes, onions, and sweet potatoes, but not more than are sufficient
for their own use. They supplied us with bullocks, pigs, goats, and
fowls, but they seldom kill them for their own use; their principal diet
being composed of shell fish and vegetables made into a sort of stew,
which is eaten with rice, worked by the hand into balls. Every man of
consequence carries with him a kind of portable larder, which is a box
with a shelf in the middle, and a sliding door. In this are put cups of
Japan, containing the eatables. This Chow Chow box is carried by a
servant, who also takes with him a wicker basket, containing rice and
potatoes for his own consumption.
These islands have no intercourse with any part of the world except Loo
Choo, to which they pay tribute as dependencies, and from whence they
annually receive the necessaries they may require, by a junk. They had
no idea that the continents of Europe or America existed. They had only
heard of China, Loo Choo, and Japan, and they could hardly credit our
assertions when we stated that we had lately gained a great victory over
China. When we gave them a description of steam vessels, and first-rate
men-of-war carrying 120 guns, they evidently disbelieved us. We were the
first white men they had ever seen; and ludicrous was the repeated
examination of our arms, which they bared and contrasted with their own.
After great persuasion a few of the chief mandarins and their suites
visited the ship, which was put in holiday attire upon the occasion. It
would be impossible to attempt to describe their rapture at the
neatness, order, and regularity which reigned on board. The guns were
shotted and fired for their amusement: they threw up their hands in
astonishment, and gazed on us and on each other with looks of blank
amazement. During the whole of our peregrinations over these islands we
never saw a female, for on our approach to any village a courier was
sent ahead to warn the inhabitants of our arrival, when the women either
shut themselves up or retired to an adjacent village until we had passed
through. The men assisted us in our labours and attended to our comforts
by all the means in their power. Horses were provided every day, houses
for us at night, and good substantial repasts. Wherever they enter, the
natives invariably eat and drink, more, I believe, from custom than from
hunger. On these occasions tea is the general beverage, the kettle being
a large shell, which admirably answers the purpose. It may be worthy of
remark, that on entering a house, the shoes or sandals are invariably
left at the door. Two of the chiefs were deservedly great favourites
with our party; they were given the famous names of Chesterfield and
Beaufort, the former from his gentlemanly manners, the latter from the
profound knowledge he displayed of all rocks, shoals, &c. On the 17th of
December, having completed our survey of Pa-tchu-san, we returned to the
ship: on the 22d we left our anchorage, which was christened Port
Providence, and ran round to Kuchee Bay on the opposite side of the
island. This noble bay was called Port Haddington, in honour of the late
first lord of the Admiralty. On the 27th the first barge, cutter, and
gig left the ship to survey the island Ku-king-san, the nearest port of
which was about twenty miles from Kuchee Bay, alias Port Haddington,
where we lay at anchor. The boats carried with them provisions for three
weeks, by which time it was supposed that the survey would be completed.
As the formation of this island is similar to Pa-tchu-san, it would be
but repetition to describe it minutely, but it is worthy of remark that
it is indented with numerous deep bays, in each of which there is
sufficient water for a ship of the line. Many of these bays have natural
breakwaters, created by shoals, with a deep water passage on either side
of them, and which may be easily distinguished from the shoals by the
deep blue colour of the water.
On the 15th of January, 1844, the surveying party returned, having been
absent twenty days. We were again visited by the mandarins, who came to
bid us farewell: they quitted us with many expressions of good will, and
expressed a wish that we would return again, and as _individuals_, I had
no doubt of their sincerity.
On the 18th of January we sailed for Ty-ping-san, which is situated
about seventy miles north of Pa-tchu-san. On the following day we
sighted the land, and late in the evening anchored off the coast. This
island is low, compared with the other islands of the group. The
following morning the captain landed and presented a letter of
introduction given him by the mandarins of Pa-tchu-san. The letter of
introduction had the best effects, for we were immediately visited by
the principal mandarins, who informed us that we should be furnished
with horses and every thing else that we might require.
It was on a reef to the northward of this island that the Providence, of
twenty guns, was wrecked about fifty years back. Captain Broughton and
the crew arrived safely at Ty-ping-san, but the present inhabitants,
when it was mentioned, either did not or would not recollect any thing
of the circumstances. As a proof of the morality of these people, and
how much crime is held in abhorrence, I have the following little
history to narrate.
During our survey, we fixed a station upon the extremity of a bleak and
desolate point of land running more than a mile into the sea. There, in
a cave formed by a reef on a mass of rock, we discovered two skeletons.
This would not have so much excited our suspicion, had it not been from
the remarkable locality, as in all the graves we fell in with the
corpses were invariably uncoffined. We expressed a wish to know why such
a spot should have been fixed upon as a last resting-place, as it was
many miles from the nearest habitation. It was not until after much
entreaty that they at length, very reluctantly, consented to give us the
desired explanation, which, as nearly as I can recollect, was as
follows:--
A young girl, who was considered as the belle and pride of the nearest
town, had formed an attachment to a youth who had been brought up with
her, as a playmate, from their earliest years; and it was acknowledged
by the inhabitants of the town that a more fitting match could not be
made, as the young man was of most graceful mien, and equally well
favoured as his mistress; but the father of the girl, who had been all
along blind to the natural consequences of their long intimacy, had
other views for his daughter, and had selected a husband for her whose
chief recommendation was his wealth. So far it is the old story.
To oppose her father's commands was not to be thought of, for filial
obedience is, with this people, one of the most sacred of duties.
The bridal day approached; presents had been exchanged between the
parents of the parties; and every thing was in a forward state for the
celebration of the nuptials, with all the magnificence befitting the
wealthy condition of the bridegroom. The lovers were in a state of
phrensy, but solaced themselves with stolen interviews. At length the
poor girl, urged by her lover, confessed every thing to her father, and
implored his mercy. He was thunderstruck at this intelligence, for till
that moment he had imagined that his daughter had not a thought to which
he was not privy. The most rigorous discipline was resorted to--the girl
was confined to her chamber, and spies placed to watch every motion.
Those to whom she thought she could trust were suborned by her father,
and to him were conveyed all the letters which she believed to have been
safely conveyed to her lover. His notes being also intercepted, at last
each considered the other as faithless. The poor girl, imagining that
her lover had forsaken her, at last sent to her father, to acquaint him
that she had returned to her duty, and was ready to receive the man whom
he had selected for her husband. They were married: but she deceived
herself; as soon as the ceremony was over, the courage which had
supported her gave way, her former feelings returned stronger than ever,
and she hated herself for her fickleness. Her heart whispered that it
was impossible that one possessing every great and every amiable
quality, as did her lover, could ever have proved faithless, or would
have abandoned one who loved him so dearly. As she sat in the garden and
wept, a slight noise attracted her attention, and she found in her
presence her lover, disguised, who had come to take a last farewell.
Explanations immediately ensued--they found that they had been
tricked--their love and their despair overcame their reason, and they
fled. The father and bridegroom pursued the guilty pair, and after a
most rigorous search, they were discovered. They knew that their fate
was sealed, and they bore up bravely to the last. They were arraigned,
found guilty, and condemned to death; after which their bodies were to
be removed far from any dwelling-place. The sentence was carried into
effect, and their remains were deposited in the cave in which we
discovered them. Many parents might draw a lesson from this tragedy, and
anybody who feels inclined may write a novel upon it; it must not,
however, bear the same title as the Chinese one translated by Governor
Davis, which is styled the "Fortunate Union."
In ten days we completed the survey of the island, and sailed for Batan,
where we arrived on the 7th of February. There we remained a few days,
and then sailed for Hong Kong, having but three days' provisions on
board. We encountered a heavy gale; but, fortunately, it was in our
favour. On the 9th a junk was reported in sight; and in the course of an
hour we were sufficiently near to perceive that the people on board of
her were making signals of distress, and cutting away her masts. We hove
to as near to her as we could venture, for the sea ran high, and lowered
a boat, which reached the junk in safety. They found her to be in a
sinking state: a hawser was made fast to her, with the intention of
towing her into Hong Kong, then not fifty miles distant. We again made
sail, towing the junk at a rapid rate; but the strain caused her planks
to sever, and consequently increased the rush of water in her hold. The
Chinese hailed the ship, and entreated to be rescued from their perilous
condition. She was immediately hauled alongside, and twelve of her crew
succeeded in getting on board of us; but the hawser gave way, and the
junk drifted astern, with five men still remaining on board. Sail was
immediately made, and in a short time we ran alongside of her, staving
in her bulwarks, for both vessels were rolling heavily. Fortunately her
mainmast had gone by the board; had it been still standing, and had
become locked in our rigging, we should have been in great peril
ourselves. The remaining five men and a dog gained the ship, and the
junk again went astern, and in three minutes afterwards went to the
bottom. When they saw her sink, the Chinese raised up a cry at their
miraculous escape. One poor fellow had his hand shockingly mutilated, it
having been crushed between the sides of the two vessels.
The wind had now much subsided, and we made sail for Hong Kong, where we
arrived on the following day. There we found the Agincourt, Sir Thomas
Cochrane, who was now commander-in-chief, Sir William Parker having
sailed for England. The cutter and two of the Company's steamers were
also here; and the Minden hospital ship, as usual, crowded with the
sick and dying. Our first lieutenant, Mr. Wade, took this opportunity of
leaving the ship, and Mr. Heard succeeded him.
On the 6th we sailed for Macao, which is too well known to require any
description here. On the 10th we sailed for Manilla, an account of which
I shall reserve for our future visit. On the 1st of April we again
sailed, on a surveying cruise, to the southward. After fixing the
positions of several small islands in the Mendoro Sea, we steered for
Samboangan, a Spanish penal colony, situated at the southern extremity
of Mindanao. On the 8th we arrived there, and took up our anchorage
close to the town.
Samboangan is built on an extensive plain; most of the houses are
supported on poles ten or twelve feet from the ground. The roofs are
thatched, and the sides covered with palm leaves, ingeniously secured by
strips of bamboo. The fort is well built; and although a century old, is
in very good preservation. It has a numerous garrison, and is defended
by guns of large calibre. There is also an establishment of gun-boats,
which scour the coast in search of pirates. On each side, and at the
back of the town, are groves of cocoa-nuts, bamboos, plantains, and
other fruit trees, through which narrow paths are cut, forming
delightful shady walks to a stranger, who gazes with astonishment and
pleasure upon the variety of delicious fruits, of whose existence he had
no idea. The plain on which the town is built extends about eight miles
inland, when it is bounded by a chain of mountains, which divides the
Spanish territory from that of the warlike tribes who inhabit the
interior.
The plain I have spoken of is covered with small villages, pleasantly
situated among thick groves of trees; and it is watered by numerous
streams. The whole country around Samboangan abounds in scenery of the
most picturesque description; and the groups of gaily-dressed and
joyous natives in no small degree add to the beauty of the landscape.
Horses can be obtained at very moderate charges; but unfortunately no
one has ever thought of establishing an hotel, and the want of one was
much felt. We were, therefore, thrown upon the hospitality and kindness
of the natives, who made us welcome by every demonstration in their
power. Fruit, chocolate, and sweet biscuits, were the ordinary
refreshments, for which the charges made scarcely repaid the trouble of
preparing them.
The church, priests' and governor's houses, are the only respectable
buildings in the colony; the other houses in the town are very inferior,
being inhabited by liberated exiles from Manilla. We remained here five
days, and early on the morning of the 13th ran down to a watering-place
about fifteen miles from the town, and completed our water.
The same night we sailed for Sooloo; and the next day, when performing
divine service, it being Sunday, the officer of the watch reported five
prahus in sight, full of men, and each armed with a long gun, pulling
towards the ship. It was quite calm at the time, and our main deck ports
were open. No doubt they perceived the daylight through the ports, and
satisfied themselves that we were a man-of-war, for they soon afterwards
altered their course, and made for the shore. We presumed that they were
pirates from the island of Baselan, who, fancying we were a merchant
vessel, had come out with the intention of attacking us.
At noon on the 16th of April we made the town of Sooloo, the capital of
the island of the same name. It being calm, and the ship at some
distance from the anchorage, the gig was sent ahead to board one of the
three schooners lying in the bay, and hoist a light, as a guide to the
ship; and a rocket was put into the boat to fire in case of being
attacked by superior numbers. There were but five men in the gig!
After two hours' hard pulling, they arrived alongside the largest of the
three vessels. She proved to be the Velocipede, an English vessel,
trading to Sooloo for pearl oysters. The owner of the schooner soon came
from the shore, having been sent off by the sultan of Sooloo to know the
object of our visit. He was accompanied by several Datus or chiefs, who
went back to the town perfectly satisfied with the explanation given.
But the arrival of a man-of-war appeared to excite the fears of the
natives, for gongs were sounding throughout the night, and lights were
flitting to and fro, by the aid of which it was perceived that there was
a strong assemblage of the natives.
The ship anchored on the afternoon of the following day, and the
captain, attended by several of his officers, visited the sultan. We
were received by the prime minister, who informed us that the sultan was
somewhat indisposed, and begged to postpone the interview until the
following day. Leaving the palace, we strolled through the town, which
is partly built in the water; bridges, formed of interlaced bamboo, were
the means of communication between the houses. As these bridges were
some hundred yards in length, the walking was somewhat dangerous; a slip
would have been the cause of a good ducking and a swim to any unlucky
wight, which, I have no doubt, would have given great satisfaction to
the townspeople, who, armed with spears, krisses, and shields, were
watching our motions; but no such mishap occurred, and we returned on
board before sunset. Next day the captain and the same party went again
on shore, and were received by the sultan in person. He was dressed in
the extreme of Malay fashion. He was an excessively plain young man, and
seemed to be ill at ease during the whole of the conference. He appeared
to be a mere puppet in the hands of his ferocious chiefs, who had all
the conversation, without referring to their royal master at any time.
The sultan's dress consisted of a purple satin jacket and green velvet
trousers, both trimmed with gold and silver lace; a red sash confined
his trousers at the waist; and in the sash he wore a kris of the most
costly description. He wore diamond buttons on his jacket, which, being
open, exposed his naked chest. But the party who mostly excited our
interest was the heir apparent, a child of four years old, who was
dressed as an adult, even to his miniature kris. He bids fair to be a
handsome man. His laughing face and engaging manner caused him to be
caressed by the whole party, a circumstance which evidently gave much
pleasure to the sultan. We were regaled with chocolate, sweet cakes, and
fruit; and every attention paid to us by the chiefs. At our departure
the sultan and ministers shook hands warmly with every one of our party,
and we returned on board, accompanied by Mr. Wyndham, of the Velocipede
schooner, who, being a perfect master of the tongue, had acted as an
interpreter on this occasion.
The Samarang was the first English man-of-war that had called at Sooloo
since the visit of Dalrymple in 1761, when he reinstated on the throne
the sultan (grandfather to the present one), who had been deposed by his
rebellious subjects.
Great Sooloo is about fifty miles in length, and twenty-five in breadth,
being the largest of a group of islands known as the Sooloo Archipelago.
This group of islands is inhabited by a fierce and warlike race, bearing
in their personal appearance a strong resemblance to the Malays,
although the two languages differ materially from each other. Great
Sooloo, the residence of the sultan, is very mountainous. Many of the
mountains are wooded to the summit, while others are covered with
patches of cultivation. These islands are thickly populated; and if the
islanders do not practise piracy as a profession, they are always ready
to aid, assist, and protect those who do. The town of Sooloo is well
known to be the principal rendezvous of pirates, who, whenever they
have made a capture, resort there to dispose of their lawless booty. The
ministers, and even the sultan himself, are not able to resist the
temptation of being able to purchase European goods, and articles of
value, for less than half their real value. If not the stealers, they
are the receivers, and thus they patronise piracy of every description.
Governed by their own prince, and independent of any other power, the
people of Sooloo have most extravagant notions of their own prowess, and
of the strength of their fortifications; and they ridicule the idea of
any one venturing to interfere with or attack them.
[Illustration: SOOLOO VILLAGE.]
On the 18th of April we sailed from Sooloo, and visited several islands
in the Archipelago, on one of which we grounded, but escaped without
sustaining any damage. On the 23rd we anchored off Unsang, the eastern
province of Borneo, where we remained four days surveying the coast. A
shooting and fishing party visited the shore daily: the former killed
several wild hogs, and the latter brought every evening a plentiful
supply of fish.
On the 27th of April sailed from Unsang. This day we first served out
our ship-brewed porter, in addition to the usual allowance of spirits.
It continued to be served out nightly, but opinions were very different
about its merits.
For several days after leaving Unsang, we had but little or no wind, and
we were borne away by a strong easterly current, till we were carried in
sight of Celebes, which is high and mountainous, and covered with dense
forests of gigantic trees. On Sunday, the 4th of May, we arrived off
Cape Rivers (Celebes), the position of which was determined by
astronomical observations. It was the intention of the captain to have
passed through the Straits of Macassar, but light wind, and a strong
current from the southward, would not permit us to gain a mile per day.
After experiencing very disagreeable weather while off the coast, we
bore up and made sail for Monado, a Dutch settlement on one of the
north-western promontories of this remarkably shaped island. Our passage
was any thing but agreeable; scarcely a night passed that we were not
visited by strong squalls, accompanied by thunder, lightning, and heavy
rain. On Sunday, the 18th, we anchored in forty-eight fathoms off the
town of Monado, within two cables' length of the shore, which shelves
very suddenly into deep water. A kedge was laid out in-shore of the
ship, and kept well taut; a requisite precaution, as otherwise, if the
land breeze blew off strong, the ship would have dragged her anchor down
the steep beach, and drifted out.
The town of Monado is built on a plain surrounded by mountains, the
highest of which, Klabat, is 6000 feet above the level of the sea. The
houses are well built, and neatly thatched; they are all detached, and
enclosed in a yard or garden. The roads are excellent, and reflect great
credit upon a Prussian engineer, who undertook the task. The fort, which
is at the water's edge, is small, but strongly built, and well adapted
to resist the attack of any native force, although I should imagine it
could not hold out any time against the well-directed fire of a
frigate's broadside. A party of us enjoyed a pleasant ramble through the
town and suburbs, which are dotted with neat cottages, where their
owners invited us to enter and partake of refreshments. We went into
several, and found them scrupulously neat and clean, as Dutch houses
usually are. The people who entertained us refused all compensation, and
it was with difficulty that we prevailed upon the black-eyed damsels to
accept our silk handkerchiefs by way of reminiscences. Very few
Europeans reside here, although their half-bred offspring may be seen in
every tenth person, and they boast of the European blood which flows in
their veins. Monado abounds with poultry, fruit, vegetables, and all the
necessaries of life. Cocoa and sugar are cultivated. Stock is easily
obtained, and very moderate; and water is procured from a small river
which divides the town. Boats should enter the river at last quarter
flood, and return first quarter ebb, as the tide falls rapidly; and at
low water the bar at the entrance is dry. During our stay we surveyed
the major portion of the bay, finding nothing under 150 fathoms of water
at one-third of a mile from the shore.
We found here a Mr. Hart, who had been left at this place in consequence
of his precarious state, from a gun-shot wound he had received on the
Coti River (Borneo). Mr. Hart was a volunteer in the ill-fated
expedition undertaken by Mr. Murray, who attempted to establish a
colony in the Coti River, and who lost his life in an encounter with the
natives. The vessels employed--a brig and a schooner--were fitting out
at Hong Kong while we were there. We fell in with the schooner (the
Young Queen) the day after we left Manilla. The captain of her came on
board to give us the intelligence of the failure of the expedition, with
the death of its leader. Misfortune appeared to cling to them, for, soon
after the schooner left Coti, the crew of her mutinied, and the mutiny
was not put down but by the death of the ringleader, who was shot by the
commander. He was bound to Hong Kong to deliver himself up for trial for
taking the life of the man, and I hardly need observe that he was fully
acquitted. This gentleman was a brother of Mr. Hart.
On the 26th of May, our observations being completed, we sailed from
Monado; Mr. Hart, with the captain's permission, taking advantage of
this opportunity of reaching Sincapore. The following day we ran through
the Straits of Banca, and steered for Ternate, off which island we
arrived on the following Saturday. On Sunday morning, before daylight,
we struck heavily on a coral reef, but by dint of great exertion we got
off, and floated at six. A boat was despatched to the Dutch governor of
the town to state that it was not our intention to anchor. The island of
Ternate is, I believe, governed by a sultan, who has sway over several
other islands. The Dutch have a settlement here, and have long been on
good terms with the ruling powers. It is the most important of the
Molucca group, as it produces a vast quantity of cloves, beside every
variety of tropical fruits. It was taken by us in 1810, and restored in
1815. This island, as far as I could judge, is perfectly round, and
about twenty-five miles in circuit, the land gradually rising to a huge
peak in the centre. It is of volcanic formation. It is well wooded, and
abounds with game; and on this island the boa constrictor grows to the
largest size, being often found upwards of thirty feet in length. The
Dutch town is built on the south-east side of the island. The houses
appear to be better constructed than those of Monado, and the whole town
better arranged. There are several forts, two churches, and apparently
about 400 houses. The one occupied by the governor is distinguished from
the others by its size, and superiority of architecture and decorations.
We obtained quantities of every description of fruit from the boats
which crowded round the ship: in addition to shaddocks, pineapples,
oranges, bananas, and many other common varieties, we had the delightful
treat of the mangosteins, which grow only in these latitudes. It is
impossible to describe the peculiarly grateful taste of this cool and
refreshing fruit. It is a mixture of the sweet and acid, blended in the
most luscious manner. It is in size somewhat smaller than an apple, and
the skin, which is very thick and bitter, of a dark plum colour. This
when dried is used as a remedy for the dysentery. The inside, which is
nearly white, is divided into four parts, resembling in substance a firm
jelly; and, in my opinion, gives one more the idea of what nectar was,
or ought to be, than any thing else which enters into the mouth of man.
We decided that the Peak of Ternate was the true Mount Olympus, and that
it was there that the gods were assembled and, in ancient days, ate
mangosteins, called nectar by the Greeks.
The boat which had been sent on shore to the governor at length
returned, and we made sail to the southward, to survey a portion of the
coast of Gilolo (another of the Spice Islands), which was supposed to be
laid down incorrectly in the charts.
On the morning of Monday, the 3rd of June, the ship being off the coast
of Gilolo, the gig with the captain, and the barge with several
officers, left the ship with four days' provisions to survey a portion
of the coast. At 11 A. M. they landed on a reef, running out about a
cable's length from a small island. About two in the afternoon a body of
natives, armed with spears and krisses, issued with loud yells from the
jungle, and advanced towards them. At the same time a prahu pulled round
a point, and made towards the barge, which was at anchor about fifty
yards from the shore. The captain was at the time on shore taking
observations, but as the natives approached he retired to the gig and
got the arms in readiness. The natives came within 100 yards of us, and
then halted. The captain signed them to go away: they approached nearer;
we gave them a volley, and they hastily retreated into the jungle.
The barge was now prepared for the expected attack of the prahu, which
by this time had approached within point blank range of the barge's gun,
which was a brass six-pounder. Observing, it is to be presumed, that the
boat was so well-armed, and the men were loading the gun, the prahu
ceased pulling, and hoisted Dutch colours. They were ordered to pull for
the Gilolo shore, which they did; a rocket fired at them quickening
their speed considerably. At 3 P. M. the observations being completed,
the astronomical instruments were re-embarked on the barge, and the
captain quitted the gig and went into the barge. Both boats were pulled
towards the main land. On the in-shore side of the small island I have
mentioned, we discovered a village consisting of fifteen or twenty
houses. The gig was despatched with two officers to burn the village,
which was done; the natives who were in the huts escaping into the
jungle. In the mean time, the barge proceeded towards a large village in
search of the prahu. On their way they fell in with a large canoe, at
anchor in one of the creeks.
Taking the canoe in tow, we again took to the oars, and in a short time
perceived the natives hauling the prahu into a creek. A round of grape
quickly decided the matter; the natives fled, and the prahu was quietly
taken possession of by our crew. Having effected our object, we
proceeded along the coast with our two prizes in tow. At sunset, after
rifling the boats of arms, flags, and gongs, we set them on fire, and
made sail to the southward; the gig, which had rejoined us, being in
company. About midnight we anchored in a small and lonely bay,--I should
say, twenty miles from where the above occurrences took place. We took
our meals, but did not attempt to repose till after two in the morning,
although we were quite tired after the events of the day before. We then
lay down, and composed ourselves to sleep.
We had not, however, been recumbent long, ere the sounds of gongs were
heard at a distance; and shortly afterwards the man on the look-out
reported that three prahus were coming into the bay. A short time
sufficed to have every thing in readiness for the expected conflict.
The foremost of the prahus approached within ten yards of the barge,
lowered her sail, and rounded to. A native, one of the chiefs we
presumed, inquired in broken English if we belonged to a ship. The
captain would not satisfy him on that point, but desired him to go away.
The other two prahus, having been joined by a third (making four in
all), had now closed within half pistol shot, and lowered their sails.
Seeing that we were completely enclosed, a musket-ball was fired over
the largest prahu. The men in the prahus gave their accustomed yell, and
the whole force advanced towards us.
The six-pounder, loaded with round and grape, was now fired into the
largest prahu; the cries and confusion were great; the crew of the prahu
leapt into the water, but few arrived on shore,--they sunk under the
fire of our muskets. The three other prahus then commenced a spirited
fire from their guns and small arms, assisted by a flight of arrows and
spears.
Pulling within twenty yards of them, we plied them alternately with
grape and canister from our six-pounder. The engagement continued with
great vigour for some time, when their fire slackened; and shortly
afterwards two more of the prahus were deserted by their crews, who made
for the shore; the fourth made off. The three prahus were taken
possession of, towed into deep water, and anchored. Leaving the gig in
charge of them, we went in pursuit of the fourth prahu, and soon came up
with her; but her crew escaped by running the boat on shore.
Another prahu now hove in sight, pulling, or rather paddling, towards
us. Leaving our prize, we faced our new antagonist, saluting her with
grape and musquetry, and causing so much havoc, that, shrieking and
yelling, they made for the nearest shore without returning a single
shot. We followed her, firing into her as fast as possible. On coming up
with her we found her aground, with six dead and one mortally wounded;
the remainder of the crew had saved themselves by wading to the shore.
After getting this prahu afloat, we brought the other prahu, which we
had just before captured (No. 4.), alongside. This boat was crowded with
dead and dying. Among the latter was a female child, apparently about
eight months old, in a state of nudity. The poor little creature's left
arm was nearly severed from its body by a grape shot. She was removed
into the boat, where the rest of the wounded were placed, with as much
care as possible. A low moaning sound escaped from her lips, her eyes
were glazed, and she evidently was fast dying: it would have been a
mercy to have put an end to her sufferings. The dead were then thrown
overboard, and the prahu set on fire; the last prahu, containing the
wounded, was left to her fate.
It was now daylight, and on looking around we perceived five more prahus
off a point between the gig and ourselves in the barge and several
others pulling in from seaward. We gave way for the five prahus, which
were drawn up in a line ready to receive us. Notwithstanding their fire,
assisted by their spears and other missiles, we pulled within fifteen
yards of the outermost prahu of the five, and discharged our gun,
accompanied by a volley of musquetry. The other prahus now closed and
poured in a heavy fire; but, although the barge was struck, not one of
our men was injured. The repeated fire from the boats soon caused the
people in the prahus to make for the shore through the water, when many
of them fell from our musquetry. It was now about six o'clock in the
morning, our last charge of canister shot was in the gun, the last
rocket in the tube, and nearly all the percussion caps expended. The
barge was pulled closer to the nearest prahu to give more effect to the
discharge, and the captain was in the stern of the barge with the rocket
tube in hand, when one of the prahus on shore fired her swivel; the ball
struck the captain, and knocked him overboard. He was hauled in, and we
found that he had received a severe wound in the groin, which was
dressed by the surgeon.
_Lieutenant Baugh_ now took the command, and the gun was discharged with
good effect, and all the people on board of the prahus, who were able to
escape, made for the shore. One of our marines was wounded in the neck
with an arrow, and, with the exception of the captain, no other casualty
took place.
The fight would have been continued with the round shot still left in
the barge, but the assistant surgeon was anxious that the captain should
return to the ship and have the ball extracted. The barge therefore
pulled for the ship, whose royals were just visible above the horizon.
The pirates, finding that we were retreating, returned to their prahus
and fired their guns at us, but without effect.
We arrived on board about 9 A. M., and the ship's head was put towards
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.
The Malay and Dyak canoes are made out of a hollowed tree, or, as they
are termed in many ports of India, "dug-outs." They are long and narrow,
and are capable of being propelled with great swiftness. Although very
easy to capsize, they are constantly loaded till so deep that at the
least inclination the water pours over the gunwale, and one man is
usually employed baling with a scoop made out of a banana leaf. Custom,
however, makes them so used to keep the equilibrium, that you often see
the Dyaks, whose canoes are similar to the Malays', standing upright and
propelling them with their spears.
[Illustration: NATIVE BOAT--BORNEO.]
The Malay war-boat, or _prahu_, is built of timber at the lower part,
the upper is of bamboo, rattan, and kedgang (the dried leaf of the Nepa
palm). Outside the bends, about a foot from the water line, runs a
strong gallery, in which the rowers sit cross-legged. At the after-part
of the boat is a cabin for the chief who commands, and the whole of the
vessel is surmounted by a strong flat roof, upon which they fight, their
principal weapons being the kris and spear, both of which, to be used
with effect, require elbow-room.
The Dyak war-boat is a long built canoe, more substantially constructed
than the prahu of the Malays, and sufficiently capacious to hold from
seventy to eighty men. This also has a roof to fight from. They are
generally painted, and the stern ornamented with feathers.
Both descriptions of war-boats are remarkably swift, notwithstanding
such apparent top-weight. To proceed:--
[Illustration: DYAK WAR PRAHU.]
We hove to, to speak to those on board of the canoes, and were informed
by them that the pirates had sustained a severe defeat, and that the
European force was about to descend the river on their return to Kuchin.
As a proof of the victory having been gained, they produced several
heads which had been taken in the fight.
We proceeded about six miles further up the river, when we discovered
the European boats and crews lying at anchor abreast of the smoking
ruins of what had been a Malay town. Here we learnt that the pirates had
been completely routed, after a desperate resistance, that four large
towns had been burnt, and seventy-five brass guns of the country, called
leilas, had been captured. The victory, however, had not been gained
without loss on our side, and had the pirates been better prepared, we
must have suffered much more. Several of the people of Kuchin had been
killed, and of Europeans we had to lament the loss of Mr. Wade, first
lieutenant of the Dido, and formerly of the Samarang, and Mr. Stewart,
one of the residents at Kuchin; the latter gentleman lost his life by an
excess of zeal which quite overcame all prudence. Mr. Wade had landed
with his men after an attack and capture of a fort, and when in advance
received a bullet in the heart. He fell instantly dead; his body was
recovered by his shipmates, and borne to the boat, and during a
temporary cessation of hostilities was conveyed to the river. His loss
was much deplored by his shipmates in both vessels, by whom he was
respected as an officer, and beloved as a friend.
Mr. Stewart, pulling in advance in a small canoe, with some of the
natives belonging to Kuchin, was suddenly pounced upon by three or four
of the enemy's prahus full of men. They ran down the canoe, and thus
were Mr. Stewart and his companions at their mercy. Mercy!--a wrong term
to use when speaking of those who never show any. They were all krissed,
to the number of seventeen, in sight of their companions in the other
boats, who were too far behind to arrive in time to render them any
assistance, although it hardly need be said that every effort was made.
The last that was seen of poor Stewart was his body being carried by one
of the Dyaks into the jungle by the side of the river, and the fellow
was so anxious to obtain the much-valued trophy of a white man's head,
that, as he bore it along, he kept his knife sawing at the head to sever
it from the body. Indeed, so much do these people value a white man's
head, that they will build a separate room on purpose to contain it.
Whilst lying at this place, riding to a strong flood tide, a canoe
floated past us, in which we could discern two dead bodies; they were
both dressed as Malays, and the garments were good. Over the bows of the
canoe there hung a handsomely ornamented kris. We tried to hook the
canoe with the boat-hook, but the strength of the tide was so great that
we could not succeed in securing it, and it floated away with the
stream. We presumed that they were the bodies of some of the Malays
killed in the recent conflict, who probably inhabited a higher portion
of the river, and that they had been put into the canoe by their friends
to be carried home, and had been swept away by the tide from not having
been securely fastened, for nothing would have induced the enemy thus to
make us a present of _two heads_.
"We weighed, in company with the steamer and boats, on the same evening,
and returned to Kuchin, where we arrived on the following day. The
men-of-war boats having been towed by the steamer, we arrived some time
before the native prahus belonging to the river, which had accompanied
us. On the following day they arrived, and the scene was novel and
interesting. They all rounded the point together, dressed out with flags
of all descriptions, beating their gongs and tom-toms, and firing blank
cartridges from their "Leilas." Highly elated with their victory, and
with the plunder which had accompanied it, they celebrated it by all
getting excessively drunk that night upon shamsoo.
We remained at Kuchin for three days, enjoying Mr. Brooke's hospitality;
and during that time it was proposed and arranged that we should pay a
visit to the river Loondoo, the residence of a very remarkable tribe of
Dyaks under Mr. Brooke's authority; but not being able to fix the exact
period for the visit, on that night we returned to the ship.
We had not been much more than twenty-four hours on board, when the
captain, who had been away, returned at midnight; and, at this unusual
hour, ordered all the boats, manned and armed, to be piped away
immediately. We were informed that the river Sakarron was again our
destination; and at four o'clock in the morning we started, with
fourteen days' provisions, and armed to the teeth, to join the Dido's
boats at the mouth of the river Morotabis, from thence to be towed with
them by the steamer to our destination. The cause of this new expedition
was the intelligence that the Arab chief, Serib Saib, who had escaped
during the late conflict, had returned to the Sakarron to collect
together and re-organize his piratical subjects. We soon arrived at the
same spot which we had before visited when the town had been burnt down;
but the expedition proved to be one of little interest. Notwithstanding
his threats, Serib Saib's confidence gave way at the approach of our
force, and he made a precipitate retreat up the river, accompanied by
four or five hundred of his warriors. Nevertheless, we continued to
force our way up the river, with the expectation that, when fairly at
bay, he would make a stand. Our advance was made known to the enemy by
fires lighted on the different hills abreast of the boats. This speedy
mode of communication is adopted by all the natives in this part of the
world. Determined not to abandon the pursuit while a chance remained, we
followed the redoubtable Serib Saib for eighty miles up the river, which
in some parts was too narrow for our boats' crews to make use of their
oars; but all obstacles were overcome in the ardour of the chase.
To impede our progress, large trees had been felled so as to fall across
the river where it was narrow; but these were removed, and we forced our
way on. At last the river, as we approached the source, became little
wider than a ditch, the barges grounded, and could proceed no farther;
the gigs only could float, and we continued, till, after forty-eight
hours of severe labour, we found ourselves at the head of the river; and
we also discovered that Serib Saib had escaped, having with his whole
force landed, and made his way through the jungle into the interior,
leaving at our disposal the forty war canoes which had carried him and
his men. To follow him was impossible; so we were obliged to content
ourselves with the capture of the war canoes, which were all that we had
to show for our exertions. Disappointed, and hungry withal, we were not
sorry to find ourselves once more with our heads down the river.
I must not omit, however, to narrate a little trick played upon our
gallant captain. I have stated that the river was so narrow near its
source that we could not use the oars, and the gigs, which continued the
pursuit, had to be hauled through the bushes by the boat-hooks.
Returning to where the larger boats had been left aground, our bow-man,
who was employed shooting the gig along by such aid as the branches of
the trees, or the tendrils which hung to them, afforded him, stuck his
boat-hook into what appeared to be a suspended ball of moss; but he soon
discovered that it was something more, as it was a nest of hornets,
which sallied out in great numbers, and resented the insult to their
domicile by attacking the bowman first, as the principal aggressor, and
us afterwards, as parties concerned. Now the sting of a hornet is no
joke; we covered our faces with our handkerchiefs, or any thing we could
find, and made a hasty retreat from the spot, pushing the gig down the
stream, till we were clear of their attacks. In the hurry of our escape
we left the boat-hook hanging in the hornet's nest, and not feeling at
all inclined to go back for it, we hailed the captain's gig, which was
following us, and requested very humbly that they would be pleased to
recover our boat-hook for us, as we could not well re-ascend the stream
from the want of it. As we did not mention that it was so peculiarly
situated, the captain saw no objection, and as they came to where it
hung, his bow-man caught hold of the staff, and wrested it from its
position; but this time such force was used that the tendril gave way,
and the nest itself fell down into the boat, and the irritated insects
poured out their whole force to revenge this second aggression. The
insects after all appeared to have a knowledge of the service, for they
served out their stings in the same proportion as the prize-money is
divided: the captain came in for his full share.
Returning rather in a bad humour at having had so long a pull for
nothing, we anchored off a fortified Malay town, which went by the name
of Bintang, and which had been brought to terms by Captain Keppell on a
previous expedition up the river. The people had consequently remained
neutral, although it was well known that they were not to be trusted,
and that, had we been defeated above and beaten back, they would, in all
probability, have attacked us in the rear. As the evening closed in, by
way of astonishing the natives, and giving them some idea of our perfect
equipment, the boats were directed to give a _feu-de-joie_. Some fifteen
guns, with rockets, port-fires, blue lights, supported by a
well-sustained roulade of musketry, had a very warlike effect; and, no
doubt, gave the natives an impression of our superiority in the use of
fire-arms. At the conclusion, Captain Keppell, who was always ready for
fun, gave out the order that all hands were to join in "God save the
Queen," taking the time from him. A dead silence was immediately
produced, waiting for him to lead off, which he did; but, to our great
amusement, he, by mistake, commenced with "Rule Britannia;" and this,
being more to the seamen's taste, certainly, as far as lungs were
concerned, was done most ample justice to.
The saying is, "No song no supper;" of course it must be presumed that a
song deserves a supper. It proved so in this instance; for just as the
chorus was hushed, the Sultan of Bintang, as he styles himself, sent off
to the head boat (the one I happened to be in) a superb supper for seven
people, consisting of seven bronze trays, each tray containing about a
dozen small plates, in which were many varieties of flesh and fowl
cooked in a very superior manner. To each tray was a spoon, made of the
yellow leaf of some tree unknown; but, as specimens of primitive
elegance and utility combined, they were matchless. We had some doubts,
from our knowledge of the treachery of the Malays, whether we should
fall to upon these appetising viands, as there was no saying but that
they might be poisoned. Mr. Brooke, however, who, although not the
commandant, was the mentor of the party, explained that he invariably
observed one rule when treating and dealing with these people,--which
was, never to exhibit any unworthy suspicion of them, as, by so doing,
they became convinced of our own integrity and honour. That this
confidence might have, in many instances, proved dangerous, unless
adopted with great caution, must be admitted; but in our relations with
the people on the rivers of Borneo it was of great service. The Malays
are so very suspicious themselves, that nothing but confidence on your
part will remove the feeling; and, in treating with Malays, this is the
first object to be obtained. The remarks of Mr. Brooke, which were not a
little assisted by the tempting nature of the viands, and no small
degree of hunger, had the effect, and the trays were all cleared out in
consequence.
While I was in this river I was capsized by a _bore_. This, I must
explain to my non-nautical readers, is a huge rolling wave, which is as
upright as a wall, and travels almost as fast as a locomotive. It is
occasioned by the flood tide pouring in and overcoming the feeders to
the river, forcing them back to their source. On this occasion I was
pulling down the river in a small gig, following the other boats, which
had turned up another branch of it, when I perceived it rapidly
advancing, and making a noise not unlike the animal of the same name,
only a great deal louder. Had I been steering a straight course down the
river I should have faced it, and probably have got off with the boat
half full of water; but I calculated upon reaching the point and
entering the branch of the river before its arrival. But I had not
calculated upon its speed, and a strong eddy current at the point was
wicked enough to draw our boat broadside to the middle of the stream.
The wall of water rushed on us, turned us over and over; but fortunately
by its force it also threw us all, with the gig, upon the point. It did
not, however, throw us our oars, which were performing a _pas de quatre_
in a whirlpool close to us. This was a narrow escape, as, had we
remained in the agitated waters, the alligators would soon have dragged
us under. For two minutes the river was in a state of ebullition, but
gradually subsided. We then launched the boat, regained our oars, and
proceeded to join our comrades. Thankful as we were for our lives having
been preserved, still as we were wet through and had lost all our
provisions and necessaries, we were compelled to admit that it was a
very great bore.
Shortly after our leaving this river a fatal accident happened to one of
our best men. The wind was blowing a heavy gale from the westward,
accompanied by thunder and lightning, such as is only to be seen and
heard on the coast of Borneo. The carpenters were on shore felling trees
for masts and yards, and as we were anchored some distance from the
shore a tent was pitched for their accommodation. They had not been in
the tent long when a large iron-wood tree was struck by lightning, and
fell, burying one of the carpenters, Miller by name, in the sand
underneath it. He was extricated with great difficulty; but before any
surgical assistance could be rendered him he was a corpse. On
examination most of his bones were found to be crushed.
Soon after our return from the Sakarron the expedition to Loondoo was
arranged, and we started in the barge and gig, accompanied by Captain
Keppell in his own boat, and Mr. Brooke and Hentig in one of the native
boats, called a Tam-bang. The distance was about forty miles, and we
should have arrived at four o'clock in the afternoon, but, owing to the
narrowness of the channel, and a want of knowledge of the river, we
grounded on the flats, where we lay high and dry for the space of four
hours. Floating with the following tide, we discovered the proper
channel, and found our way up the river, although the night was dark as
pitch: when near the town, we anchored for daylight.
I may as well here give a slight description of the scenery on the
Borneo rivers, all of which, that we have visited, with the exception of
the Bruni, bear a close resemblance to each other. They are far from
picturesque or beautiful, for the banks are generally low, and the
jungle invariably extends to the water's edge. For the first fifteen or
twenty miles the banks are lined with the nepa-palms, which then
gradually disappear, leaving the mangrove alone to clothe the sides of
the stream. When you enter these rivers, it is rare to see any thing
like a human habitation for many miles; reach after reach, the same
double line of rich foliage is presented, varying only in the
description of trees and bushes as the water becomes more fresh; now and
then a small canoe may be seen rounding a point, or you may pass the
stakes which denote that formerly there had been a fishing station. At
last a hut appears on the bank, probably flanked with one or two Banana
trees. You turn into the next reach and suddenly find yourself close to
one or more populous and fortified towns. As you ascend higher the
scenery becomes much more interesting and varied from the mangroves
disappearing. Few of the rivers of Borneo are more than eighty miles in
extent. The two rivers of Bruni and Coran are supposed to meet in the
centre of the island, although for many miles near their source they are
not much wider than a common ditch.
Before day-light of the following morning our slumbers were disturbed
by the crowing of a whole army of cocks, which assured us of the
proximity of the town we were in search of. We got under weigh, and,
rounding the point, Loondoo hove in sight, a fine town, built in a grove
of cocoa-nut trees, and by no means despicably fortified. We found our
progress arrested by a boom composed of huge trees fastened together by
coir cables, and extending the whole width of the river. Had our
intentions been hostile, it would have taken some time to have cut the
fastenings of this boom, and we should, during the operation, have been
exposed to a double line of fire from two forts raised on each side of
the river. The Chief of Loondoo had, however, been duly advised of our
intended visit, and as soon as our boats were seen from the town, a
head-man was sent out in a canoe to usher us in. After a little delay we
got the barge within the boom. When within, we found that we had further
reason to congratulate ourselves that we came as friends, as the raking
fire from the forts would have been most effectual, for we discovered
that we had to pass an inner boom equally well secured as the first. The
town was surrounded by a strong stockade made of the trunks of the
knee-bone palm, a wood superior in durability to any known. This
stockade had but one opening of any dimensions. A few strokes of the
oars brought us abreast of it, and we let go our anchors. The eldest son
of the Chief came to us immediately in a canoe. He was a splendidly
formed young man, about twenty-five years old. He wore his hair long and
flowing, his countenance was open and ingenuous, his eyes black and
knowing. His dress was a light blue velvet jacket without sleeves, and a
many-coloured sash wound round his waist. His arms and legs, which were
symmetrical to admiration, were naked, but encircled with a profusion of
heavy brass rings. He brought a present of fowls, cocoa-nuts, and
bananas to Mr. Brooke from his father, and an invitation for us to pay
him a visit at his house whenever we should feel inclined.
[Illustration: DYAK WOMEN IN CANOE.]
Preparatory to landing, we began performing our ablutions in the boat,
much to the amusement and delight of the naked groups of Dyaks who were
assembled at the landing place, and who eyed us in mute astonishment.
The application of a hair brush was the signal for a general burst of
laughter, but cleaning the teeth with a tooth brush caused a scream of
wonder, a perfect yell, I presume at our barbarous customs. There were
many women among the groups; they appeared to be well made, and more
than tolerably good looking. I need not enter into a very minute
description of their attire, for, truth to say, they had advanced very
little beyond the costume of our common mother Eve. We were soon in
closer contact with them, for one of our party throwing out of the boat
a common black bottle, half a dozen of the women plunged into the stream
to gain possession of it. They swam to the side of our boat without any
reserve, and then a struggle ensued as to who should be the fortunate
owner of the prize. It was gained by a fine young girl of about
seventeen years of age, and who had a splendid pair of black eyes. She
swam like a frog, and with her long hair streaming in the water behind
her, came pretty well up to our ideas of a mermaid.
As we had contrived to empty a considerable number of these bottles
during our expedition, they were now thrown overboard in every
direction. This occasioned a great increase of the floating party, it
being joined by all the other women on the beach, and for more than half
an hour we amused ourselves with the exertions and contentions of our
charming naiads, to obtain what they appeared to prize so much; at last
all our empty bottles were gone, and the women swam on shore with them,
as much delighted with their spoil as we had been amused with their
eagerness and activity.
About 10 o'clock we landed, and proceeded to pay our visit to the Chief.
We were ushered into a spacious house, built of wood and thatched with
leaves, capable of containing at least 400 people. The Chief was sitting
on a mat with his three sons by his side, and attended by all his
warriors. The remainder of the space within was occupied by as many of
the natives as could find room; those who could not, remained in the
court-yard outside. The Chief, who was a fine looking grey-bearded man
of about sixty years of age, was dressed in velvet, and wore on his head
a turban of embroidered silk. The three sons were dressed in the way I
have already described the one to have been who came to us in the canoe.
Without exception, those three young men were the most symmetrical in
form I have ever seen. The unrestrained state of nature in which these
Dyaks live, gives to them a natural grace and an easiness of posture,
which is their chief characteristic. After the usual greetings and
salutations had been passed through, we all sat down on mats and
cushions which had been arranged for us; a short conversation with Mr.
Brooke, who speaks the language fluently, then took place between him
and the Chief, after which refreshments were set before us. These
consisted of various eatables and sweetmeats made of rice, honey, sugar,
flour, and oil; and although very simple as a confectionery, they were
very palatable. We remained with the Chief about an hour, and before we
went away he requested our company in the evening, promising to treat us
with a Dyak war dance. We took our leave for the present, and amused
ourselves with strolling about the town. I will take this opportunity of
making known some information I have at this and at different times
obtained relative to this people.
The villages of the Dyaks are always built high up, near the source of
the rivers, or, should the river below be occupied by the piratical
tribes, on the hills adjoining to the source. Their houses are very
large, capable of containing two hundred people, and are built of palm
leaves. A village or town may consist of fifteen or twenty houses.
Several families reside in one house, divided from each other by only a
slight partition of mats. Here they take their meals, and employ
themselves, without interfering with each other. Their furniture and
property are very simple, consisting of a few cooking utensils, the
paddles of their canoes, their arms, and a few mats.
In all the Dyak villages every precaution is taken to guard against
surprise. I have already described the strength and fortifications of
Loondoo, and a similar principle is every where adopted. The town being
built on the banks of the river, the boom I have described is invariably
laid across the stream to prevent the ascent of boats. Commanding the
barriers, one or more forts are built on an eminence, mounting within
them five or six of the native guns, called leilas. The forts are
surrounded by a strong stockade, which is surmounted by a
cheveaux-de-frise of split bamboos. These stockaded forts are, with the
houses and cocoa nuts adjoining, again surrounded by a strong stockade,
which effectually secures them from any night attack.
Great respect is paid to the laws and to the mandates of their Chiefs,
although it but too often happens that, stimulated by revenge, or other
passions, they take the law into their own hands; but if crimes are
committed, they are not committed without punishment following them, and
some of their punishments are very barbarous and cruel: I have seen a
woman with both her hands half-severed at the wrists, and a man with
both his ears cut off.
The religious ideas of the Dyaks resemble those of the North American
Indians: they acknowledge a Supreme Being, or "Great Spirit;" they have
also some conception of an hereafter. Many of the tribes imagine that
the great mountain Keney Balloo is a place of punishment for guilty
departed souls. They are very scrupulous regarding their cemeteries,
paying the greatest respect to the graves of their ancestors. When a
tribe quits one place to reside at another, they exhume the bones of
their relations, and take them with them.
I could not discover if they had any marriage ceremony, but they are
very jealous of their wives, and visit with great severity any
indiscretion on their parts.
The Dyaks live principally upon rice, fish, and fruit, and they are very
moderate in their living. They extract shamshoo from the palm, but
seldom drink it Their principal luxury consists in the chewing the
betel-nut and chunam; a habit in which, like all the other inhabitants
of these regions, from Arracan down to the island of New Guinea, they
indulge to excess. This habit is any thing but becoming, as it renders
the teeth quite black, and the lips of a high vermilion, neither of
which alterations is any improvement to a copper-coloured face.
They both chew and smoke tobacco, but they do not use pipes for smoking;
they roll up the tobacco in a strip of dried leaf, take three or four
whiffs, emitting the smoke through their nostrils, and then they
extinguish it. They are fond of placing a small roll of tobacco between
the upper lip and gums, and allow it to remain there for hours. Opium is
never used by them, and I doubt if they are acquainted with its
properties.
They seldom cultivate more land than is requisite for the rice, yams,
and sago for their own consumption, their time being chiefly employed in
hunting and fishing. They appear to me to be far from an industrious
race of people, and I have often observed hundreds of fine-looking
fellows lolling and sauntering about, seeming to have no cares beyond
the present. Some tribes that I visited preferred obtaining their rice
in exchange from others, to the labour of planting it themselves. They
are, in fact, not agriculturally inclined, but always ready for barter.
They are middle-sized, averaging five feet five inches, but very
strong-built and well-conditioned, and with limbs beautifully
proportioned. In features they differ very much from the piratical
inhabitants of these rivers. The head is finely formed, the hair,
slightly shaven in front, is all thrown to the back of the head; their
cheek-bones are high, eyes small, black and piercing, nose not exactly
flat--indeed in some cases I have seen it rather aquiline; the mouth is
large, and lips rather thick, and there is a total absence of hair on
the face and eyebrows. Now the above description is not very much unlike
that of an African; and yet they are very unlike, arising, I believe,
from the very pleasing and frank expression of their countenances, which
is their only beauty. This description, however, must not be considered
as applicable to the whole of these tribes,--those on the S. E. coast of
the island being by no means so well-favoured.
[Illustration: SEREBIS DYAK.
(N. W. COAST OF BORNEO.)
F. M. DELT.
M. N. HANHART LITH. PRINTERS
LONDON; LONGMAN & CO. 1848]
The different tribes are more distinguishable by their costumes than by
their manners. The Dyaks of Loondoo are quite naked, and cover the arms
and legs with brass rings. Those of Serebis and Linga are remarkable for
wearing as many as ten to fifteen large rings in their ears. The Dusums,
a tribe of Dyaks on the north coast, wear immense rings of solid tin or
copper round their hips and shoulders, while the Saghai Dyaks of the S.
E. are dressed in tigers' skins and rich cloth, with splendid
head-dresses, made out of monkeys' skins and the feathers of the Argus
pheasant.
[Illustration: TEETH OF DYAKS.]
The invariable custom of filing the teeth sharp, combined with the use
of the betel-nut turning them quite black, gives their profile a very
strange appearance. Sometimes they render their teeth concave by
filing.
[Illustration: COSTUMES OF DYAK WOMEN.]
[Illustration: SUM-PI-TAN--BLOW-PIPE WITH POISONED ARROWS.]
Their arms consist of the blow-pipe (sum-pi-tan), from which they eject
small arrows, poisoned with the juice of the upas; a long sharp knife,
termed pa-rang; a spear, and a shield. They are seldom without their
arms, for the spear is used in hunting, the knife for cutting leaves,
and the sum-pi-tan for shooting small birds. Their warfare is carried on
more by treachery and stratagem than open fighting--they are all
warriors, and seldom at peace. The powerful tribes which reside on the
banks of the river generally possess several war prahus, capable of
holding from twenty to thirty men, and mounting a brass gun (leila) on
her bows, carrying a ball of one to two pounds weight. These prahus,
when an expedition is to be made against a neighbouring tribe, are
manned by the warriors, one or two of the most consequential men being
stationed in each prahu. Before they start upon an expedition, like the
North American Indians, they perform their war dance.
[Illustration: SAGHAI DYAK.
(S. E. COAST OF BORNEO.)
F. M. DELT.
M. N. HANHART LITH. PRINTERS
LONDON; LONGMAN & CO. 1848]
Should their enemies have gained intelligence of the meditated attack,
they take the precaution of sending away their women, children, and
furniture, into the jungle, and place men in ambush on the banks of the
river, who attack the assailants as they advance. The Dyaks are all very
brave, and fight desperately, yelling during the combat like the
American Indians. The great object in their combats is to obtain as many
of the heads of the party opposed as possible; and if they succeed in
their surprise of the town or village, the heads of the women and
children are equally carried off as trophies. But there is great
difficulty in obtaining a head, for the moment that a man falls every
effort is made by his own party to carry off the body, and prevent the
enemy from obtaining such a trophy. If the attacking party are
completely victorious, they finish their work of destruction by setting
fire to all the houses, and cutting down all the cocoa-nut trees; after
which they return home in triumph with their spoil. As soon as they
arrive another war dance is performed; and after making very merry, they
deposit the heads which they have obtained in the head-house. Now,
putting scalps for heads, the reader will perceive that their customs
are nearly those of the American Indians.
Every Dyak village has its head-house: it is generally the hall of
audience as well. The interior is decorated with heads piled up in
pyramids to the roof: of course the greater the number of heads the more
celebrated they are as warriors.
[Illustration: DYAK VILLAGE.]
The women of the north-east coast are by no means bad-looking, but very
inferior to the mountain Dyaks before described. I have seen one or two
faces which might be considered as pretty. With the exception of a
cloth, which is secured above the hips with a hoop of rattan, and
descends down to the knees, they expose every other portion of their
bodies. Their hair, which is fine and black, generally falls down
behind. Their feet are bare. Like the American squaws, they do all the
drudgery, carry the water, and paddle the canoes. They generally fled at
our approach, if we came unexpectedly. The best looking I ever saw was
one we captured on the river Sakarron. She was in a dreadful fright,
expecting every moment to be killed, probably taking it for granted that
we had our head-houses to decorate as well as their husbands. While
lying off the town of Baloongan, expecting hostilities to ensue, we
observed that the women who came down to fill their bamboos with water
were all armed.
And now to resume the narrative of our proceedings:--
I stated that after our interview with the old chief, and promising to
return in the evening to witness a war dance, we proceeded on a stroll,
accompanied by the chiefs eldest son, who acted as our guide, and
followed by a large party of the natives. We first examined the forts:
these were in a tolerable state of efficiency, but their gunpowder was
coarse and bad. We next went over the naval arsenal, for being then at
peace with every body, their prahus were hauled up under cover of sheds.
One of them was a fine boat, about forty feet long, mounting a gun, and
capable of containing forty or fifty men. She was very gaily decorated
with paint and feathers, and had done good service on the Sakarron river
in a late war. These war prahus have a flat strong roof, from which they
fight, although they are wholly exposed to the spears and arrows of the
enemy.
We then invaded their domestic privacy, by entering the houses, and
proceeded to an inspection of the blacksmith's shop, where we found the
chiefs youngest son, with his velvet jacket thrown aside, working away
at a piece of iron, which he was fashioning into a pa-rang, or Dyak
knife. The Dyak pa-rang has been confounded with the Malay kris, but
they differ materially. The Dyaks, I believe, seldom use the kris, and
the Malays never use the knife; and I observed, when we visited the
south coast of Borneo, that the knife and other arms of the tribes
inhabiting this portion, were precisely similar to those of the Dyaks on
the northern coast. Customs so universal and so strictly adhered to
proves not only individuality, but antiquity. Having examined every
thing and every body, we were pretty well tired, and were not sorry that
the hour had now arrived at which we were again to repair to the house
of the rajah.
On our arrival we found the rajah where we left him, and all the chief
men and warriors assembled. Refreshments had been prepared for us, and
we again swallowed various mysterious confections, which, as I before
observed, would have been very good if we had been hungry. As soon as
the eatables had been despatched, we lighted our cheroots, and having,
by a dexterous and unperceived application out of a brandy bottle,
succeeded in changing the rajah's lemonade into excellent punch, we
smoked and drank until the rajah requested to know if we were ready to
witness the promised war dance. Having expressed our wishes in the
affirmative, the music struck up; it consisted of gongs and tom-toms.
The Malay gong, which the Dyaks also make use of, is like the Javanese,
thick with a broad rim, and very different from the gong of the Chinese.
Instead of the clanging noise of the latter, it gives out a muffled
sound of a deep tone. The gong and tom-tom are used by the Dyaks and
Malays in war, and for signals at night, and the Dyaks procure them from
the Malays. I said that the music struck up, for, rude as the
instruments were, they modulate the sound, and keep time so admirably,
that it was any thing but inharmonious.
A space was now cleared in the centre of the house, and two of the
oldest warriors stepped into it. They were dressed in turbans, long
loose jackets, sashes round their waists descending to their feet, and
small bells were attached to their ankles. They commenced by first
shaking hands with the rajah, and then with all the Europeans present,
thereby giving us to understand, as was explained to us, that the dance
was to be considered only as a spectacle, and not to be taken in its
literal sense, as preparatory to an attack upon us, a view of the case
in which we fully coincided with them.
[Illustration: WAR DANCE OF THE DYAKS.
F. M. DELT.
M. N. HANHART LITH. PRINTERS]
This ceremony being over, they rushed into the centre and gave a most
unearthly scream, then poising themselves on one foot they described a
circle with the other, at the same time extending their arms like the
wings of a bird, and then meeting their hands, clapping them and keeping
time with the music. After a little while the music became louder, and
suddenly our ears were pierced with the whole of the natives present
joining in the hideous war cry. Then the motions and the screams of the
dancers became more violent, and every thing was working up to a state
of excitement by which even we were influenced. Suddenly a very
unpleasant odour pervaded the room, already too warm from the numbers it
contained. Involuntarily we held our noses, wondering what might be the
cause, when we perceived that one of the warriors had stepped into the
centre and suspended round the shoulders of each dancer a human head in
a wide meshed basket of rattan. These heads had been taken in the late
Sakarron business, and were therefore but a fortnight old. They were
encased in a wide net work of rattan, and were ornamented with beads.
Their stench was intolerable, although, as we discovered upon after
examination, when they were suspended against the wall, they had been
partially baked and were quite black. The teeth and hair were quite
perfect, the features somewhat shrunk, and they were altogether very
fair specimens of pickled heads; but our worthy friends required a
lesson from the New Zealanders in the art of preserving. The appearance
of the heads was the signal for the music to play louder, for the war
cry of the natives to be more energetic, and for the screams of the
dancers to be more piercing. Their motions now became more rapid, and
the excitement in proportion. Their eyes glistened with unwonted
brightness. The perspiration dropped down their faces, and thus did
yelling, dancing, gongs, and tom-toms become more rapid and more violent
every minute, till the dancing warriors were ready to drop. A farewell
yell, with emphasis, was given by the surrounding warriors; immediately
the music ceased, the dancers disappeared, and the tumultuous excitement
and noise was succeeded by a dead silence. Such was the excitement
communicated, that when it was all over we ourselves remained for some
time panting to recover our breath. Again we lighted our cheroots and
smoked for a while the pipe of peace.
A quarter of an hour elapsed and the preparations were made for another
martial dance. This was performed by two of the rajah's sons, the same
young men I have previously made mention of. They came forward each
having on his arm one of the large Dyak shields, and in the centre of
the cleared space were two long swords lying on the floor. The ceremony
of shaking hands, as described preparatory to the former dance, was
first gone through; the music then struck up and they entered the arena.
At first they confined themselves to evolutions of defence, springing
from one side to the other with wonderful quickness, keeping their
shields in front of them, falling on one knee and performing various
feats of agility. After a short time, they each seized a sword, and then
the display was very remarkable, and proved what ugly customers they
must be in single conflict. Blows in every direction, feints of every
description, were made by both, but invariably received upon the
shields. Cumbrous as these shields were, no opening was ever left,
retreating, pursuing, dodging, and striking, the body was never exposed.
Occasionally, during this performance, the war cry was given by the
surrounding warriors, but the combatants held their peace; in fact they
could not afford to open their mouths, lest an opening should be made.
It was a most masterly performance, and we were delighted with it.
As the evening advanced into night, we had a sort of extemporary drama,
reminding us of one of the dances, as they are called, of the American
Indians, in which the warriors tell their deeds of prowess. This was
performed by two of the principal and oldest warriors, who appeared in
long white robes, with long staves in their hands. They paraded up and
down the centre, alternately haranguing each other; the subject was the
praise of their own rulers, a relation of their own exploits, and an
exhortation to the young warriors to emulate their deeds. This
performance was most tedious; it lasted for about three hours, and, as
we could not understand a word that was said, it was not peculiarly
interesting. It, however, had one good effect: it sent us all asleep. I
fell asleep before the others, I am told; very possible. I certainly
woke up the first, and on waking, found that all the lights were out,
and that the rajah and the whole company had disappeared, with the
exception of my European friends, who were all lying around me. My
cheroot was still in my mouth, so I re-lighted it and smoked it, and
then again lay down by the side of my companions. Such was the wind-up
of our visit to the rajah, who first excited us by his melodramas, and
then sent us to sleep with his recitations.
The next morning, at daylight, we repaired to our boats, and when all
was ready took leave of the old rajah. The rajah's eldest son had
promised to accompany us to the mouth of the river, and show us how the
natives hunted the wild pigs, which are very numerous in all the jungles
of Borneo.
We got under weigh and proceeded down the river accompanied by a large
canoe, which was occupied by the rajah's son, six or seven hunters, and
a pack of the dogs used in hunting the wild boar on this island. These
dogs were small, but very wiry, with muzzles like foxes, and curling
tails. Their hair was short, and of a tan colour. Small as they are,
they are very bold, and one of them will keep a wild pig at bay till the
hunters come up to him.
[Illustration: OBTAINING FIRE.]
We arrived at the hunting ground at the mouth of the river in good time,
before the scent was off, and landed in the _Tam-bang_. Our captain
having a survey to make of an island at the mouth of the river, to our
great delight took away the barge and gig, leaving Mr. Brooke, Hentig,
Captain Keppell, Adams, and myself, to accompany the rajah's son. Having
arranged that the native boat should pull along the coast in the
direction that we were to walk, and having put on board the little that
we had collected for our dinners, we shouldered our guns and followed
the hunters and dogs. The natives who accompanied us were naked, and
armed only with a spear. They entered the jungle with the dogs, rather
too fatiguing an exercise for us, and we contented ourselves with
walking along the beach abreast of them, waiting very patiently for the
game to be started. In a very few minutes the dogs gave tongue, and as
the noise continued we presumed that a boar was on foot; nor were we
wrong in our conjecture; the barking of the dogs ceased, and one of the
hunters came out of the jungle to us with a fine pig on his back, which
he had transfixed with his spear. Nor were we long without our share of
the sport, for we suddenly came upon a whole herd which had been driven
out of the jungle, and our bullets did execution. We afterwards had more
shots, and with what we killed on the beach, and the natives secured in
the jungle, as the evening advanced we found ourselves in possession of
eight fine grown animals. These the rajah's son and his hunters very
politely requested our acceptance of. We now had quite sufficient
materials for our dinner, and as we were literally as hungry as
hunters, we were most anxious to fall to, and looked upon our pigs with
very cannibal eyes. The first thing necessary was to light a fire, and
for the first time I had an opportunity of seeing the Dyak way of
obtaining it. It differs slightly from the usual manner, and is best
explained by a sketch. Captain Keppell, who was always the life and soul
of every thing, whether it was a fight or a pic nic, was unanimously
elected caterer, and in that capacity he was most brilliant. I must
digress a little to bestow upon that officer the meed of universal
opinion; for his kindness, mirth, and goodness of heart, have rendered
him a favourite wherever he has been known, not only a favourite with
the officers, but even more so, if possible, with the men. In the
expeditions in which Keppell has been commanding officer, where the men
were worn out with continued exertion at the oar, and with the many
obstacles to be overcome, Keppell's voice would be heard, and when
heard, the men were encouraged and renewed their endeavours. Keppell's
stock, when provisions were running short, and with small hopes of a
fresh supply, was freely shared among those about him, while our gallant
captain, with a boat half filled with his own hampers, would see, and
appeared pleased to see, those in his company longing for a mouthful
which never would be offered. If any of the youngsters belonging to
other ships were, from carelessness or ignorance, in trouble with the
commanding officers, it was to Keppell that they applied, and it was
Keppell who was the intercessor. In fact, every occasion in which
kindness, generosity, or consideration for others could be shown, such
an opportunity was never lost by Keppell, who, to sum up, was a beloved
friend, a delightful companion, and a respected commander. As soon as
our fire was lighted, we set to, under Keppell's directions, and, as may
be supposed, as we had little or nothing else, pork was our principal
dish. In fact, we had pig at the top, pig at the bottom, pig in the
centre, and pig at the sides. A Jew would have made but a sorry repast,
but we, emancipated Christians, made a most ravenous one, defying Moses
and all his Deuteronomy. We had plenty of wine and segars, and soon
found ourselves very comfortably seated on the sand, still warm from the
rays of the burning mid-day sun. Towards the end of a long repast we
felt a little chilly, and we therefore rose and indulged in the games of
leap-frog, fly-the-garter, and other venturous amusements. We certainly
had in our party one or two who were as well fitted to grace the senate
as to play at leap-frog, but I have always observed that the cleverest
men are the most like children when an opportunity is offered for
relaxation. I don't know what the natives thought of the European Rajah
Brooke playing at leap-frog, but it is certain that the rajah did not
care what they thought. I have said little of Mr. Brooke, but I will now
say that a more mild, amiable, and celebrated person I never knew. Every
one loved him, and he deserved it.
After we had warmed ourselves with play, we lighted an enormous fire to
keep off the mosquitoes, and made a bowl of grog to keep off the effects
of the night air, which is occasionally very pernicious. We smoked and
quaffed, and had many a merry song and many a witty remark, and many a
laugh about nothing on that night. As it is highly imprudent to sleep in
the open air in Borneo, at ten o'clock we broke up and went to repose in
the boats under the spread awnings. Just as we were selecting the
softest plank we could find for a bed, we had an alarm which might have
been attended with fatal consequences. I omitted to mention that when we
rose to part and go into the boats, one of the party threw a lighted
brand out of the fire at the legs of another; this compliment was
returned, and as it was thought very amusing, the object being to leap
up and let the brand pass between your legs, by degrees all the party
were engaged in it, even the rajah and the natives joined in the sport,
and were highly amused with it, although with bare legs they stood a
worse chance of being hit than we did. At last the brands were all
expended and the fire extinct, and then, as I said, we went away to
sleep under the boats' awnings. We were in the act of depositing our
loaded rifles by our sides in a place of security, when the unearthly
war cry rose in the jungle, and in the stillness of the night these
discordant screams sounded like the yelling of a legion of devils.
Immediately afterwards a body of natives rushed from the jungle in the
direction of the boats, in which we supposed that our European party
were all assembled. Always on our guard against treachery, and not
knowing but that these people might belong to a hostile band, in an
instant our rifles were in our hands and pointed at the naked body of
natives, who were now within twenty yards of us. Mr. Hentig was on the
point of firing, when loud shouts of laughter from the Dyaks arrested
his hand, and we then perceived that Mr. Brooke and others were with the
natives, who enjoyed the attempt to intimidate us. It was fortunate
that it ended as it did; for had Mr. Hentig been more hasty, blood must
have been shed in consequence of this native practical joke. We joined
the laugh, however, laid down our rifles, then laid ourselves down, and
went fast asleep, having no further disturbance than the still small
voice of the mosquito, which, like that of conscience, is one that
"murders sleep."
The following morning we bade adieu to our friendly hunting party, and I
must not here omit to mention a trait of honesty on the part of the
Dyaks. I had dropped my pocket handkerchief in the walk of the day
before, and in the evening it was brought to me by one of the natives,
who had followed a considerable distance to bring it to me. It must be
known, that a coloured silk handkerchief is to one of these poor Dyaks,
who are very fond of finery, an article of considerable value. He might
have retained it without any fear; and his bringing it to me was not
certainly with any hope of reward, as I could have given him nothing
which he would have prized so much as the handkerchief itself. He was
made a present of it for his honesty.
We bade farewell to our friends at Kuchin, and continued our survey on
the coast. The boats were now continually employed away from the ship,
which moved slowly to the westward. At this time exposure and hard work
brought the fever into the ship. The barge returned in consequence of
four of her men being taken with it, and our sick list increased daily.
A few days afterwards the coxswain of the barge died, and was buried
along side the same morning. This death, after so short an illness,
damped the spirits of the officers and men, particularly of those who
were ill. After this burial we sailed for Sincapore. At this time our
sick report contained the names of more than thirty men, with every
probability of the number being increased; but, thanks to God, from
change of air, fresh provisions, and a little relaxation from the
constant fatigue, the majority were in a short time convalescent. On the
25th of September we arrived at Sincapore.
[Illustration: VIEW OF SINCAPORE.]
From the anchorage the town of Sincapore has a very pleasing appearance.
Most of the public buildings, as well as some of the principal
merchants' houses, face the sea. The church is also close to the beach,
I presume to allow the congregation the benefit of the sea breezes. It
has no architectural beauty to recommend it, being a plain building with
a spiral steeple, surmounted by a cross. The interior is fitted up with
more regard to neatness than elegance. It has an organ, and is supplied
with a host of young choristers from the academy.
Between the beach and Government Hill is a delightful upland, which is
generally attended by all the beauty and fashion of Sincapore in the
cool of the evening. A canal or small river divides the town into two
parts. On the western side of it, stand all the stone houses of the
merchants, and it is here that all commercial business is transacted. It
is densely populated with Armenian Jews, Chinese, and people from every
part of India, each nation residing in its own quarter, in the houses
peculiar to and characteristic of their country. Indeed, one of the
first things that strikes the stranger in Sincapore is the variety of
costume; Chinamen, Malays and Indians, Armenians and Jews, all mingle
together in every variety of picturesque costume, giving you an idea of
a carnival. The palanquins resemble an omnibus on a small scale, they
are drawn on four wheels, have a door on either side, and seats for four
people. They are very high, and drawn by one horse. The conductors,
however, are not perched up on high, but run by the side of the horse,
as do all the syces in India.
There are two hotels, the proprietors of which are of course rivals. One
is kept by an Englishman, the other by a Frenchman; both are equally
attentive, but the Frenchman's house has the preference, in consequence
of its superior locality, facing the esplanade, and looking upon the
sea. The governor's house is situated on the summit of a hill, about a
quarter of a mile from the beach. From it you have a bird's eye view of
the whole town, and also of the country in the interior for some
distance. From this eminence the town has a very picturesque
appearance; the houses on the east side of the river (the May fair of
Sincapore), are built apart and surrounded by pretty gardens and lawns;
beyond this you have the roads and the sea studded with every variety of
vessels; and the island of Binting rises from sea in the distance. The
interior is not without beauty: the eye ranges over a vast expanse of
grove and forest, interspersed with plantations of nutmegs, cinnamon,
cloves, and sugar canes, and from which a most delightful perfume is
brought by the breeze, while here and there white houses may be
perceived, looking like mere specks in the dark foliage by which they
are surrounded. It is surprising, when we reflect how short a space of
time has passed since this settlement was first made, how such a mass of
building and such a concourse of people can have been collected.
It certainly does appear strange, but it is no less true, that no nation
can colonise like the English, and I have often made that remark in my
wanderings and visitings of the various parts of the globe. England
fills the world and civilises the world with her redundant population,
and all her colonies flourish, and remind you of a swarm of bees which
have just left the old hive and are busy in providing for themselves.
The Dutch colonies are not what you can call thriving; they have not the
bustle, the enterprise, and activity which our colonies possess. The
Dutch have never conciliated the natives, and obtained their goodwill;
they have invariably resorted to violence, and to a disregard of
justice. One would have thought that the French, from their _bonhomie_,
would have been one of the very best nations to civilise, and certain to
have succeeded; but such is not the case. What can be the cause of this,
if it be not that, instead of raising the character of the native
population by good example and strict justice, they demoralise by
introducing vices hitherto unknown to them, and alienate them by
injustice? There was an outcry raised at the French taking possession
of Taheite, as if any attempt on their part to colonise was an
infringement on our right as Englishmen of universal colonisation. I
think if we were wise, we should raise no objection to their colonising
as much as they please. The whole expence of founding the colony,
raising the fortifications, and building the towns, and, if I may use
the phrase, of settling every thing, may safely be left to them. If a
war breaks out, they will have done a great deal of expensive work for
our benefit, as we are certain then to take possession. Algiers has cost
an enormous sum to France, and will cost still more, and yet it can
hardly be considered as a colony. It is a military possession, an
African barrack, no more; and what will be the result in case of the
breaking out of hostilities? Their possession of Algiers will be most
advantageous to England, for defend it they will with all their power.
We, with Gibraltar as a rendezvous, shall of course have a most
favourable position for assailing it, and the consequence will be, that
the whole focus of the war will be drawn away from our own coasts, and
the Mediterranean will be the arena of all the fighting. The struggle
must be before the Pillars of Hercules. The more we increase our fleets,
the larger must her force be, and she will have no squadron to spare to
send out to annoy our trade and colonial possessions. But as this is a
digression, and has nothing to do with my narrative, I beg pardon and go
on.
We found that the Dido had anchored there before us, and had received
her orders to proceed to England. Oh! how we envied her good fortune;
and surely if envy is a base passion, in this instance it becomes
ennobled by the feelings of home and country which excite it. The Dido
left on the 10th, and we regretted the loss of Captain Keppell most
deeply. Many merchant vessels had been lately wrecked on the north coast
of Borneo, and their crews made prisoners by the pirate hordes. Some of
the vessels had had females on board, who had not been heard of since. A
letter from a master of a merchant vessel was received by the
authorities at Sincapore, wherein it was stated on oath, that, having
lately put into the port of Ambong, in Borneo, an European woman had
been seen near one of the huts of the village; but that on their
approach, she disappeared. This account was corroborated by the evidence
of some Lascar seamen, who formed a portion of the crew of the vessel.
The contents of this letter being forwarded by the authorities to our
gallant captain, he determined upon proceeding to Ambong, accompanied by
our old ally, the Phlegethon steamer. Fortunately the town lay in our
track, as we were about to proceed to Labuan, and from thence to
Manilla. We again weighed anchor for Sarawak, whither the steamer had
already proceeded. On our arrival at the mouth of the river we anchored,
and the captain went up in his gig. The following day, to our great
surprise, we received an intimation that we might make a party of
pleasure (a party quite unknown in the Samarang), and go up to Kuchin.
We hurried away before the captain had time to repent his indulgence,
and set off, some seven or eight of us, in the cutter, and pulled away
as fast as we could, till we were first out of hail, and then out of
sight, when we considered that we were safe.
I have already stated that the native houses are built on the left side
of the Sarawak river, and those of the Europeans on the right. These
latter are pretty commodious little bungalows, built of cedar and pine
wood. At present there are but three, belonging to Mr. Brooke, Mr.
Williamson the interpreter, and Hentig, a merchant who has lately
settled there. Ruppell, Mr. Brooke's superintendent, and Treecher, the
surgeon, live in a large house on the native side of the river. Each of
these European houses has its chatty bath adjoining to it, and this
luxury is indulged in at all hours of the day. At nine o'clock a gong
summons all the Europeans to the breakfast table of Mr. Brooke. When
breakfast is over, they all separate, either to follow business or
pleasure, and seldom meet again till six in the evening, when dinner is
served, and the time is passed away till all retire to bed.
Let me describe the view from the front of Mr. Brooke's house:--The
schooner lying half way across the river is the Julia, belonging to Mr.
Brooke: she sails every month for Sincapore, laden with antimony ore;
and thus, at the same time, she forms a mail-packet between Sincapore
and Kuchin. The large open building, with a wharf, leading down to the
river, is the store in which the antimony is sifted, smelted, and
weighed. On the point near the bend of the river is the fort. It is a
strong building of large timbers, and mounts eight 24-lb. iron guns, in
very excellent condition. This is a very necessary defence, as the
European rajah has many enemies. The building whose top just appears
above the trees is the Chinese joss-house, or temple; for there are many
Chinese settlers at Kuchin, who are very useful in their capacities of
carpenters, blacksmiths, and agriculturists. Sweeping with the eye a
range of dwelling houses built on stakes, you stop at one of tolerable
proportions, which has a platform in front of it, on which are mounted
about twenty small guns, and there is a flag-staff, on which is hoisted
a red and yellow flag: that is the palace of Rajah Muda Hassan. Take a
canoe, and cross over to it. You will find Muda sitting cross-legged in
the centre of it: he shakes hands with you, and offers you cigars and
tea. You will also meet his brother, Bud-ruddeen. You take your leave of
the rajah, and amuse yourself with a walk round the town, during which
you examine the natives and their wives, their customs, their houses,
and their gardens.
With the exception of the more civilised tribes in the vicinity of the
Sarawak, the Malays who inhabit the coast of Borneo are a cruel,
treacherous, and disgusting race of men, with scarcely one good quality
to recommend them. The numerous tribes of these people are separately
governed, either by a rajah or petty sultan. Their laws are much more
respected than would be supposed in a country where every man is armed,
and is a robber by profession. The dress of the Malay is very uniform,
consisting of a loose jacket, a sash, and trousers: in some parts a
cloth is worn round the head; in others, a hat, made of leaves or
rattan. Their arms are the kris and spear; occasionally they carry the
sum-pi-tan, and poisoned arrows. Their houses are built upon stakes,
probably for the sake of cleanliness; as the flooring consists of a kind
of grating made of rattan, all dirt falls through. The houses are small,
and contain but one family, and, like those of the Dyaks, are built of
the lightest materials. The Malays pretend to Mahomedanism, and there is
generally a large empty building in every town which is dignified with
the name of a mosque: on the outside are hung drums or tom-toms, of huge
dimensions, which are used as gentle reminders of the hours of prayer.
I have already stated that these Malay tribes live almost wholly by
piracy, to carry on which each town possesses several large prahus,
which they man, and send out to intercept any unfortunate junk or other
vessel incapable of much resistance, which fate or the currents may have
driven too near their coast. When the vessels are captured the cargoes
are deposited in their warehouses, the vessels are broken up, and the
crews are retained as slaves, to dig yams or pound paddy. Unless they
are irritated by a desperate resistance, or they attack an inimical
tribe, they do not shed blood, as has generally been supposed;
restrained, however, by no other feeling than that of avarice, for the
slaves are too valuable to be destroyed. In their physiognomy these
Malays are inferior to the Dyaks: they have a strong resemblance to the
monkey in face, with an air of low cunning and rascality most
unprepossessing. In stature they are very low, and generally
bandy-legged. Their hair and eyes are invariably black, but the face is,
in most cases, devoid of hair; when it does grow, it is only at the
extreme point of the chin. The Borneo Malay women are as plain as the
men, although at Sincapore, Mauritius, and the Sooloos, they are well
favoured; and they wind their serang, or robe, so tight round their
bodies, that they walk in a very constrained and ungainly fashion. Many
of these tribes are intermixed with the natives of the Celebes, such as
the inhabitants of Sooloo.
[Illustration: MALAY WOMAN.]
The Malays deal with criminals in a very summary manner, the knowledge
of which prevents many crimes among this semi-barbarous people. Robbers,
for the first offence, lose their right hand; for the second they
undergo the penalty of death. When we were at Kuchin a Chinaman was
convicted of selling sam-schoo without permission: his goods were
confiscated for a time, to be redeemed only by his good behaviour. I am
not acquainted with their punishments for minor offences, except in the
above instance; but I believe it is generally by fine. Every rajah holds
despotic sway over the inhabitants of his province, and punishes as he
thinks proper, without reference to any tribunal, even in cases where
the sentence is death. The method of executing criminals with the kris
is as follows:--He is made to sit down in a chair, with his arms
extended horizontally, and held in that position by two men. The
executioner, who stands behind him, inserts his kris above the
collar-bone, in a perpendicular manner, which causes instant death, as
the weapon enters the heart.
[Illustration: MALAY CHIEF.
(SOOLOO.)
F. M. DELT.
M. N. HANHART LITH. PRINTERS
LONDON; LONGMAN & CO. 1848]
The following anecdote, related to me by some of the Roche people, may
amuse the reader:--A celebrated Malay pirate, whose sanguinary deeds had
filled the Archipelago with terror, became violently enamoured with one
of the slaves of a rajah living on the river Sarawak. After vainly
endeavouring to obtain her from her master by offers of money and
entreaties, he lay in wait for her, and ran away with her into the
jungle.
He had hardly passed his honeymoon before the rajah discovered his
retreat, and he sent to the Malay to inform him, that, if he would make
his appearance at the audience upon a certain day, he should have
justice done him.
The Malay chief, who was a man of undaunted courage, and who felt
confident that the reputation he had acquired by his piratical exploits
was alone sufficient to awe his enemies, consented to appear, hoping
that arrangements might be made which would permit him to leave the
jungle, and allow him to enjoy his new bride in quiet.
On the day appointed he appeared before the council, armed, and
accompanied by his brother, both resting their hands upon the handles
of their krisses, a movement which among the Malays proclaims no
feelings of amity. In this attitude of preparation they walked into the
audience room, which was crowded with a host of enemies. The council
decided, that if on a certain day he would produce a specified sum of
money the girl should be his, and he should return unmolested. The sum
named was exorbitant, but the Malay chief agreed to the payment, and was
permitted to depart.
When the day of payment arrived, the council sat as before, and the
Malay chief again made his appearance; but this time he came alone, his
brother being absent on a piratical expedition. He had, in consequence
of his violent affection for the girl, made every attempt to raise the
stipulated sum, but could not succeed. He brought all that he could
collect, but it fell far short of the sum which had been agreed upon,
and he requested time to procure the remainder. The council consulted a
while, and then stipulated, that the chief, not having brought the sum
agreed upon, should leave his kris as a pledge till the rest should be
forthcoming. The kris that the chief wore was itself of great value,
very handsomely ornamented with precious stones. It had belonged to his
ancestors, and was, as they always are, highly prized, and they knew
that it would, if possible, be reclaimed. The chief was most reluctant
to part with it, but his love for his mistress overcame his scruples,
and also his prudence, for it left him unarmed amidst his implacable
enemies. He pulled out his kris, and laid it on the table upon the
money, and was busy disengaging the sheath to add to it, when, by a
signal from the rajah, he was seized from behind. He started up, but it
was too late; his trusty weapon, which had so often stood by him in his
need, was no longer within his reach, and he was in a moment transfixed
with a dozen blades, falling a victim to his love of the girl and the
treachery of his foes.
After passing two very pleasant days at Kuchin, we prepared to descend
the river. I have omitted to say that Mr. Treecher, the surgeon, was
fond of natural history, and possessed a very tolerable collection of
birds, and other animals indigenous to the country. I was shown several
skeletons of the orang outang, some of which were of great size. There
is no want of these animals in the jungle, but a living specimen is not
easy to procure; I saw but one, an adult female, belonging to Mr.
Brooke. It was very gentle in its manners, and, when standing upright,
might have measured three feet six inches.
[Illustration: PROBOSCIS MONKEY.]
On board of the Phlegethon there were two specimens of the wa-wa, or
long-armed ape, which had been presented to Mr. Brooke by one of the
neighbouring rajahs, and they are by the natives considered very
valuable. Their affection when domesticated is remarkable; their first
act when they meet one they know is to leap upon your breast and embrace
you with their arms, just like a child will its mother, and they will
remain, if permitted, in this position for hours, and complain if
removed. Their cry is very plaintive, and, heard at night in the jungle,
sounds like that of a female in distress. I was given to understand that
in the presents made by chiefs, a scarce variety of monkey is often the
principal gift, and most esteemed.
The scarcest monkey in Borneo is the proboscis, or long-nosed. I saw but
two specimens of this animal, one a female, with the nose very long, and
pendulous at the extremity; the other a male, very young, and with the
nose more or less prominent, and giving its face a more actual
resemblance to that of a man's than I had ever before seen. This monkey
has never, I believe, been brought to England alive. The British Museum
has a stuffed specimen. It is not so mischievous in its habits as the
tribe in general.
As Rajah Muda Hassan has been so frequently mentioned, it may be as well
to give a succinct outline of his history. At the death of the late
sultan, Muda Hassan was the heir-apparent to the throne, but he resigned
in favour of his nephew, retaining the office of prime minister, which
office he had held during the former reign, not only to the satisfaction
of the sultan, but also of the people, with whom he was deservedly a
great favourite. His influence, being even greater than that of the
sultan, occasioned a jealous feeling, and a contention of party, which
induced Muda Hassan to retire to Sarawak with his wives and personal
attendants. He was succeeded in his office of prime minister by an Arab,
Pangeran Usop, a man of unbounded ambition, who by his harsh and
tyrannical conduct soon became hated by the Brunese, who longed for the
return of Muda Hassan, under whose sway they had been quiet and happy.
Pangeran Usop, aware of the popular feeling, now considered Muda Hassan
as his enemy, and took every opportunity of vilifying and creating
suspicion of Muda Hassan on the mind of the sultan, who was little
better than an idiot. He asserted that Muda Hassan and his brother
Bud-ruddeen were leagued with the English, and were their only
supporters in their pretensions to the isle of Labuan, and that they
would assist the English in taking possession of Borneo.
These reports, although at first treated with disdain, continually
repeated had their effect, not only upon the sultan, but upon the
people; and Muda Hassan, who was informed of what had been going on, and
had not deigned to notice it, now considered that it was advisable to
repair to Borneo, and refute the charges brought against him.
When Mr. Brooke purchased the rajahship and mines of Sarawak, he agreed
to compensate Muda with a life annuity of two or three hundred per
annum, and give him a passage to his native city, Bruni, whenever he
should feel disposed to leave Kuchin. Some time had now elapsed since
the signing of the contract, during which Muda had remained at his
palace at Kuchin, enjoying his income, and living on the very best terms
with the Europeans. He now, however, expressed a wish to return to
Bruni, and as it was Mr. Brooke's intention to proceed to that port in
the Samarang, it was proposed that the Phlegethon steamer should embark
Muda and his suite, and that on our arrival at Bruni we should see this
rajah and his brother Bud-ruddeen installed in their positions which by
their birth they were entitled to. Another object was in view, and
expected to be gained by this step. Up to the present, no efforts had
been made by the Bornean government to discountenance piracy; on the
contrary, the plunder of the pirates was brought in and openly disposed
of at Bruni, which is the royal residence. Muda and his brother
Bud-ruddeen were stanch friends to the English, and it was anticipated
that by their being appointed to offices of power, and forcing the
sultan to a treaty to put down piracy, and pay respect to the English
flag, a very important advance would be made towards the extermination
of these marauders, and commerce, once rendered secure, and property
respected, Borneo would soon be brought to a state of comparative
civilisation.
As soon as the two rajahs, with all their wives and suite, &c., could be
got on board of the Phlegethon, Mr. Brooke, and Mr. Williamson the
interpreter, came on board the Samarang, and we sailed. On our arrival
at the island of Labuan, we anchored the ship, and despatched the
steamer, with her cargo, up to Bruni. The captain of the Samarang and
one or two officers proceeded up to Bruni in the barge on the following
day; and I was the midshipman in charge of the boat. We did not arrive
at the city till 8 o'clock in the evening; and it was too dark to
distinguish the houses. With some difficulty, we discovered the steamer,
which was anchored on the main street. We pulled alongside, and landing
the captain and Kuchinians, Adams, the surgeon of the party, and I,
found ourselves in undisturbed possession of the barge.
[Illustration: BRUNI.
(BORNEO PROPER.)
F. M. DELT.
M. N. HANHART LITH. PRINTERS
LONDON; LONGMAN & CO. 1848]
Bruni is called by Crawfurd the Venice of the East; and he is so far
correct, th
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