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About a hundred miles west of that is Cape Datu, the most western point of Borneo. Then for two hundred miles there is a chain of islands extending to the north-west, which is our course. These are the Natuna Islands; the largest one takes the same name, and is forty miles long.
It took us three days to pilot up to the Natuna Islands, only some three hundred and fifty miles north of Banca, the south-westerly wind which we had with us generally falling slack in the middle of the day, and the land breeze of a night giving us the greater help; but, still, all the while, the suspicious proa never deserted us, following in our track like a sleuth-hound keeping off at a good distance though when the sun was shining and only creeping up closer at dark, so as not to lose sight of us, and sheering off in the morning till hull down nearly on the horizon.
However, on our getting abreast of Saddle Island, to the north-west of the Natuna group, behold the proa was joined by a companion, two of them now being in our wake when morning dawned and we were better able to see around us.
The captain of the yacht ordered the engineer to reduce his speed to the ordinary rate, though the sail was not furled. Between the steam and the wind the Blanchita ran ahead of the Delhi. The sheet was slacked off as far as it could be without permitting the sail to shake, and the two craft kept well together the rest of the day, passing Great Natuna Island at four in the afternoon.
On the contrary, it was rather monotonous, and there were no incidents worthy of record. After passing Great Natuna on the afternoon of the second day from the mouth of the Sarawak, no land was seen again till the island of Pulo Obi, about twenty miles south-west of Point Cambodia, was seen on the third day; and the Point on the mainland was passed a little later.
The "Four" would have been glad to explore the Great Natuna Island, and determine whether or not it was inhabited; for they could obtain no information in regard to it from any of the books they had brought from the ship, and they forgot to inquire about it at Kuching. At noon on the third day, in the Gulf, the captain of the Delhi hailed the yacht, and came on board of her.
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