od
government; and such is their confidence in Mr. Brooke's judgment,
and their attachment to his person, that he might safely defy in his
own stronghold the attacks of any foreign power.

After our men had dined, and had a short rest during the heat of the
day, we landed our whole force in two divisions--and a strange but
formidable-looking force they made--to attack a town situated about
two miles up, on the left bank of a small river called the Grahan,
the entrance to which had been guarded by the forts; and immediately
after their capture the tide had fallen too low for our boats to get
up. Facing the stream, too, was a long stockade; so that we determined
on attacking the place in the rear, which, had the pirates only waited
to receive us, would have caused a very interesting skirmish. They,
however, decamped, leaving everything behind them. In this town we
found Seriff Sahib's residence, and, among other things, all his
curious and extensive wardrobe. It was ridiculous to see our Dyaks
dressed out in all the finery and plunder of this noted pirate, whose
very name, a few days previous, would have made them tremble. Goats
and poultry there were in abundance. We likewise found a magazine
in the rear of the seriff's house, containing about two tons of
gunpowder; also a number of small barrels of fine powder, branded
"Dartford," in exactly the same state as it had left the manufactory
in England. It being too troublesome and heavy to convey on board
the steamer, and each of our native followers staggering up to his
knees in mud, under a heavy load of plunder, I had it thrown into the
river. It was evident how determined the chief had been to defend
himself, as, beside the defences already completed, eight others,
in different states of forwardness, were in the course of erection;
and had the attack been delayed a few weeks, Patusen would not have
been carried by boats without considerable loss of life. It was the
key to this extensive river; the resort of the worst of pirates; and
each chief had contributed his share of guns and ammunition toward
its fortification and defence.

We returned to our boats and evening meal rather fatigued, but much
pleased with our day's work, after ascending nearly seventy miles
from the mouth of the river. The habitations of 5000 pirates had
been burnt to the ground; four strong forts destroyed, together with
several hundred boats; upward of sixty brass cannons captured, and
about a