CHAPTER XXXIII

_DIDO_: SECOND EXPEDITION

[Sidenote: 1844. Aug. 11.]

At daylight we were joined by Wade and Brooke, their division making a very acceptable increase to our force, and by eight o’clock the last barrier was cut through between us and Seriff Muller’s devoted town.

With the exception of his own house, from which some eight or nine Malays were endeavouring to remove his effects, the whole place was deserted. They made no fight, and an hour afterwards the town had been plundered and burnt.

The only lives lost were a few unfortunates, who happened to come within range of our musketry in their exertions to save some of their master’s property.

A handsome large boat belonging to Seriff Muller was the only thing saved, and this I presented to Budrudeen.

After a short delay in catching our usual supply of goats and poultry, with which the place abounded, we proceeded up the river in chase of the chief and his people, our progress much impeded by the immense trees felled across the river.

We ascertained that the pirates had retreated to a Dyak village, situated on the summit of a hill, some twenty-five miles higher up the Undop, five or six miles only of which we had succeeded in ascending, as a most dreary and rainy night closed in, during which we were joined by D’Aeth and his division from the Lupar River.

The following morning, at daybreak, we again commenced our toilsome work. We should have succeeded better with lighter boats, and I should have despaired of the heavier boats getting up had they not been assisted by an opportune and sudden rise of the tide, to the extent of 12 or 14 feet, though with this we had to contend against a considerably increased strength of current.

It was on this day that my ever active and zealous First Lieutenant, Charles Wade, jealous of the advanced position of our light boats, obtained a place in my gig.

That evening the _Phlegethon’s_ first and second cutters, the _Dido’s_ two cutters, and their gigs, were fortunate enough to pass a barrier composed of trees recently felled, from which we concluded ourselves to be so near the enemy that, by pushing forward as long as we could see, we might prevent further impediments from being thrown in our way. This we did, but at 9 P.M., arriving at a broad expanse of the river, and being utterly unable to trace our course, we anchored our advance force for the night.

[Sidenote: Aug. 14.]

The first landing-place we had no trouble in discovering, from the number of deserted boats collected near it. Leaving these to be looted, we proceeded in search of the second, which we understood was situated more immediately under the village, and which, having advanced without our guides, we had much difficulty in finding. The circuit of the base of the hill was above five miles.

During this warfare, Patingi Ali, who, with his usual zeal, had here come up, bringing a considerable native force of both Malays and Dyaks, was particularly on the alert; while we in the gig attacked Seriff Muller himself.

Patingi nearly succeeded in capturing that chief in person. He had escaped from his prahu into a fast-pulling sampan, in which he was chased by old Ali, and afterwards only saved his life by throwing himself into the water and swimming to the jungle; indeed, it was with no small pride that the gallant old chief appropriated the boat to his own use.

In the prahu were captured two large brass guns, two smaller ones, a variety of arms, ammunition, and personal property, amongst which were also two pairs of handsome Wedgewood jars.

While my crew were employed cooking, I crept into the jungle and suddenly fancied I heard the suppressed hum of many voices not far distant. I returned to our cooking party and bade Wade take up his double-barrel and come with me. I had not penetrated many yards before I came in sight of a mass of boats concealed in a snug little inlet, the entrance to which had escaped our notice. These boats were filled with piratical Dyaks and Malays, and sentinels posted at various points on the shore.

My first impulse was to conceal ourselves until the arrival of our force, but my rash though gallant friend deemed otherwise, and, without noticing the caution of my upheld hand, dashed in advance, discharging his gun, calling upon our men to follow.

It is impossible to conceive the consternation and confusion this our sudden sally occasioned among the pirates. The confused noise and scrambling from their boats I can only liken to that of a suddenly-roused flock of wild-ducks.

Our attack from the point whence it came was evidently unexpected; and it is my opinion that they calculated on our attacking the hill, if we did so at all, from the nearest landing-place, without pulling round the other five miles, as the whole attention of their scouts appeared to be directed towards that quarter.

A short distance above them was a small encampment, probably erected for the convenience of their chiefs, as in it we found writing materials, two or three desks of English manufacture, on the brass plate of one of which, I afterwards noticed, was engraved the name of “Willson.”

To return to the pirates: with our force, such as it was--nine in number--we pursued our terrified enemy, headed by Wade.

They foolishly themselves had not the courage to rally in their judiciously selected and naturally protected encampment, but continued their retreat (firing on us from the jungle) towards the Dyak village on the summit of the hill. We collected our force, reloaded our firearms; and Wade, seeing from this spot the arrival at the landing-place of the other boats, again rushed on in pursuit.

Before arriving at the foot of the steep ascent on the summit of which the Dyak village stood, we had to cross a small open space of about 60 yards, exposed to the fire from the village as well as the surrounding jungle. It was before crossing this plain that I again cautioned Wade to await the arrival of his men, of whom he was far in advance.

We suddenly came on to the snuggest and best-sheltered boat harbour I ever saw. The land was high towards the river, with a narrow and well-concealed entrance opening to the river, so high that an impromptu bridge in the shape of a large tree had been thrown across. It was along this that Wade was proceeding in advance, calling “Come on, my boys!” And I am afraid I did not disguise my gratification at seeing him disappear into the branches of a large tree growing beneath.

By this time the cutter and other boats had landed at our point and were coming up. I had scarcely got across the tree-bridge, when I saw my friend scrambling up the opposite side, himself unhurt, his gun not discharged.

Our men were now landing fast, and it was for very shame I could not allow Wade to proceed alone. Only a few minutes afterwards, while still trying to check him, a bullet from the hill took his thumb and twisted him in my direction; while a second shot struck him in the ribs and lodged in the spine--and he fell.

By this time a strong party were up, whom I directed to pass on, while I ascertained that poor Wade’s heart had ceased to beat.

We laid the body in a canoe, with the Union Jack for a pall, and descended the river. In the evening, the force assembled, committed the body to the deep. I read that impressive service from a Prayer-Book brought up by poor Wade himself--as he put it, “in case of accident.”

Before we again got under way, several Malay families, no longer in dread of their piratical chief, Seriff Muller, gave themselves up to us as prisoners--the first instance of any of them having done so. We found sundry suspicious documents, exposing deep intrigues and conspiracies, and brought up for the night off the still burning ruins of Seriff Muller’s town.

[Sidenote: Aug. 15.]

On Tuesday we again reached the steamer. We still had something to settle with the Sekarrans, and, having rested for two days, started on the 17th on our last expedition.

[Sidenote: Aug. 17.]

The weather was unusually fine, and we squatted down to our curry and rice with better appetites.

[Sidenote: Aug. 18.]

Our approach was made known by fires; but we once dropped, without their being aware of our approach, upon a boatful of Dyaks, dressed for war, with feather cloaks, brass ornaments, and scarlet caps. The discharge of our muskets and the capsizing of the war-boat was the work of an instant, and those who were uninjured escaped into the jungle.

We experienced some difficulty in finding a suitable place for our bivouac. While examining the most eligible-looking spot on the bank of the river, the crew of one of the _Phlegethon’s_ boats, having crept up the opposite bank, came suddenly on a party of Dyaks, who saluted them with a war-yell and a shower of spears. The _Phlegethon’s_ men took to the water, much to our amusement as well as the Dyaks.

The place we selected for the night was a large house, about 40 yards from the edge of the river. Here we united our different messes and passed a jovial evening. The night, however, set in with a fearful thunderstorm. The rain continued to fall in torrents, but cleared up at daylight, when we proceeded.

As yet the banks of the river had been a continued garden, with sugar-cane and bananas; the scenery now became wilder.

[Sidenote: Aug. 19.]

We were in hopes that this morning we should have reached their capital, Karangan, supposed to be about ten miles further on. Not expecting to meet with any opposition for some miles, we gave permission to Patingi Ali to advance cautiously with his light division, with orders to fall back on the first appearance of any natives. As the stream was running down strong, we held on to the bank, waiting for the arrival of the second cutter, in which were Brooke and Jenkins.

Our pinnace and second gig having passed up, we remained about a quarter of an hour, when the report of a few musket-shots told us that the pirates had been fallen in with. We immediately pushed on, and as we advanced the increased firing from our boats, and the war-yells of some thousand Dyaks, let us know that we had met.

It is difficult to describe the scene as I found it. About twenty boats were jammed together, forming one confused mass--some bottom up; the bows and sterns of others only visible, mixed up, pell-mell, with huge rafts--and amongst which were nearly all our advanced division.

Headless trunks, as well as heads without bodies, were lying about; parties hand to hand spearing and krissing each other, others striving to swim for their lives; and entangled in the common mêlée were our advanced boats, while on both banks thousands of Dyaks were rushing down to join in the slaughter, hurling spears and stones on the boats below.

For a moment I was at a loss what steps to take for rescuing our people from the position in which they were, as the whole mass, through which there was no passage, were floating down the stream, and the addition of fresh boats only increased the confusion.

Fortunately, at this critical moment one of the rafts, catching the stump of a tree, broke this floating bridge, making a passage, through which my gig (propelled by paddles instead of oars)--the bugler, John Eager, in the bow--was enabled to pass.

It occurred to Brooke and myself simultaneously, that by advancing in the gig we should draw the attention of the pirates towards us, so as to give time for the other boats to clear themselves. This had the desired effect. The whole force on shore turned, as if to secure what they rashly conceived to be their prize.

We now advanced mid-channel, spears and stones assailing us from both banks. Brooke’s gun would not go off, so, giving him the yoke-lines, I, with the coxswain to load, had time to select the leaders from amongst the savage mass, on which I kept up a rapid fire.

Allen, in the second gig, quickly coming up, opened upon them from a Congreve rocket-tube such a destructive fire as caused them to retire behind the temporary barriers where they had concealed themselves previous to the attack on Patingi Ali, and from whence they continued, for some twenty minutes, to hurl their spears and other missiles, among which were short lengths of bamboo loaded with stone at one end. The _sumpitan_ was likewise freely employed, and although several of our men were struck, no fatal results ensued. Mr. Beith, our assistant surgeon, dexterously excised the wounds, and what poison remained was sucked out by comrades of the wounded men.

From this position, however, the Sekarrans retreated as our force increased, and could not again muster courage to rally. Their loss _must_ have been considerable. Ours might have been light had poor old Patingi Ali attended to orders.

He was over confident. Instead of falling back, as particularly directed by me, on the first appearance of any of the enemy he made a dash, followed by his little division of boats, through the narrow pass. The enemy at once launched large rafts of bamboo and cut off his retreat. Six war-prahus bore down, three on either side, on Patingi’s devoted followers. One only of a crew of seventeen escaped to tell the tale.

When last seen by our advanced boats, Mr. Steward and Patingi Ali were in the act (their own boats sinking) of boarding the enemy. They were doubtless overpowered and killed, with twenty-nine others. Our wounded in all amounted to fifty-six.

A few miles further up was the capital of Karangan, which we carried without further opposition.

Having achieved the object of our expedition, we dropped leisurely down the river; slept in our boats, with a strong guard on shore.

[Sidenote: Aug. 20.]

On the 20th we reached the steamer, where we remained all the next day attending to the wounded.

[Sidenote: Aug. 22.]

On the 22nd we reached Patusen, finding everything in the wretched state we had left it. At 8 P.M. we heard the report of a gun, which was repeated nearer at nine, and before a signal rocket could be fired, we were hailed by the boats of the _Samarang_, Captain Sir Edward Belcher, and the next moment he was alongside the _Phlegethon_ with the welcome news of having brought our May mail.

It appears that, on arrival of _Samarang_ off Morotoba, Sir Edward heard of the loss we had sustained, and, with his usual zeal and activity, came to our assistance, having brought his boats no less than 120 miles in about thirty hours.

There were two accidents just at this moment which might have been more serious. D’Aeth, hearing of the mail, hurried on board the _Samarang_ in a small sampan, and was capsized. His skill in swimming saved him; his one paddler caught hold of a boat near. No sooner than these had been cared for, when Brooke, whose ears, always on the alert for native cries, heard voices in trouble, and, jumping into his Singapore sampan, pushed off with Siboo to the assistance of our Dyak followers, who had been capsized by the bore. He rescued three out of a crew of eleven, and these were half drowned when he reached them.

[Sidenote: Aug. 23.]

We moved down as far as the mouth of the Linga, and on the night of the 24th were once again in Sarawak. Here the rejoicings of the previous year were repeated.

[Sidenote: Aug. 28.]

But having received information that Seriff Sahib had taken refuge in the Linga River, and, assisted by Seriff Jaffer, was again collecting followers, we were off again on the 28th, with the addition of the _Samarang’s_ boats. And, determining to crush this persevering pirate, in the middle of the night came to an anchor inside the Linga River.

When our expedition had been watched safely outside the Batang Lupar on its return to Sarawak, all those unfortunate families that had concealed themselves in the jungle after the destruction of Patusen and Undop, emerged from their hiding-places, and by means of rafts, canoes, packerangans, or anything that would float, were in the act of crossing towards Bunting, a flourishing place. Their dismay can well be imagined when at daylight on the morning of the 29th they found themselves carried by the tide close alongside the terror-spreading steamer, in the midst of our augmented fleet. Escape to them was hopeless; nor did the women seem to mind. It was a choice between starvation in the jungle or coming under submission to the white man.

I need not say that, instead of being molested, they were supplied with such provisions and assistance as our means would permit, and allowed to pass quietly on. We sent several of our native followers into the Batang Lupar to inform the fugitives that our business was with the chiefs and instigators of piracy, and not with the ryots of the country.

[Sidenote: Aug. 29.]

With the ebb-tide a number of boats came down from the town containing the principal chiefs, with assurances of their pacific intentions; welcoming us with presents of poultry, goats, fruit, etc., which we accepted, but paying for them, either in barter or hard dollars, the fair market price. We learned that Seriff Sahib had arrived at Pontranini, some fifty miles beyond their _kampong_.

We immediately proceeded in chase of him, at the same time despatching two boats to look out for Macota, who was expected at the mouth of the river. We knew what the fate of this once powerful chief would be if he fell into the hands of our friendlies. He was captured alive in a deep muddy jungle into which he had thrown himself when our men arrived. Leaving Macota a prisoner on board the _Phlegethon_, with the flood-tide we pushed forward in pursuit of Seriff Sahib.

[Sidenote: Aug. 30.]

For two days we dragged our boats twenty miles up a small jungly creek; but Seriff Sahib fled across the mountains in the direction of the Pontiana River. So close were we on his rear that he threw away his sword, and left behind him a child, whom he had hitherto carried, in the jungle. Thus this notorious chief was driven, single and unattended, out of the reach of doing any further mischief.

The boats returned, and took up a formidable position off Bunting, where Seriff Jaffer was summoned to a conference, which he attended, but under compulsion from his people, who feared their _kampong_ being destroyed.

On this occasion I had the satisfaction of witnessing a splendid piece of oratory delivered by Brooke in Malay. The purport of it was, as I understood, to point out the horrors of piracy on the one hand, which the British Government determined to suppress, and on the other the blessings arising from peace and trade, which it was equally our wish to cultivate; and he concluded by fully explaining that the measures adopted by us against piracy were for the protection of the peaceful communities along the coast. The people listened with great attention; a pin could have been heard, had it dropped, during Brooke’s fine speech.

[Sidenote: Sept. 4.]

The force again reached Sarawak, and thus terminated a successful expedition against the worst class of pirates on the coast of Borneo.