portion of
the crew of the Premier, an English merchant vessel, which had been
wrecked on a reef off the eastern coast of Borneo. The crew, consisting
of Europeans and Lascars, had been divided between the sultans of
Sooloo, Gonong Tabor, and Balungan. One of the Lascars was the bearer of
a letter from the captain of the Premier, stating that he and his crew
were still captives, and trusting that a vessel would be sent to rescue
them, as they were strictly guarded by the natives, and had no hopes of
escape. The Samarang being the only man-of-war at Manilla, the English
consul requested our captain to proceed again to Borneo to obtain these
people, calling at Sooloo in order to obtain information and a pilot.

On the 10th of December we sailed for Sooloo, where we arrived on the
15th. We found the natives preparing for an attack, which they
anticipated from the French, and suspicious that our intentions were
also hostile. Having already described Sooloo, I shall confine myself to
events. The captain, with his officers, went on shore, and had an
audience with the sultan; and having brought an interpreter with us from
Manilla, the conversation was carried on without difficulty.
Refreshments, as lemonade, &c. were handed round as before, and, as
before, the room of audience was crowded to suffocation.

The prime minister, who was a little corpulent man with an aquiline
nose, wore such an expression of low cunning, and eyed us with such
ill-concealed hatred, that we christened him Daniel Quilp, and he was
ever afterwards spoken of by that soubriquet. Our object being made
known, and the sultan's assistance demanded to obtain the remainder of
the prisoners, every obstacle that Quilp could throw in our way was
resorted to; and thus the audience became very tiresome, and I paid
little or no attention to what was said, amusing myself by using my
eyes, instead of tormenting my ears. A heavy red curtain was hung up,
dividing the room into two compartments. Observing that this moved once
or twice, I endeavoured to find out the cause, when several pairs of
black eyes, half hidden in the folds and rents, explained the mystery;
and whilst they were loudly disputing, I was winking and making faces at
the sultan's wives, who, stimulated by curiosity to behold the white
men, were thus transgressing the rules of the harem. But old Quilp
looked very hard at me, and for the ladies' sakes I was obliged to
desist.

Behind the sultan stood