r. Van-Sy Something or other, having a
house nearly as comfortable, used it as a hotel, if hotel that can be
called, in which you have permission to wait upon yourself, and are
charged extravagantly for the privilege, whilst its proprietor pays his
_devoirs_ (_devours_?) to his bottle of Schnapps, from which his lips
are seldom removed, excepting to receive his pipe, and to sputter out
some delectable Dutch. Thought of Wm. Shenstone's "Warmest Welcome at
an Inn," and wished the poet had been compelled to "put up" with this
same Dutchman as a species of "poetical justice," for placing the
purchased pleasures of a _public house_ before the sacred and free gifts
of home.

There is a fort here in good repair and kept in excellent order, and I
was informed that a short time previous to our arrival it had been
attacked by the natives, who were repulsed with great slaughter. The
attack was fierce and vigorous, but as the Malays were not possessed of
fire-arms, and made the assault with only their naked creeses, they were
easily repulsed. Was told of the tremendous execution done by one gun in
throwing grape amongst them, but I felt a little inclined to doubt its
efficiency upon examining its bore.

The attacking Malays were not those of the immediate vicinity, whose
prowess, from their appearance, I should be inclined to doubt, but came
from the mountains, an unconquered people, who continually make war upon
the invaders of their soil. I was greatly amused by the recital of his
part in the affair, by a non-commissioned officer, who informed me that
he was born a Belgian, and gave his story in broken French, broken in
words as well as grammar, for he had been imbibing something stronger
than water. It appeared that his valiant self and two others equally
brave--one a Frenchman, the other a Prussian--had been selected to serve
as a picket, or _avante garde_, as he termed it, some distance from the
fort, at a place called the "Barrier." When at midnight they heard the
approach of the enemy. "Je mette mon fusil a mon bras," he said; "et a
le Francais je di, Prenez--garde! A le Prusse"--hesitating--"Prenez
garde! aussi, et nous faissons un grande detour,--et--et, nous
eschappons. Et voila, monsieur," he continued, pointing to the stripes
upon his arm, "Je suis sous officier donc. Je suis caporal de la
garde,--le meme comme Napoleon,--le petit Caporal." With a hearty laugh
we bade "le petit Caporal" bon nuit, and returned to our ho