r character, made us aware that they were a friendly
tribe of Dyaks, from the River Linga, coming to our assistance,
or, more likely, coming to seek for plunder and the heads of their
enemies, with whom they had for many years been at war. Those in
the leading boat had, however, a narrow escape. I had already given
the order to fire; but luckily the priming had been blown off from
the six-pounder. Had it not been so, fifty at least out of the first
hundred would have been sent to their long homes. They were between
eight and nine hundred strong. The scene to me was indeed curious
and exciting: for the wild appearance of these fellows exceeded any
thing I had yet witnessed. Their war-dresses--each decorating himself
according to his own peculiar fancy, in a costume the most likely
at once to adorn the wearer and strike terror into the enemy--made
a remarkable show. Each had a shield and a handful of spears; about
one in ten was furnished with some sort of firearm, which was of more
danger to himself or his neighbor than to any one else. They wore
short padded jackets, capable of resisting the point of a wooden spear.

The first thing necessary was to supply each with a strip of white
calico, to be worn in the head-dress as a distinguishing mark, to
prevent our people knocking them over if met by accident while prowling
about the jungle. We also established a watchword, "Datu," which many
of them, who had great dread of the white men, never ceased to call
out. Sheriff Jaffer, in command of their force, had promised to join
us from the beginning; but as they did not make their appearance off
the mouth of the river, we thought no more of them. It was necessary
to dispatch messengers up the rivers to inform our boats of this
re-enforcement, as in all probability an attack would have been made
immediately on the appearing in sight of so formidable a force.

At 10 A.M. our boats returned, having gone up the right-hand branch
as far as it was practicable. That to the left having been obstructed
by trees felled across the stream, was considered, from the trouble
taken to prevent our progress, to be the branch up which the enemy
had retreated, and not being provisioned for more than the day,
they came back, and started again in the afternoon with the first
of the flood-tide. Of this party Lieutenant Horton took charge,
accompanied by Mr. Brooke. It was a small, but an effective, and
determined, and well-appointed little body, no