s
and abettors of all the piracies committed along the coast of Borneo
and elsewhere, and destroyed their strongholds, it now remained for
us to punish the pirates themselves as far as lay in our power. The
Sakarran Dyaks being the only ones now remaining who had not received
convincing proofs that their brutal and inhuman trade would be no
longer allowed, the 15th and 16th were passed on board the steamer,
to rest the men after the severe fatigue encountered up the Undop,
and in making preparations for an advance up the Sakarran. During the
night of the 16th, several of our native followers were wounded. Their
boats not being furnished with anchors, and the river being deep, they
were obliged to make fast to the bank, which in the dark afforded great
facility for the enemy to creep down through the jungle unperceived,
so close as to fire a shot and even thrust their spears through the
thin mat covering of the boats. One poor fellow received a shot in
his lungs, from which he died the following day; a Dyak likewise
died from a spear-wound; and in the morning we witnessed the pile
forming for burning the Dyak, and the coffin making for conveying the
body of the Malay to Sarawak, his native place; both parties having
an equal horror of their dead falling into the hands of the enemy,
although differing in their mode of disposing of them.

On Saturday, the 17th, the expedition, consisting of the Dido's
pinnace, her two cutters and gig, the Jolly Bachelor, and the
Phlegethon's first and second cutters and gig, started up the
Sakarran. A small division of light native boats, under the command of
the brave old Patingi Ali, were selected to keep as a reconnoitering
party with our leading boats, while the remaining native force, of
above thirty boats, followed as a reserve. We advanced the first day
some twenty miles without so much as seeing a native, although our
progress was considerably delayed by stopping to burn farm-houses,
and a number of war-prahus found concealed in the jungle or long grass
on either side of the river. We brought up early in the afternoon, for
the purpose of strongly fortifying ourselves, both ashore and afloat,
against surprise before the night set in, by which time it would have
taken a well-disciplined and powerful force to have dislodged us.

This evening we had unusually fine weather; and we squatted down to
our meal of curry and rice with better appetites and higher spirits
than we had done for