Seeing now
that this duty of humanity could no longer be delayed with propriety,
I resolved to dispatch the Royalist to Borneo, and myself to remain
here, to endeavor, if I could, to obtain _my own_. Each vessel was
to return as quickly as possible from her place of destination;
and I then resolved to give two additional months to the rajah, and
to urge him in every way in my power to do what he was bound to do
as an act of common honesty. Should these means fail, after making
the strongest representations and giving amplest time, I considered
myself free to extort by force what I could not gain by fair means.

"Having determined on these steps, I met the rajah by appointment,
and repeated all my grievances, and set strongly before him the injury
done in consequence; and lastly, plainly told him that I only came and
now only stayed in his country at his request, but that the property
he had taken must be repaid, and subsequently to that, if he had any
proposition to make, I would endeavor to meet his wishes. To all this
I received _no one satisfactory answer_, and, from the shuffling on
every complaint, I formed the worst opinion of his intentions.

"My determination, however, having been previously made, the result of
this conversation had no effect upon me; and at the end of three days,
the time I had limited, no letter for the sultan being forthcoming,
on the fourth morning the two schooners proceeded to sea, one for
Borneo, the other for Singapore, while, with three companions,
I remained in my new house. [12]

"I wish now to discuss a question which has often occupied my mind,
and upon which I have been very desirous to arrive at a right
conclusion. It is certain that a British subject cannot wrongfully
attack or injure any prince or person in his own country without
rendering himself liable to be punished by the laws of England. It is
both right and just that it should be so, because in demi-civilized or
savage countries the natives are often unable to protect themselves,
and an attack upon them savors of piracy. On the other hand, if the
native prince be the party to blame; if he fraudulently possess himself
of property under false pretences, make promises which he breaks,
and enter into agreements before witnesses which he never intends
to fulfill; then, I ask, is a British subject to submit to the loss,
when the party defrauding him is able to pay and will not? I answer
decidedly, he is not bound to submit t