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Updated: May 17, 2025
"Can it be the Emu engaged with a man-of-war, by any possibility?" I asked, my thoughts always naturally recurring to her. "There are too many guns, and the firing is too brisk for that," remarked Fairburn. "More likely some Dutch men-of-war, or perhaps some of the Company's cruisers engaged with a fleet of prahus." "Where do you make out the firing to come from?"
The journey continued laborious; it consisted mostly in unloading and reloading the prahus and marching through rough country, now on one side of the river, now on the other, where the jungle leeches were very active and the ankles of the men were bleeding. At times the prahus had to be dragged over the big stones that form the banks of the river.
Your bayonets, boys!" cried Captain Smithers, as with a desperate rush the Malays dashed forward now to carry the place by assault, and in sufficient numbers to sweep all before them when boom! boom! boom! boom! came the reports of heavy guns, and the fire from the prahus ceased. "Hurrah! my lads; steady!" cried Tom Long, waving his sword. "The steamer! the steamer!"
Without any reason whatsoever, he said that only ten of the twenty men I had engaged would be able to go. This did not frighten me much, as the river was swollen and the current strong, so that one man in each of our prahus would be sufficient to allow us to drift down to the nearest Malay kampong, where I had been promised men some time before.
He was soon assured of that fact, for as the steamer was lit-up by the port-fire as well as the prahus, bang, bang, bang, bang, one after the other, came the reports of the brass guns the two long boats had on board, and a hail of small iron balls came whistling through the rigging.
Having collected all they wanted from the wrecks, and laid in a store of fruit and water, they began to go on board the prahus. I resolved to make an attempt to preserve my liberty, and putting out my hand, tried to shake hands with them and to bid them farewell, as if I expected to remain on the island. Alas! I speedily discovered that they had no intention to let me off.
Fortunately the launch had escaped serious injury, and with a shout of "Treachery," Lieutenant Hopkins drew his pistol to put a ball through the head of their guide, but as he did so, the man sprang overboard and dived towards the shore. "Row, men; we have all our work cut out for us. There are three prahus ahead; steer for the center one, coxswain."
Yet life was sweet, very sweet, in prospect I prayed for strength, and resolved to struggle on as long as I could move an arm. I threw myself on my back to float. I could see the brig, at no great distance, surrounded by the prahus. All sounds of strife had ceased. Only the confused murmurs of many tongues moving at once reached my ears.
The Otto needed only one and a half hours to run down stream to the Muara Laong, a Malay kampong at the mouth of the river Laong, which we intended to ascend by boats to the kampong Batu Boa, where the overland journey was to begin. As soon as we arrived in the afternoon the kapala was sent for to help in procuring a sufficient number of prahus for the next day.
After pushing through the screen of foliage that almost closed the entrance to the creek, the boats rowed on for some distance. For half a mile the width was but some fifteen yards, and the trees met in an arch overhead, then it widened considerably. "This is just the sort of place," the lieutenant said to Harry, "where the rajah's prahus may be hidden away.
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