378 Coco-nuts The Consols of the East 



betel-nut). As for the loss of time, that is no 

 matter ; those fellows have plenty of it always. 

 As long as the sea is fairly smooth it is gene- 

 rally all right, but with a heave on it frequently 

 means dipping into the repair account for 

 rigging, braces, and stays, and often worse. 

 Once on a trip from Pontianak, Borneo, to 

 Singapore, in a small schooner-yacht, we had 

 the misfortune to fall foul of one of these 

 customers lying becalmed several miles distant 

 from us nearly all day. After nightfall the 

 breeze freshened, and a thick and squally night, 

 too, brought the ' 'country- wallah " with it 

 down on the top of us. As is common in 

 those waters, the squall brought her along with 

 a rush, before we could get decent headway 

 on. Our crew saw her coming through the 

 thick murk, heading straight for us with every 

 stitch set driving before it. We sheered away, 

 trying to clear her, but she altered her course, 

 drawing after us again. She was a big lump 

 of a brig, and seemed to tower heavens-high 

 and to be going like the wind. There was 

 not much time to lose. Fortunately, one of 

 us was possessed of a fairly good-sized, quick- 

 firing gun which fitted on a bollard aft. This 

 was brought to bear right where we calculated 

 the topsail halyards to be and let go, and 

 although it did not bring down the sail it made 

 them luff hard, because that report was no 

 ''whisper faint and sweet," and at any rate it 

 certainly saved the situation. We learned 



