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