riendly rivalry and emulation between the
crews of the Phlegethon and the Dido's boats. On this occasion the
former had the glory of first gaining the height; and one of the
officers of the former, Mr. Simpson, wounded, with a pistol-shot,
a man armed with a rifle, supposed to have been the person who had
slain our first-lieutenant.

I may here narrate a circumstance, from which one may judge of the
natural kind-heartedness of my lamented friend. During the heat of
the pursuit, although too anxious to advance to await the arrival of
his men, he nevertheless found time to conceal in a place of security
a poor terrified Malay girl whom he overtook, and who, by an imploring
look, touched his heart. The village and the piratical boats destroyed,
and the excitement over, we had time to reflect on the loss we had
sustained of one so generally beloved as the leader of the expedition
had been among us all. Having laid the body in a canoe, with the
British union-jack for a pall, we commenced our descent of the river
with very different spirits from those with which we had ascended only
a few hours before. In the evening, with our whole force assembled,
we performed the last sad ceremony of committing the body to the deep,
with all the honors that time and circumstance would allow. I read
that beautiful, impressive service from a prayer-book, the only one,
by the by, in the expedition, which he himself had brought, as he said,
"in case of accident."

Before we again got under weigh, several Malay families, no longer
in dread of their piratical chief, Seriff Muller, who had fled nobody
knew whither, gave themselves up to us as prisoners, trusting to the
mercy of a white man; the first instance of any of them having done
so. We heard, also, that Macota had retreated with the seriff; and on
examination we found the papers captured in the encampment belonged to
them, exposing several deep intrigues and false statements addressed
to the sultan, the purport of which was to impress his mind with the
belief of a hostile intention on the part of the British government
toward his country. We brought-up for the night off the still-burning
ruins of Seriff Muller's town.

On Thursday the 15th we again reached the steamer. We found her
prepared for action, having been much annoyed during the night by the
continued Dyak war-yells--sounds, to uninitiated ears, as unpleasant
as those of musketry. Having driven away the two principal instigator