Footnote 209: Tien, heaven—ti, earth. Footnote 210: It is still part of the oath of the initiated, "I will use my utmost endeavour to drive out the Chheng and establish the Beng dynasty."— "Pickering, Chinese Secret Societies," in the _Journal_ of the Straits Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society, 1878. Footnote 211: Pickering, who knew a good deal about the Society and wrote thereon, had his life attempted, and, though not killed, was badly crippled. Footnote 212: Tai-pi-kong was the name of the joss. Footnote 213: The Chinese, holding the Rajah to be invulnerable, and being greatly in fear of him, purposely left the exit by the door of the bathroom unguarded. Footnote 214: He had joined the Sarawak service the year before. He was a brother of Colonel Nicholetts, who was married to a sister of the present Rajah. Footnote 215: A Mr. Wellington was killed trying to defend Mrs. Middleton and her children. He was a clerk in the Borneo Company, and had only lately joined. Footnote 216: St. John says thirty-seven, five of whom died before the Bishop's arrival. Footnote 217: Spenser St. John, _Life of Sir James Brooke_, to whom we are mainly indebted for the following particulars we give of the insurrection. Footnote 218: A Saribas Malay Chief, and a staunch supporter of the Government. Footnote 219: _Ten Years in Sarawak._ Footnote 220: Sir Spenser St. John, _op. cit._ Footnote 221: Sir Spenser St. John, _Rajah Brooke_. Footnote 222: The Rajah to Mr. Templer. Footnote 223: Three Dots. [Illustration: MALAY CANNON (LELA) AND SPEARS.] CHAPTER VII THE SHERIP MASAHOR When the Rajah assumed the Government of Sarawak, he had to look out for suitable officials among the Malays to carry on the Government, and suitable officials were not easily to be found where hitherto all had been corruption and oppression. There is not much choice in rotten apples. There were three offices of importance to be filled: that of Datu Patinggi, he who had the supervision and control over the tribes on the left-hand branch of the river; that of Datu Bandar, he who held sway over those on the right hand; and the Datu Temanggong, who had to look after the tribes on the coast.[224]