which touches yields to the pressure without breaking, and bulges
inwards almost as readily as if it were made of shoe-leather. Under
similar circumstances, an ordinary boat, fitted with a keel, timbers,
and planks nailed together, not being pliable, would be shivered to
pieces.

At the after or sternmost end a sort of high poop-deck passes from
side to side, on which the steersman takes his post. He holds in his
hand an oar or paddle, which consists of a pole ten or twelve feet
long, carrying at its extremity a circular disc of wood about a foot
or a foot and a-half in diameter. The oars used by the six hands who
pull the masullah boat are similar to that held by the steersman, who
is always a person of long experience and known skill, as well as
courage and coolness--qualities indispensable to the safety of the
passage when the surf is high. The rowers sit upon high thwarts and
their oars are held by grummets, or rings made of rope, to pins
inserted in the gunwale, so that they can be let go and resumed at
pleasure, without risk of being lost. The passengers, wretched
victims! seat themselves on a cross bench about a foot lower than the
seats of the rowers, and close in front of the raised poop or
steersman's deck, which is nearly on a level with the gunwale.

The whole process of landing, from the moment of leaving the ship till
you feel yourself safe on the crown of the beach is as disagreeable as
can be; and I can only say for myself that every time I crossed the
surf it rose in my respect. At the eighth or tenth transit I began
really to feel uncomfortable; at the twentieth I felt considerable
apprehension of being well ducked; and at about the thirtieth time of
crossing, I almost fancied there was but little chance of escaping a
watery grave, with sharks for sextons, and the wild surf for a dirge!
The truth is that at each successive time of passing this formidable
barrier of surf we become better and better acquainted with the
dangers and possibilities of accidents.

However, as all persons intending to go ashore at Madras must pass
through the surf, they step with what courage they can muster into
their boat alongside the ship, anchored in the roads a couple of miles
off, in consequence of the water being too shallow for large vessels.
The boat then shoves off, and rows to the "back of the surf," where it
is usual to let go a grapnel, or to lie on the oars till the masullah
boat comes out. The back of the surf is that part of the roadstead
lying immediately beyond the place where the first indication is given
of the tendency in the swell to rise into a wave; and no boat not
expressly fitted for the purpose ever goes nearer to the shore, but
lies off till the "bar-boat" makes her way through the surf, and lays
herself alongside the ship's boat. A scrambling kind of boarding
operation now takes place, to the last degree inconvenient to ladies
and other shore-going persons not accustomed to climbing. As the
gunwale of the masullah boat rises three or four feet above the water,
the step is a long and troublesome one to make, even by those who are
not encumbered with petticoats--those sad impediments to
locomotion--devised by the men, as I heard a Chinaman remark,
expressly to check the rambling propensities of the softer sex, always
too prone, he alleged, to yield to wandering impulses without such
encumbrances! I know to my cost, from many a broken shin, that even
gentlemen bred afloat may contrive to slip in removing from one boat
to the other, especially if the breeze be fresh, and there be what
mariners call a "bubble of a sea." In a little while, however, all the
party are tumbled, or hoisted into the masullah boat, where they seat
themselves on the cross-bench, marvellously like so many culprits on a
hurdle on their way to execution! Ahead of them roars and boils a
furious ridge of terrific breakers, while close at their ears behind,
stamps and bawls, or rather yells, the steersman, who takes this
method of communicating his wishes to his fellow-boatmen. The
steersman stands on his poop, or quarter-deck, just behind the
miserable passengers, whose heads reach not quite so high as his
knees. His oar rests in a crutch on the top of the stern-post, and not
only serves as a rudder, but gives him the power to slew or twist the
boat round with considerable rapidity, when aided by the efforts of
the rowers. It is necessary for the steersman to wait for a favourable
moment to enter the surf, otherwise the chances are that the boat will
be upset, in the manner I shall describe presently. People are
frequently kept waiting in this way for ten or twenty minutes, at the
back of the surf, before a proper opportunity presents itself.

During all this while, the experienced eye of the veteran skipper
abaft glances backwards and forwards from the swell rolling in from
the open sea, to the surf which is breaking close to him. From time to
time he utters a half word to his crew, with that kind of faint
interrogative tone in which a commanding-officer indulges when he is
sure of acquiescence on the part of those under him, and is careless
whether they answer or not. In general, however, he remains quite
silent during this first stage of the passage, as do also the rowers,
who either rest the paddles horizontally, or allow their circular
blades to float on the surface of the water. Meanwhile the boat rolls
from side to side, or is heaved smartly upwards as the swell, just on
the eve of breaking, lifts her into the air, and then drops her again
into the hollow with the most sea-sickening velocity. I should state,
that, during this wofully unpleasant interval, the masullah boat is
placed sideways to the line of surf, parallel to the shore, and, of
course, exactly in the trough of the sea.

I have often watched with the closest attention to discover what were
the indications by which these experienced boatmen inferred that the
true moment was arrived when it was safe to enter the surf, but I
never could make out enough to be of much professional utility. It was
clear, indeed, that the proper instant for making the grand push
occurred when one of the highest waves was about to break--for the
greater the dash, the greater the lull after it. But how these fellows
managed to discover, beforehand, that the wave, upon the back of
which they chose to ride in, was of that exact description, I could
never discover. On the approach of a swell which he knows will answer
his purpose, the steersman, suddenly changing his quiet and almost
contemplative air for a look of intense anxiety, grasps his oar with
double firmness, and exerting his utmost strength of muscle, forces
the boat's stern round, so that her head may point to the shore. At
the same time he urges his crew to exert themselves, partly by violent
stampings with his feet, partly by loud and vehement exhortations, and
partly by a succession of horrid yells, in which the sounds Yarry!
Yarry!! Yarry!!! predominate--indicating to the ears of a stranger the
very reverse of self-confidence, and filling the soul of a nervous
passenger with infinite alarm.

Those fearful noises are loudly re-echoed by all the other men, who
strain themselves so vigorously at the oars, that the boat, flying
forwards, almost keeps way with the wave, on the back of which it is
the object of the steersman to keep her. As she is swept impetuously
towards the bar, a person seated in the boat can distinctly feel the
sea under him gradually rising under a sheer wave, and lifting the
boat up--and up--and up, in a manner exceedingly startling. At length
the ridge, near the summit of which the boat is placed, begins to
curl, and its edge just breaks into a line of white fringe along the
upper edge of the perpendicular face presented to the shore, towards
which it is advancing with vast rapidity. The grand object of the
boatmen now appears to consist in maintaining their position, not on
the very crown of the wave, but a little further to seaward, down the
slope, so as to ride upon its shoulders, as it were. The importance of
this precaution becomes apparent, when the curling surge, no longer
able to maintain its elevation, is dashed furiously forwards, and
dispersed into an immense sheet of foam, broken by innumerable eddies
and whirlpools, into a confused sea of irregular waves rushing
tumultuously together, and casting the spray high into the air by
impinging one against the other. This furious turmoil often whirls the
masullah boat round and round, in spite of the despairing outcries of
the steersman, and the redoubled exertions of his screaming crew, half
of whom back their oars, while the other half tug away in vain
endeavours to keep her head in the right direction.

I have endeavoured to describe the correct and safe method of riding
over the surf on the outer bar upon the back of the wave, a feat in
all conscience sufficiently ticklish; but woe betide the poor masullah
boat which shall be a little too far in advance of her proper place,
so that, when the wave curls over and breaks, she may be pitched head
foremost over the brink of the watery precipice, and strikes her nose
on the sandbank. Even then, if there happen, by good luck, to be depth
of water over the bar sufficient to float her, she may still escape;
but, should the sand be left bare, or nearly so, as happens sometimes,
the boat is almost sure to strike, if, instead of keeping on the back
or shoulder of the wave, she incautiously precedes it. In that unhappy
case she is instantly tumbled forwards, heels over head, while the
crew and passengers are sent sprawling amongst the foam.

Between the sharks and the catamaran men a race then takes place--the
one to save, the other to destroy--the very Brahmas and Shivas of the
surf! These accidents, however, are so very rare, that during all the
time I was in India I never witnessed one.

There is still a second surf to pass, which breaks on the inner bar,
about forty or fifty yards nearer to the shore. The boatmen try to
cross this, and to approach so near the beach, that, when the next
wave breaks, they shall be so far ahead of it that it may not dash
into the boat and swamp her, and yet not so far out as to prevent
their profiting by its impulse to drive them up the steep face of sand
forming the long-wished-for shore. The rapidity with which the
masullah boat is at last cast on the beach is sometimes quite fearful,
and the moment she thumps on the ground, as the wave recedes, most
startling. I have seen persons pitched completely off their seats, and
more than once I have myself been fairly turned over with all the
party, like a parcel of fish cast out of a basket! In general, no such
untoward events take place, and the boat at length rests on the sand,
with her stern to the sea. But as yet she is by no means far enough up
the beach to enable the passengers to get out with comfort or safety.
Before the next wave breaks, the bow and sides of the boat have been
seized by numbers of the natives on the shore, who greatly assist the
impulse when the wave comes, both by keeping her in a straight course,
and likewise by preventing her upsetting. These last stages of the
process are very disagreeable, for every time the surf reaches the
boat, it raises her up and lets her fall again, with a violent jerk.
When at last she is high enough to remain beyond the wash of the surf,
you either jump out, or more frequently descend by means of a ladder,
as you would get off the top of a stage-coach; and, turning about, you
look with astonishment at what you have gone through, and thank Heaven
you are safe!

The return passage from the shore to a ship, in a masullah boat, is
more tedious, but less dangerous, than the process of landing. This
difference will easily be understood, when it is recollected that in
one case the boat is carried impetuously forward by the waves, and
that all power of retarding her progress on the part of the boatmen
ceases after a particular moment. In going from the shore, however,
the boat is kept continually under management, and the talents and
experience of the steersman regulate the affair throughout. He
watches, just inside the surf, till a smooth moment occurs, generally
after a high sea has broken, and then he endeavours, by great
exertions, to avail himself of the moment of comparative tranquillity
which follows, to force his way across the bar before another sea
comes. If he detects, as he is supposed to have it always in his power
to do, that another sea is on the rise, which will, in all
probability, curl up and break over him before he can row over its
crest and slide down its back, his duty is, to order his men to back
their oars with their utmost speed and strength. This retrograde
movement withdraws her from the blow, or, at all events, allows the
wave to strike her with diminished violence at the safest point, and
in water of sufficient depth to prevent the boat taking the ground
injuriously, to the risk of her being turned topsy-turvy. I have, in
fact, often been in these masullah boats when they have struck
violently on the bar, and have seen their flat and elastic bottoms
bulge inwards in the most alarming manner, but I never saw any of the
planks break or the seams open so as to admit the water.

It is very interesting to watch the progress of those honest catamaran
fellows, who live almost entirely in the surf, and who, independently
of their chief purpose of attending the masullah boats, are much
employed as messengers to the ships in the roads, even in the worst
weather. I remember one day being sent with a note for the commanding
officer of the flag-ship, which Sir Samuel Hood was very desirous
should be sent on board; but as the weather was too tempestuous to
allow even a masullah boat to pass the surf, I was obliged to give it
to a catamaran man. The poor fellow drew off his head a small
skull-cap, made apparently of some kind of skin, or oil-cloth, or
bladder, and having deposited his despatches therein, proceeded to
execute his task.

We really thought, at first, that our messenger must have been drowned
even in crossing the inner bar, for we well-nigh lost sight of him in
the hissing yeast of waves in which he and his catamaran appeared only
at intervals, tossing about like a cork. But by far the most difficult
part of his task remained after he had reached the comparatively
smooth space between the two lines of surf, where we could observe him
paddling to and fro as if in search of an opening in the moving wall
of water raging between him and the roadstead. He was watching for a
favourable moment, when, after the dash of some high wave, he might
hope to make good his transit in safety.

After allowing a great many seas to break before he attempted to cross
the outer bar, he at length seized the proper moment, and turning his
little bark to seaward, paddled out as fast as he could. Just as the
gallant fellow, however, reached the shallowest part of the bar, and
we fancied him safely across, a huge wave, which had risen with
unusual quickness, elevated its foaming crest right before him,
curling upwards many feet higher than his shoulders. In a moment he
cast away his paddle, and leaping on his feet, he stood erect on his
catamaran, watching with a bold front the advancing bank of water. He
kept his position, quite undaunted, till the steep face of the breaker
came within a couple of yards of him, and then leaping head foremost,
he pierced the wave in a horizontal direction with the agility and
confidence of a dolphin. We had scarcely lost sight of his feet, as he
shot through the heart of the wave, when such a dash took place as
must have crushed him to pieces had he stuck by his catamaran, which
was whisked instantly afterwards, by a kind of somerset, completely
out of the water by its rebounding off the sandbank. On casting our
eyes beyond the surf, we felt much relieved by seeing our shipwrecked
friend merrily dancing on the waves at the back of the surf, leaping
more than breast-high above the surface, and looking in all
directions, first for his paddle, and then for his catamaran. Having
recovered his oar, he next swam, as he best could, through the broken
surf to his raft, mounted it like a hero, and once more addressed
himself to his task.

By this time, as the current always runs fast along the shore, he had
drifted several hundred yards to the northward farther from his point.
At the second attempt to penetrate the surf, he seemed to have made a
small miscalculation, for the sea broke so very nearly over him,
before he had time to quit his catamaran and dive into still water,
that we thought he must certainly have been drowned. Not a whit,
however, did he appear to have suffered, for we soon saw him again
swimming to his rude vessel. Many times in succession was he thus
washed off and sent whirling towards the beach, and as often obliged
to dive head foremost through the waves. But at last, after very
nearly an hour of incessant struggling, and the loss of more than a
mile of distance, he succeeded, for the first time, in reaching the
back of the surf, without having parted company either with his paddle
or with his catamaran. After this it became all plain sailing; he soon
paddled off to the Roads, and placed the Admiral's letter in the first
lieutenant's hands as dry as if it had been borne in a despatch-box
across the court-yard of the Admiralty.

I remember one day, when on board the Minden, receiving a note from
the shore by a catamaran lad, whom I told to wait for an answer. Upon
this he asked for a rope, with which, as soon as it was given him, he
made his little vessel fast, and lay down to sleep in the full blaze
of a July sun. One of his arms and one of his feet hung in the water,
though a dozen sharks had been seen cruising round the ship. A tacit
contract, indeed, appears to exist between the sharks and these
people, for I never saw, nor can I remember ever having heard of any
injury done by one to the other. By the time my answer was written,
the sun had dried up the spray on the poor fellow's body, leaving such
a coating of salt, that he looked as if he had been dusted with flour.
A few fanams--a small copper coin--were all his charge, and three or
four broken biscuits in addition sent him away the happiest of
mortals.

It is matter of considerable surprise to every one who has seen how
well the chain-pier at Brighton stands the worst weather, that no
similar work has been devised at Madras. The water is shallow, the
surf does not extend very far from the beach, and there seems really
no reason why a chain-pier should not be erected, which might answer
not only for the accommodation of passengers, but for the transit of
goods to and from the shore.




CHAPTER XXII.

VISIT TO THE SULTAN OF PONTIANA, IN BORNEO--SIR SAMUEL HOOD.


In the summer of 1814, Sir Samuel Hood made a voyage, in his Majesty's
ship Minden, to the eastern parts of his station. We called first at
Acheen, on the north end of the island of Sumatra, where we held some
very amusing intercourse with the king of that district, whose capital
the Admiral visited. From thence we steered over to Pulo Penang, or
Prince of Wales' Island, and thence down the Straits of Malacca,
entering the China Sea by the beautiful Straits of Sincapore. The
Admiral's chief object was to visit Java; but as there lay three
routes before him to choose between, viz. the Straits of Gaspar, the
Straits of Banca, and the Caramata passage, he preferred taking the
last and widest, which also led him near the western shore of the
immense island of Borneo. On reaching the equator, he steered in for
the mouth of the great river Lava, which passes the town of Pontiana.
The weather being very favourable, the ship was anchored, and the
barge got ready for an expedition.

At four in the morning, on receiving the joyful intimation that I was
to be officer of the boat, I lost no time in getting together
everything likely to be useful--a sextant, artificial horizon,
spy-glass, chart, compass, and Nautical Almanac, besides a Malay
Dictionary.

We had some little difficulty in finding our way in the barge, for the
mouth of the river of Pontiana lay so completely hid amongst low
cane-brakes, mangroves, and other aquatic trees and shrubs, which grow
thickly along the western shores of Borneo, that, until we came quite
close, no inlet was perceptible. The first hit we made proved wrong,
and lost us three or four miles; and it was not till nearly noon that
we reached the rush of fresh and troubled water, which indicated the
true entrance. The Admiral desired greatly to observe the sun's
meridian altitude. His Excellency, however, though he could command
many things, could not command this; for although our fellows gave way
lustily, so as to stem the current running out, and we had a full
half-hour to spare, we could not effect a landing in good time. On
reaching what had seemed the shore, no footing could be found
anywhere. Even the little boat which we carried with us in tow of the
barge, though she threaded the mangrove stems and roots, and went in
much further than the barge, could not reach anything like dry land.
As the main bank refused to afford us a resting-place, we put off, and
rowed as briskly as we could to a small island about half-a-mile from
this treacherous shore; but this, too, proved a cheat, for what we
took to be solid ground consisted merely of a mass of green shrubs,
growing on the ridge of a soft slippery mass of mud just peeping above
the water.

As the sailors, by this time, were pretty well exhausted with rowing
so long in the hot sun, they hailed with great joy the sea-breeze
which just then set in. They soon stepped the masts, hoisted the
sails, and laid the oars in.

"Now go to dinner, men," said the considerate chief, "this rattling
breeze will not carry us up far, and you will pull all the better for
a good bellyful."

Just as this judicious order was given, and while we were still
laughing at the recent adventure, which reminded us of Sinbad's
mistaking a whale for a solid rock, our eyes were attracted by the
sight of another island, much smaller than the first. It seemed,
indeed, like a little grove or tuft of palm-like foliage, rising out
of the water somewhat in the fashion of our Prince of Wales' feather.
None of the party had ever seen such a tree before, and every one
tried to guess what it might be; but all were puzzled. At length, a
diminutive moving black speck showed itself at the root, or centre,
from which these fairy-like branches radiated.

"It is a rock with a tree on it," cried one.

"Nonsense!" said Sir Samuel, "there are no rocks hereabouts; the soil
for many a league is alluvial."

"It skims along like a witch," exclaimed a third; "it is surely
alive!"

"Let us sail to it whatever it be," said the Admiral, waving his hand
to the coxswain to sheer the barge further from the side of the river.

As we drew near, we discovered our phenomenon to consist of a
fishing-canoe, gliding along merrily before the sea-breeze, with no
other sails than half-a-dozen branches of the cocoa-nut tree placed in
the bow, and spread out like the feathers of a peacock's tail. These
were held together by a slender bar of bamboo, and supported by small
strips of bark to the stern, in which sat a naked Malay.

The Admiral proved a true prophet, for the deceitful sea-breeze
presently lulled, and it cost us a very hard row to accomplish our
purpose against the stream. The town of Pontiana stands on a low point
of land formed by the confluence of two mighty rivers. This particular
spot is always held sacred in India, and is known under the Hindoo
name of Sungum. I suspect, however, that the Malays and other
Mahometans, who inhabit the coasts of most of the Indian Islands,
acknowledge no superstitious predilections for one spot more than
another, and consider such things as mere prejudices unworthy of the
followers of Mahomet, their great military prophet. Probably the
Sungum point has some local advantages belonging to it, as I observe
it is generally appropriated by the strongest party in every country.
At all events, it has the advantage of communicating directly with
both the rivers, by whose junction the Sungum, or solid angle, is
formed. In the instance of Pontiana, the Mussulmans had taken
possession of it, though it was formerly a Dutch settlement, while the
Chinese were left to occupy the corners opposite to the Sungum, on the
right and left banks, respectively, of the river formed by the
junction of the two streams. Thus three considerable cities had been
built facing one another, and each displaying on the river a multitude
of boats and barges, canoes and proas, in crowds which would not have
disgraced the show at London Bridge, and, of course, indicating
considerable wealth and activity.

We came upon this grand view quite abruptly, and having no
expectation of encountering anything so magnificent, were taken rather
by surprise. Two enormous Chinese junks occupied the centre of the
stream, each of them rising out of the water nearly as high as the
poop of a line-of-battle ship. Along the shore, on both sides, lay a
fleet of eight or ten sail of junks, some of them very large, and all
bearing enormous white flags, in the centre of which sprawled huge
dragons and other monsters familiar to the eyes of all fanciers of old
China jars.

In the mean time, as there existed no dispute about the navigation of
the River Lava, we rowed up very peaceably towards the great city of
Pontiana. On our meeting a canoe with a Malay in it, the Admiral, who
had been studying Marsden's dictionary all the way, stood up in the
barge, made the men lie on their oars, and to their great
astonishment, and probably to that of the native, called out in the
Malay tongue,--

"Which is the way to the sultan's house?"

To Sir Samuel's unspeakable delight, the man whom he addressed
understood him, and after offering to show us the landing-place,
paddled off ahead of us. Our fellows gave way as hard as they could,
but the Malay kept the lead; and as we shot past the Chinese towns,
one on each bank, the natives crowded to the beach, as much
astonished, no doubt, with our strange cocked hats, swords, and
oddly-shaped boat, as we could be with their long tails and
wild-looking junks, or with the creases which every Malay carries by
his side. This fierce-looking weapon is not, in form, unlike the
waving sword one sees in the pictures of the angel Michael, though it
is not above a foot and a-half in length.

The sultan's cousin received the Admiral and his party at the gate of
the palace, and led him by the hand along a causeway of flag-stones to
the residence of the monarch. Directly in the middle of the gateway,
which was only ten feet wide and about as many in height, there stood
a twenty-four-pounder gun. On the top of the arch there was built a
small square room, from holes in which peeped out the muzzles of five
or six field-pieces, the whole affair resembling very much that part
of a child's box of toys which represents the stronghold or castle.
Within the high wall surrounding the palace we counted innumerable
large guns scattered about, apparently with no other object than to be
seen, as if the mere look of a cannon were expected to do the work of
a fight! The same number of mock barrels of gunpowder, similarly
disposed, would have answered the purpose equally well, or perhaps
better; for there appeared no way in which the guns could be fired,
without doing much more injury to the besieged than to the besiegers.

On we went, till we were met by the sultan himself, at the inner side
of the quadrangle. He courteously conducted the Admiral to a large
room or hall of audience, and, having begged his guest to sit down at
a small table, took a chair by his side, and began a conversation as
if they had been long acquainted. Of course, in spite of the Admiral's
proficiency, this could not be accomplished without an interpreter;
and the services of a very clever Malay boy, whom we had brought with
us from the ship, were brought into requisition. The hall, in which we
were first received, might have been about fifty feet square, bleak,
unfurnished, and comfortless, with an uncovered mud floor. It was so
feebly lighted by a few windows almost hid by Venetian blinds, that we
could only discover that the roof had been left bare and unfinished.
After sitting for about ten minutes, the sultan rose and led the way
to another apartment apparently of still larger dimensions, but
literally so dark, that, had it not been for the light entering by the
door we had left, and the one ahead of us, we could not have moved
along without breaking our shins over the stones, sticks, and other
rubbish lying in the way. We had next to make rather a difficult
transit along a precarious kind of bridge, formed of a single plank
laid across an ominous-looking pool or puddle of mud, which divided
these two branches of the palace from each other.

All at once we were ushered into a splendid room, seventy or eighty
feet square, brilliantly lighted, and not ill furnished, but strongly
contrasted with the darkness and dirtiness of the suite we had passed
through. This total want of keeping, it may be mentioned, is quite in
Oriental taste. They know tolerably well how to be magnificent on
occasions; but they never learn how to be uniformly decent. The
Asiatics, and even some other nations which might be named nearer
home, can seldom afford to be taken by surprise. Indeed, I am not sure
if more than one country can be alluded to, in which the people are at
all hours ready to receive strangers, and have no occasion to make a
fuss, or to change anything when a rap comes to the door.

In the centre of this gorgeous room, on a dais, or a part of the floor
raised to about a foot and a-half above the level of the rest, and
laid with a rich Turkey carpet, stood a long table, at the top of
which the sultan placed the Admiral, and then made the signal for
tea. First entered an attendant, bearing a large tray, on which were
ranged several dozens of exceedingly small cups. This he placed on the
carpet, and then squatted himself down, cross-legged, beside it.
Another attendant soon followed, bearing the tea-pot, and he likewise
popped himself down. After a conjuration of some minutes, the cups
were brought round, containing weak black tea, exquisite in flavour,
but marvellously small in quantity. There appeared no milk, but plenty
of sugar-candy. Some sweet sherbet was next handed round, very
slightly acid, but so deliciously cool, that we appealed frequently to
the vase or huge jar from which it was poured, to the great delight of
the sultan, who assured us that this was the genuine sherbet described
by the Persian poets. It was mixed, he told us, by a true believer,
who had made more than one pilgrimage to Mecca.

At the upper end of the apartment, in a deep recess, partly hid from
our view by a rich festoon of shawl drapery, we could just discover
the sultan's bed, flanked by large mirrors, beyond which, in an
adjacent chamber, was probably stowed away the sultan's most favoured
wife. But all this department of the establishment was thrown into
such deep shade, that we could see none of the ladies, nor any of his
highness's progeny, except one little boy, whom he introduced to us at
supper. He appeared to be about five or six years old, very like his
papa in miniature, rigged with turban and robes of cloth of gold. At
first, the little fellow looked somewhat startled; but he soon
recovered his dignity, and sat on our knees, without much
apprehension of being swallowed up.

Both the upper corners of the room were screened off by white
curtains, eight or ten feet high, so as to form smaller chambers. One
of these served the purpose of a pantry, or subsidiary kitchen, at
least we observed the dishes issuing from it, and thought we could
distinguish the well-known sound of the cook's angry reproaches--a
note which, like that of muttering thunder, is nearly the same in
every climate. The other corner we soon made out to be a sort of
temporary nook, from which the ladies of the palace and the young
sultans and sultanas might spy the strangers. This we ascertained from
seeing sundry very pretty faces thrust out occasionally between the
folds of the curtain, and by the sound of many an ill-suppressed
giggle amongst the peeping damsels.

The sultan appeared to enter into his guest's character at once, and
neither overloaded him with attentions, nor failed to treat him as a
person to whom much respect was due. I heard Sir Samuel say
afterwards, that he was particularly struck with the sultan's good
breeding, in not offering to assist him in cutting his meat. The
sultan merely remarked that few people were so expert as his guest
even with both hands; adding, neatly enough, that on this account the
distinction which his wound had gained for him was more cheaply
purchased than people supposed. While the Admiral was hunting for some
reply to this novel compliment, his host remarked, that in Borneo it
was considered fashionable to eat with the left hand.

The supper, which soon followed the tea, consisted of about a dozen
dishes of curry, all different from one another, and a whole poultry
yard of grilled and boiled chickens, many different sorts of salt
fish, with great basins of rice at intervals, jars of pickles, piles
of sliced pine-apple, sweetmeats, and cakes. Four male attendants
stood by with goblets of cool sherbet, from which, ever and anon, they
replenished our glasses; besides whom, a number of young Malay girls
waited at a distance from the table, and ran about nimbly with the
plates and dishes.

After a great deal of ceremonious rigmarole, in which the Admiral was
asked for his autograph, and it was wonderful how well the shrewd
little Malay interpreter expressed to the Admiral, who cheerfully
agreed to the proposal, and desired me to send for his writing-case.
As I rose, the Admiral whispered to me, "I wish you would contrive, at
the same time, to see what the boat's crew are about. Try, also, if
you can get them something to eat; the fellows must be hungry enough
by this time--but mind they don't get too much toddy."

I found the crew seated on the mud floor of a large room close to the
beach, and open on all sides, like a tent without walls. The Johnnies
were in such high glee, that I feared they had already trespassed too
deeply on the toddy pot; but I was glad to find that their
satisfaction arose from a safer source, namely, a glorious hot supper,
which Jack was tucking in to the great delight and astonishment of the
natives, who had been ordered by the sultan to supply them with as
much curry and rice as they chose to eat.

Very early in the morning, long before there was the least peep of
dawn, the Admiral roused us all out of bed, ordered the boat to be
manned, and declared his intention of dropping down the river while it
was yet cool, so as to reach the ship before the fierce heat of the
sun had set in. I suspect, also, that he wished to escape the salutes
for which he had seen some preparations over night. But scarcely had
we gained the distance of two or three hundred yards from the shore
when the heavy guns of the batteries began to fire a royal salute. The
night was uncommonly dark and still, and the successive flashes and
reports of the cannons were followed by a long series of echoes from
the edges of the damp forests lining the banks of the three different
branches or forks of the river. The Admiral, who had the finest
perception possible for all that was picturesque or beautiful, was
exceedingly struck with the grandeur of this nocturnal salute, and
having made the men lay their oars across the boat, while she drifted
quickly down the river, he stood up in the stern-sheets in order to
enjoy the scene more completely.

A trifling incident occurred shortly afterwards, which recalled to our
thoughts another important service of Sir Samuel Hood's, which,
although it be familiarly known in the navy, may not be so fresh in
the recollection of persons on shore. A question arose in the boat as
to whether or not the land-wind was blowing. Some said there was a
breeze up the river, while others maintained that the wind blew down,
towards the sea. The Admiral let us go on speculating and arguing for
some time, and then said, "You are both wrong; there is not a breath
of air either up or down the river. At all events we shall soon see,
if you will strike me a light." This was done accordingly; and the
Admiral, standing on the after-thwart, held the naked candle high
over his head, while the men ceased rowing.

"There, you see," exclaimed he, "the flame stands quite upright, which
proves, that if there be any breeze at all, it blows no faster than
the stream runs down."

As he yet spoke, the flame bent from the land, and in the next instant
was puffed out by a slight gust from the forest.

"Ay! that's something like!" exclaimed the commander-in-chief; adding,
in an under tone, as he resumed his seat, "I have known the time when
a flaw of wind, not greater than has just blown out this candle, has
rendered good service to his Majesty." This was the incident to which
he alluded:--

Early in the year 1794, when Captain Hood commanded his Majesty's ship
Juno, the port of Toulon, though in possession of the English at the
time of his departure on a short trip to Malta, had been evacuated
while the Juno was absent; and as the land was made in the night, no
suspicion of that important change of affairs arose in the mind of any
one. With his wonted decision, therefore, into the port he dashed;
for, although the Juno carried no pilot, Captain Hood's knowledge of
every port he had once visited rendered him comparatively indifferent
on that score. A couple of the sharpest-sighted midshipmen were
stationed with glasses to look out for the fleet; but no ships were
seen--for the best of all reasons--none were there!

One vessel only, a small brig, could be detected, and the captain,
supposing the fleet had run into the inner harbour during the recent
easterly gale, resolved to push up likewise. The batteries all kept
quiet, and though the brig hailed the frigate as she passed in a
language so indistinct that no one could make it out, not the least
suspicion was excited. Supposing they wanted to know what ship it was,
I told them it was the Juno. The brig, however, was not quite so
courteous in return; for they merely replied by the word "Viva," but
made no answer to the captain's repeated inquiry as to the brig's
name, and the position of the British fleet. As the Juno passed under
the stern of this treacherous little craft, a voice called out, "Luff!
luff!" which naturally induced Captain Hood to put his helm down, from
an idea that shoal water lay close to leeward of him. Nothing could
have been more adroitly managed, for before the frigate came head to
wind, she stuck fast upon the shoal, to which the words "Luff, luff!"
had no doubt been intended to direct her.

A boat was now observed to proceed from the brig to the town. As there
was but little wind, and the water perfectly smooth, the Juno's sails
were clewed up and handed; but before the men were all off the yards,
a gust of wind came sweeping down the harbour, and drove her off the
shoal so suddenly as to give her brisk stern-way. The anchor was
speedily let go, but when she tended, the after-part of her keel took
the ground, and the rudder could not be moved. The launch and cutter
being instantly hoisted out, the usual preparations were made to lay
out a kedge, to heave the ship off.

At this critical moment a boat came alongside. The people appeared
anxious to get out of her, and two of them, apparently officers, came
up the side. They said it was the regulation of the port, as well as
the commanding officer's orders, that ships should go further into
the harbour, there to perform ten days' quarantine. In the despatch
relating this transaction, Captain Hood says, "I kept asking them
where Lord Hood's ship lay;" the two Frenchmen knew not what to do or
say next. In the mean time, one of the mids, who happened to be
thrusting his head forward after the investigating manner of this
enterprising class of officers, said apart to the captain,--

"Why, sir, they wear national cockades!"

"I looked at one of their hats more steadfastly," says Captain Hood in
his narrative, "and by the moonlight clearly distinguished the three
colours."

"Perceiving they were suspected," continues Sir Samuel in his
narrative, "and on my questioning them again about Lord Hood, one of
them replied, 'Soyez tranquille, les Anglais sont de braves gens, nous
les traitons bien; l'amiral anglais est sorti il y a quelque temps.'"

In an instant, the situation of the poor Juno became known throughout
the ship. The officers crowded round their captain, while the
Frenchman, bowing to the right and left, grinned and apologised for
the disagreeable necessity of making them all prisoners! It was said
of Hood's ship, that, fore and aft, there was but one heart and one
mind, and this was an occasion to test its truth. At this moment a
flaw of wind coming down the harbour, Lieutenant Webley said to me, "I
believe, sir, we shall be able to fetch out if we can get her under
sail." I immediately perceived we should have a chance of saving the
ship; at least, if we did not, we ought not to lose her without a
struggle. Every person was ordered to their stations; but the
Frenchmen, perceiving some bustle, began to draw their sabres, but I
directed the marines to force them below, which was soon done. In an
instant every officer and man was at his duty; and within three
minutes every sail in the ship was set, and the yards braced ready for
casting. The steady and active assistance of Lieutenant Turner and the
other officers prevented any confusion. As soon as the cable was taut,
I ordered it to be cut, and had the good fortune to see the ship start
from the shore. The head sails were filled; a favourable flaw of wind
coming at the same time gave her good way. Not to be retarded by the
boats, I ordered them to be cut adrift as well as the French boat. The
moment the brig saw us begin to loose sails, we saw she was getting
her guns ready, and we also saw lights in all the batteries. When we
had shot far enough for the brig's guns to bear on us, which was not
more than three ships' lengths, she began to fire; as did a fort a
little on the starboard bow, and soon after all of them, on both
sides, as they could bring their guns to bear. As soon as the sails
were well trimmed, I beat to quarters. When abreast of the centre of
Cape Sepet, and were ready to go about, she came up two points, and
just weathered the Cape. As we passed very close along that shore, the
batteries kept up a brisk fire. When I could keep the ship a little
off the wind, I ordered some guns to be fired at a battery that had
just opened abreast of us, which quieted them a little. We now stopped
firing till we could keep her away, with the wind abaft the beam,
when, for a few minutes, we kept up a very lively fire on the last
battery we had to pass, which I believe must otherwise have done us
great damage. At half-past twelve, being out of reach of their shot,
the firing ceased.

The whole of this admirable piece of service was performed so quickly,
and at the same time with so much coolness, that there occurred little
or no opportunity for any remarkable individual exertion. Everything,
as I have heard it described by Sir Samuel Hood himself and by the
officers, went on as if the ship had been working out of Plymouth
Sound at noon-day. One little incident, however, which caused much
amusement in the ship, will help to show the degree of regard in which
Sir Samuel was held by those immediately about him; and to disprove
the proverb of no man being a hero to his valet-de-chambre.

Dennis M'Carty, an old and faithful servant of Captain Hood's, who was
quartered at one of the main-deck guns in the cabin, stood firm enough