Later portion of Mr. Brooke's Journal.--Departure of Captain
Keppel, and arrival of Sir E. Belcher.--Mr. Brooke proceeds, with
Muda Hassim, in the Samarang to Borneo.--Labuan examined.--Returns
to Sarawak.--Visit of Lingire, a Sarebus chief.--The Dyaks of Tumma
and Bandar Cassim.--Meets an assembly of Malays and Dyaks.--Arrival
of Lingi, as a deputation from the Sakarran chiefs.--The Malay
character.--Excursion up the country.--Miserable effects of excess
in opium-smoking.--Picturesque situation of the Sow village of
Ra-at.--Nawang.--Feast at Ra-at.--Returns home.--Conferences with
Dyak chiefs.
The return to England of Captain Bethune, C.B., bringing with him a
further portion of Mr. Brooke's Journal to my charge, enables me to
afford my readers some interesting details relative to the important
events that have occurred in Borneo subsequent to my departure from
Sarawak.
"_January_, 1845.--The departure of the Dido left me sad and lonely,
for Captain Keppel had been really my companion and friend; and he
so thoroughly entered into my views for the suppression of piracy,
and made them his own, that I may not expect any successor to act
with the same vigour and the same decision. Gallant Didos! I would
ask no further aid or protection than I received from you. Sir
Edward Belcher, with the Phlegethon in company, arrived not long
after the Dido's departure, and conveyed the Rajah Muda Hassim and
his train to Borneo Proper. H.M.S. Samarang and Phlegethon visited
and examined Labuan, and proceeded thence to Ambun. Ambun is a
miserable village; and it at once gave the lie to the report of a
European female being there in captivity, for no _poor Orang Kaya_
could retain such a prize. The inhabitants of Ambun are Badjows,
and the country people or Dyaks of the interior are called Dusuns, or
villagers. I saw many of them, and they appeared a gentle mild race,
and far less warlike by account than our Dyaks. They are not tattooed,
and the sumpitan is unknown amongst them. Leaving Ambun, which is
situated in a pretty bay, we proceeded to Tampasuk, a considerable
town, inhabited by Illanuns and Badjows. This is a piractical town;
and I was informed by an Arab in captivity there that scarcely a
week passes without strife and contention amongst themselves. There
likewise I received information respecting the Balagnini, the great
pirates of these seas. They are represented as in habiting numerous
small islands in the vicinity of Sooloo: their origin is Badjow. I
apprehend there would be little difficulty in breaking their power,
and curing the propensity to piracy.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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