ing, smiling,
or sleeping. When going into action, he always went down on his knees
to pray, holding his loaded musket before him. He was, however, a
curious character, and afforded us great amusement--took good care
of himself and his master, but cared for no one else.

In the second gig was Lieutenant E. Gunnell, whose troublesome duty it
was to preserve order throughout this extensive musketoe fleet, and to
keep the natives from pressing too closely on the rear of our boats--an
office which became less troublesome as we approached the scene of
danger. The whole formed a novel, picturesque, and exciting scene; and
it was curious to contemplate the different feelings that actuated the
separate and distinct parties--the odd mixture of Europeans, Malays,
and Dyaks, the different religions, and the eager and anxious manner
in which all pressed forward. The novelty of the thing was quite
sufficient to excite our Jacks, after having been cooped up so long
on board ship, to say nothing of the chance of a broken head.

Of the Malays and Dyaks who accompanied us, some came from curiosity,
some from attachment to Mr. Brooke, and many for plunder, but I
think the majority to gratify revenge, as there were but few of the
inhabitants on the north coast of Borneo who had not suffered more or
less from the atrocities of the Sarebus and Sakarran pirates--either
their houses burned, their relations murdered, or their wives and
children captured and sold into slavery.

We did not get far up the river the first day, as the tope was
very slow, and carried that most essential part of all expeditions,
the commissariat. Patingi Ali, who had been sent the day before to
await the force in the mouth of the Sarebus, fell in with five or six
native boats, probably on the look-out for us, to which he gave chase,
and captured one, the rest retreating up the river.

On the 9th June, 1843, we had got some thirty miles in the same
direction; every thing was in order; and, as we advanced, I pulled
from one end of my little fleet to the other, and felt much the same
sort of pride as Sir William Parker must have experienced when leading
seventy-five sail of British ships up the Yeang-tse Keang river into
the very heart of the Celestial Empire. It rained hard; but we were
well supplied with kajans, a mat admirably adapted to keep out the wet;
and securely covered in, my gig had all the appearance of a native
boat, especially as I had substituted padd