JOURNAL OF A VISIT TO SEREKEI. 351 



of the river. Got under weigh at noon on the 17th, 

 and towards evening entered a small creek, where were 

 the houses of a few fishermen : this creek is situated 

 to the eastward about twenty miles from Sarawak 

 River. Here we remained for the night : early on the 

 morning of Friday, the 18th, we again started, and 

 having a fine breeze passed the mouths of the Sadong, 

 Batang Lupar, and Sarebas Rivers, with several other 

 smaller ones. Early in the afternoon, we entered the 

 mouth of the Kalekka River, which is about sixty 

 miles from the Sarawak ; at 4 P.M. we anchored 

 abreast of the house of the Tuan Mulana, an old Arab 

 hypocrite, who, by fawning and flattery, has obtained 

 this appointment from the Rajah Muda Hassim. The 

 village, which is small, containing perhaps about six 

 hundred people, principally slaves and followers of 

 Mulana, is built like Borneo, on posts, upon a 

 mud bank in the river. There are said to be other 

 larger villages of Malays, under a Dattu Laxsamana, 

 a little distance up the river : both the priest, arid the 

 Laxsamana are tributary to, and under the orders of 

 the Patingi of Serekei. 



The whole coast, as far as we could see inland, after 

 having passed the Batang Lupar River was flat, low, 

 and covered with jungle to the edge of the sea, where 

 the waters have formed a sandy beach. The beautiful 

 Arroore tree (Casuarina littorea) is always found growing 

 in rows just above high-water mark, but where mud 

 forms the boundaries of the waters, the mangrove is 



