ust 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 tw