packed
the rest of the fish, which were still hard and in nice condition. The
captain desired to present a couple of them to Rajah Brooke, and some of
the others to officers who had been very kind to them, and had assisted
them in many ways. In the early morning they bade a grateful adieu to
the agent, and departed on the trip to Kuching.

The tide was going out, and they made a quick passage to the sea. On
their arrival there they found a stiff south-west wind blowing, and the
bay covered with white-caps. They had not tried the Blanchita in
anything like a heavy sea, though the rajah had declared that she was a
very able and weatherly sea-boat. Captain Scott was very glad of the
opportunity to test her behavior in rough weather. He went to the helm
himself as the boat came out of the Sadong. The very first wave that
broke on her bow scattered the spray from stem to stern.

[Illustration: THE BOAT ROSE GRACEFULLY ON THE BILLOWS.

_Page 132._]

Scott ordered the men to batten down the curtains on the weather side.
But the boat rose gracefully on the billows, and did not scoop up any
water in doing so. Boxes, barrels, and other movable articles were
secured, and the captain was delighted with the working of the boat.

"I don't want any better sea-boat than the Blanchita," said he with
great enthusiasm. "I doubt if we get it any rougher than this on the
voyage to Cambodia Point."

"Unless we run into a typhoon," said Morris, who was observing the
conduct of the boat with quite as much interest as his superior officer.

"We won't run into a typhoon," replied the captain.

"How can you help yourself? As sailors we must take things as they
come."

"If navigators have a thousand miles or more of ocean ahead of them,
they must face the music. But among these islands, if the weather looks
typhoony, we can get under a lee, or make a harbor in some bay. But
don't try to cross the bridge till we get to it, Morris."

"Sail, ho!" shouted Clingman.

It was a steamer about as far off as she could be made out. The two
craft were approaching each other, and the steamer from the west went
into the Sarawak ahead of the Blanchita. She was a small vessel,
apparently of not more than three hundred tons. It soon became evident
that she was not a fast sailer, for the Blanchita held her own with her
all the way up the river to Kuching.

CHAPTER XV

ON THE VOYAGE TO POINT CAMBODIA

The Blanchita moored as usual in front