the rain nor felt the cold. We had eaten nothing since
early morning, but were not hungry; and although for several nights we
could scarcely be said to have slept, we were not sleepy. A deep
thankfulness took possession of my soul; all our dear ones were spared
to us. My children were in my arms, my husband paced the deck over my
head. I seemed to have no cares, and to be able to trust to God for the
future, who had been so merciful to us hitherto. I remember, too, when
Mrs. Stahl opened the provision basket, and gave us each a slice of
bread and meat, how very good it was, although we had not thought about
wanting it. We lit a little fire, and made some hot tea, but soon had a
message from the Rajah's boat to put out the fire lest we should be
seen. The only thing that troubled me was a nasty faint smell, for which
I could not account; but next morning we found a Chinaman's head in a
basket close by my corner, which was reason enough! We had taken a fine
young man on board to help pull the sweeps, a Dyak, and this ghastly
possession was his. He said he was at Kuching, looking about for a
_head_, and went into the court-house. Hearing some one in a little side
room, he peeped in, and saw a Chinaman gazing at himself in a bit of
looking-glass, which was stuck against the wall. He drew his sword, and
in one moment, stepping close behind him, cut off his head: and having
obtained this prize, was naturally desirous of getting away from the
place; so he came off as boatman in one of the flying boats, bringing
the head in a basket, which he stowed in the side of the boat. It
entirely spoilt my hand-bag, which lay near it; I had to throw it away,
and everything in it which could not be washed in hot water.

Towards morning the sea made us all sick, added to the wet, and cold of
dawn; yet, when the day cleared a little, and we got a fire on deck, and
some hot tea and biscuits, and the children seemed none the worse for
their bad night and the swarms of mosquitoes which had feasted upon
them, we could not repine. In the evening we passed the island of
Burong, at the mouth of the Batang Lupar River, and Mr. Crookshank tried
to stimulate the men pulling the sweeps to reach a Sebuyan village
farther on, before the tide left us and it grew dark. By dint of hard
pulling we made the village, and its little fort, standing close beside
the water and washed by its strong tide. A little boat came off from the
fort, with some Malays, of wh