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These war prahus have a flat strong roof, from which they fight, although they are wholly exposed to the spears and arrows of the enemy.
A deep, strong bass sound is produced which resembles the distant whistle of a big ocean steamer. The men at the rear would join in with wild shouts like those made by American cowboys, most of them rising in their prahus to be able to give more impetus to the paddles.
"There!" said Ali excitedly, "they are Rajah Gantang's prahus. Fire at them." "Not so fast, sir," said the lieutenant. "I must first be sure that they are enemies."
The men who had been wounded were rapidly recovering; and after several attempts to find the missing prahus, it was announced one evening, in a quiet way, that there was to be another expedition down the river, for information had been brought in by a Malay boatman, who had been employed to act as a scout, that the two vessels were lying-up in a creek on the left bank of the river.
Hassan says he will do what he can. He has eight war canoes, but no good against prahus they run at canoes, and cut them in half; but will come to help if English attack. He does not know where prahus are. Begs Captain to attack these first; it is they that make Sehi master of the river. If they destroyed, other chiefs not afraid of Sehi, and he might get some of them to join against him.
In the afternoon, having partaken of food, a number of men carried the heavy burden on their shoulders down to the river, preceded by two women belonging to the family. It was placed on two prahus, which were lashed together, and then taken down the river to be buried.
The country behind Coupang rises to the height of five hundred feet, the higher hills being covered with woods, the lower with cocoa-nut trees. On a cliff above the town is the fort of Concordia, and near it a brook, just deep enough to float small prahus for a few yards.
They will take us for a man-of-war, and probably be off again as fast as they can pull; but it is the breeze we want, the breeze! Without that we are helpless." The first mate soon came down from aloft and again proffered his request. "I dare not give you leave," answered the captain. "What could one or even two boats do against those prahus, with twenty or thirty well-armed men in each?
It is now two years since I left Singapore, 'the boundary of civilization. I have been out of the civilized world, living in a demi-civilized state, peaceably, innocently, and usefully. "Feb. 8th. After ten days' delay at the mouth of the river, got out." Captain Keppel's voyage in the Dido with Mr. Brooke to Sarawak. Chase of three piratical prahus. Boat expedition.
There was a colony of Illanuns and Balinini settled at Tunku and Teribas on the East Coast, who did a considerable business in kidnapping, but in 1879 Commander E. EDWARDS, in H. M. S. Kestrel, attacked and burnt their village, capturing and burning several piratical boats and prahus.
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