We returned to our boats and evening meal rather fatigued, but much pleased with our work, after ascending near seventy miles from the mouth of the river. The habitations of 5000 pirates had been burnt to the ground, five strong forts destroyed, together with several hundred boats, upwards of sixty brass guns captured, and about a fourth of that number of iron ones spiked and thrown into the river, besides vast quantities of other arms and ammunition, and the powerful Sahib, the great pirate patron for the last twenty years, ruined past recovery, and driven to hide his diminished head in the jungle. [Sidenote: Aug. 8, 9.] The 8th and 9th were spent in burning and destroying the remains of the staggering town and a variety of smaller boats. [Sidenote: Aug. 10.] As soon as the tide had risen sufficiently to take us over the shoals, we weighed in the steamer for the country of the Sekarran Dyaks, having sent the boats on before with the first of the flood. About fifteen miles above Patusen is the branch of the river called the Undop. Up this river I sent Lieutenant Turnour, with Mr. Comber, in the _Jolly Bachelor_ and a division of our native boats, while we proceeded to where the river again branches off to the right and left, as on the tongue of land so formed we understood we should find a strong fort; besides, it was the highest point to which we could attempt to take the steamer. We found the place deserted and houses empty. We now divided the force into three divisions--the one already mentioned, under Lieutenant Turnour, up the Undop; another, under Mr. D’Aeth, up the Lupar; while Lieutenant Wade, accompanied by Brooke, ascended the Sekarran. I had not calculated on the disturbed and excited state in which I found the country: two wounded men having been sent back from the Undop branch, brought accounts of pirates, chiefly Malays, collected in great numbers both before and in the rear of our small force. An attempt had been made to cut off the bearer of this information, Nakodah Bahar, who had had a narrow escape, and had no idea of being the bearer of an answer unless attended by a European force. I had some difficulty in mustering another crew from the steamer, and left my friend Captain Scott with only the idlers, rather critically situated. I deemed it advisable to re-collect our whole force, and before proceeding to the punishment of the Sekarrans to destroy the power and influence of Seriff Muller, whose town was situated about twenty miles up, said to contain a population of 1500 Malays, without reckoning the Dyak tribes. Having despatched boats with directions to Lieutenant Wade and Mr. D’Aeth to join us in the Undop, a tributary of the Batang Lupar, proceeded to the scene of action; leaving the _Phlegethon_ to maintain as strict a blockade of the Sekarran and Lupar branches as, with her reduced force, she was capable of.