DEATH Of mr. brERETON

105

on account of their confederacy with the white people. In ascending the river to resist this force the Englishmen met with a disaster. They attacked too hotly, and the enemy, turning upon them with a stronger fleet, by the size of their boats swamped the Englishmen's vessels, and rendered their musketry useless. Poor Lee was killed gallantly fighting sword in hand, and Brereton only escaped by being dragged out of the water and into the jungle by his natives, after refusing their entreaties to save himself and declaring 'that the white man did not know how to fly.' In September 1854 Mr. Chambers writes of the death of Mr. Brereton by an attack of dysentery. He was much lamented. 'I feel greatly,' Mrs. McDougall wrote, on her return to Sarawak, 'the death of my favourite, dear Willie Brereton. Sarawak is different without him.' And in another letter, 'Who can be to Sakarran what he was? No one can make up his loss to me at Sarawak. I loved him very dearly. He was a perfect gentleman in feeling and conduct, and had a most affectionate heart; besides, he was the first object of interest that we had here, and his memory is entwined with those first years when my Harry was alive.'

This check to the progress of the Sarawak rule was only temporary, and the chief Gassin, who was an old friend of Mrs. McDougall's, survived this expedition for many years. In a letter of 1850 she had mentioned him. 'We have lately had the Orang Kaya of Sakarran here with a party; he is a very powerful chief, commanding a very large number of subjects. He was present one morning at prayers. The children all sitting in rows, singing the morning hymn, and then kneeling down and repeating the Lord's Prayer, and the joining in the Amens, altogether seemed to awe these wild creatures. When the children went out Gassin said "it was beautiful, and he and his people should like to learn to pray to God." They are a very fine tribe. We shall send a missionary to them as soon as possible.'

Before their return also the Rajah, who had gone again. to Sarawak, had been seized on his arrival in May by a severe attack of confluent smallpox. There was no European medical man in the settlement, and the Rajah was dependent upon Captain Brooke and Mr. Crookshank for his nurses, assisted by their faithful Malay friends, and with one additional counsellor only in the Rev. S. Horsburg. The Bishop had sought to explain to the latter, as he did to all his clergy or catechists brought into contact with him, such of the rudiments of medicine as could be learnt in their short intercourse, and had taught him to explore the medical books in the mission library. As, therefore, the malady increased, the books were consulted, and from them Mr. Horsburg learnt that in certain conditions, even under the fever of smallpox, stimulants might be necessary. When, therefore, the sickness seemed to pass all limits, and the patient to be sinking, book in hand Mr. Horsburg plied the Rajah with his stimulants, and in spite of his refusals, with the assistance of Captain Brooke and Mr. Crookshank, prevailed upon him to take them and food also. The treatment succeeded, the crisis passed, and, an improvement setting in, recovery became rapid. Great was the joy that followed, as had been the grief during the suspense. For three days,' Captain Brooke wrote to his mother in a letter dated July 11, 1853, of which a copy appears among Mrs. McDougall's papers, 'his life was utterly despaired of, and I may safely say that I was never so unhappy in my life.' This sickness, although for a time it disfigured the Rajah, did not necessitate his return home, or render him incapable of managing public affairs. In August he proceeded to Labuan and Brunei, where he negotiated the cession to himself of six districts in the neighbourhood of Sarawak from the Sultan on terms thought mutually advantageous, and came back to his own Government.

But to return to Mrs. McDougall's narrative after her arrival, as related in her journal. On April 27, at midday,

THE COMMISSION ON PIRACY

107

Mr. Chambers arrived from Linga with seven native converts whom he had baptised at Christmas, and on the following day we heard distant boat-music in the afternoon, which gradually approached, and soon the Rajah's boat came up the reach, followed by two others. Frank went directly to see them, and then the dear Rajah and Brooke came over to sce me. I perceived a little nervous manner about the Rajah at first, as if he did not like to be looked at, but for my part I was delighted to see how little effect the smallpox had had on his features. They are not swelled, and his eye is as bright as ever. I am sure that when his hair comes back we shall see no difference in him. He looks older, though. I think that the commission has told upon his health more than the smallpox. What compensation can be made to him for all that anxiety and insult?' This commission, as will be seen in biographies of Sir James Brooke, was one issued in 1853, at the instance of Messrs. Hume and Cobden and their friends, to inquire into the existence of piracy in the Eastern Seas and into the conduct of Sir James Brooke in relation to it. The contention of these gentlemen was that there were no Dyak pirates in Borneo, no piracy properly so called, but only intertribal wars, in which the Rajah made use of the ships of H.M. navy to massacre the natives, including his own subjects, for the purpose of consolidating his dominion. As one gentleman put it, 'Who likes may enact St. George, but I don't believe in the Dragon.' The commission ended in an entire vindication of the Rajah, but did immense injury to the natives. It prevented the pacification of the country, and was at the root of all the political troubles of the next few years in Borneo. In the minds of the Rajah and his friends it caused more irritation than anxiety. In the same letter from Captain Brooke already referred to he wrote: For myself I am not at all cast down at the prospect of a commission, and firmly believe that it will tend to the Rajah's honour. The country and the people speak for themselves. Where was bloodshed

and tyranny there is now peace and paternal rule; where was poverty, ignorance, and sloth is now comparative wealth, intelligence, and commercial activity. No man could come here without being struck with the happy, contented appearance of the population and their affectionate regard for the Europeans. Surely it cannot be the intention of the Government in England to upset all this and throw the country back into a state of barbarism and anarchy ? '

One other disappointment also awaited them. Brought over by Bishop Wilson when he consecrated the church, Mr. Fox had long had charge of the boys' school. He had acquired Malay and studied Chinese, and had received all the training necessary for his immediate efficiency, and was only waiting for the return of Dr. McDougall as Bishop to receive holy orders. He had, in fact, long been in preparation for the ministry, reading to the sick in the hospital, and having cottage lectures twice a week in the Chinese town; but when the time came he pleaded conscientious doubts and difficulties and shrank from the responsibility. Dr. McDougall believed that but for his own absence Fox would have remained constant to his profession, and he afterwards paid a warm tribute to his industry and faithfulness. Mr. Fox thereupon entered the Government service, and in 1859 fell in the Kanowit

insurrection.

When they were again settled in the mission-house the usual routine recommenced. Social intercourse between Government House and College Hill was resumed. The services in church were revived, the school, under the management of Mr. Owen, carried on with vigour, singing classes formed under him, for he was musical, and the central station was visited by the missionaries from the out-stations, with troops of converts following them. Miss Williams was established in the girls' school, having charge of the little girls of the home school and some Chinese day-scholars, and learnt Malay from her pupils, two of whom, among the carliest of

VOYAGE TO LINGA

109

the children received by Mrs. McDougall, not only spoke English quite well, but had picked up Chinese also. At the end of May Dr. McDougall made an expedition to Linga, accompanied by Mr. Gomez and twelve Dyak catechumens, who had received baptism in the church at Sarawak. It was desired that the converts of Lundu and Linga should meet and should establish a feeling of brotherhood between themselves, and that there should be a conference between the clergy to settle the use of some technical theological terms for their translations, and particularly that of the word Isa, the name by which our Lord is known to the Mohammedans in the Koran, and for which, contrary to the advice both of the Rajah and Dr. McDougall, it had been proposed to substitute the English-Latin form Jesus. Of this expedition we have an account in a short journal kept for the occasion by Dr. McDougall. It illustrates the danger of the use of native boats in those seas. 'Gomez,' he says, 'had Grant's large new warboat; I had a small native craft with four men; all the eatables and heavy things went with Gomez.

'June 1.-Rendezvoused last night at Qualla Samarahan; found my boat very crank and rather leaky-could not sleep because she rolled over when I turned round. Under way at daylight. Coasted along to Qualla Sadong, with a nice land breeze. Gomez, instead of following me, stood out to sea with his mat sail; and, as I saw that they could not come in against the wind, I was obliged to go out to them to get breakfast, and advised them to make all haste in to shore, as the land breeze was freshening, and the weather looked threatening. After breakfast the boat had drifted so much that I was obliged to take an oar and help to get her in. My own boat was gone on account of the sea. When we reached her I boarded her with difficulty, and then steered for Sibuyow, desiring Gomez to follow. I had my misgivings about leaving all the food and drink with him, as I did not feel at all sure when we should meet again.