Brooke, however, discovered that the fleet advancing were not Illanuns and fancied there must be some mistake. The Natunas people had been trading at Sarawak, and he was well acquainted with a powerful chief who resided on one of the Natuna group; he therefore raised a white handkerchief on his spy-glass, and from the bow of the pinnace waved, hailed, and gesticulated to warn them of their danger, but a discharge of small arms was the only reply. They then detached their smaller boats in-shore to cut off our retreat, and the rest advanced, beating tomtoms, and blazing away with all the confidence of victory. It was an anxious moment for _Dido’s_ small party; the only heavy gun of the pinnace was loaded with grape and canister, and kept pointed on the largest prahu. The men waited with their muskets for the order to fire. It was not until within pistol range that Horton poured into the enemy his well-prepared dose. This brought them up; yet a few had the temerity to exchange shots for a couple of minutes. The largest prahu now called for quarter, while the other five made for the shore chased by the two cutters. The prize proved to be a prahu mounting three brass guns, with a crew of thirty-six men, belonging to the Rajah of Rhio, which had been despatched by that chief to collect tribute about the Natuna group. They had ten men killed and eleven wounded (four of them mortally). They affected the greatest astonishment on discovering that our boats belonged to a British man-of-war, and stated that the island had lately been plundered by the Illanuns, for whom they had taken us; that the rising sun was in their eyes. Horton, thinking there might be some foundation for their story, let the surgeon, Simpson, and his assistant dress their wounds, and after admonishing them to be more careful in future, restored their boats, as well as the others which belonged to the islands. These in the meantime had been taken possession of by the cutters after they had reached the shore, and landed their killed and wounded, who were borne away so smartly by the natives that our men had no time to ascertain the number. Three of the prahus belonged to the same fleet of Illanuns that escaped the _Dido_ off Cape Datu. It afforded some amusement to find among the slightly wounded our Rajah’s wealthy and respectable friend, who was not a little ashamed at being recognised. Among the mortally wounded lay the young commander of the prahu, one of the finest forms of the human race, with a countenance to match. He was shot through the lungs, but made attempts to speak. His conquerors raised him gently into a sitting posture of comparative ease, but the end speedily came. He expired where I daresay his proudest and happiest moments had been passed.