Fearing that the men might get stung on going aloft, I tried to dislodge the bees, first by discharging a musket with a double charge of coarse powder at them from the mizzen-rigging, within 4 yards. This having no effect, it was fired at the same distance with a charge of sand, by which a few fell. The vacancies were immediately filled up, and the bag seemed to stick closer than ever. They remained two days, during which time we were twice under way, making and shortening sail, in each of which operations the chain topsail sheet ran through the centre of the bag and disturbed large portions of them in its passage; but the bees returned and repaired the damage as soon as the sheet or clew line had been belayed. The disaster of the _Minerva_ induced me to defer our visit to the village, in order that we might repair to the scene of the wreck and render assistance. [Sidenote: Dec. 8.] Early the following morning, having hoisted the boat on board, we weighed with a fresh southerly wind, along the coast, a couple of miles off-shore, with the noble mountain of Kina-Balu in the background raising its magnificent head above the clouds. [Illustration: _Kina-Balu._] [Sidenote: Dec. 9.] Nothing could be finer than the scene before us; our poor invalids were much too ill to enjoy it, but this was the first day in which I had been able to discover the slightest improvement in Brooke’s condition. As might be supposed, when we found the wreck, not only had she been completely gutted, but burned to the water’s edge, for the sake of the copper and iron bolts. We saw, in fact, native boats in the distance making off with the plunder. The appearance of Balambangan is far from inviting, and the approaches to it are shoal and intricate. Weighed, and stood into Malludu Bay. On our way we fell in with a native prahu, belonging to Seriff Hussein, a son of the unfortunate Seriff Osman, who made such a gallant resistance in August 1845 up the Malludu River, when attacked by the boats of the _Vestal_, Captain Talbot. [Sidenote: Dec. 10.] Seriff Hussein was reticent on his first interview with Rajah Brooke, but opened out more fully on his second visit. He and the chiefs with him complained of the unprotected state and want of government under which they lived. Each petty chief quarrelled with and attacked his weaker neighbours, while they in turn lived in constant dread of an attack from the more formidable Bajow or Sulu pirates. These people were particularly obliging and civil, and sent their men to show us the best shooting-ground, rather appearing to like our visit, though we were not long enough together to establish implicit confidence.