Btm ON BOARD, 



48 



men njiglit get stung on going aloft, I tneJ to dislodge 

 them, first bj discharging a musket witli a double charge 

 of coarse powder at them fi-om the mixsion-rigging, within 

 four jardB ; this having no eifeet, it wxis after wartls fired 

 at the same distance with a charge of sand, by whicli a 

 few fell ; the vacancies were immediately filled up, and 

 the ba^ appeared to stick closer than ever. They 

 remained two days, during whieh time we were twice 

 under weigh, making and shortening sailj in each of which 

 operations the chain topsail-sheet ran through the centre 

 of the hag, and distmbed large jwrtions of them in its 

 paasage ; but they returned and repaired the damage, as 

 soon as tlie sheet or clewline had been belayed. 



The disaster of the Minerm induced me to defer my 

 yiait to the viilago, in order that we miglit repair to the 

 scene of the wi-eck, and render such assistance as might 

 be practieable. Accordingly, early the followhag morning, 

 having hoisted her boat on board, we weighed with a fresh 

 southerly wind, which afterwards veered round to S.W. 

 and W., and ran along the coast about a couple of miles 

 off shore^ with the noble mountain of Kini-Balu in tlic 

 back gitjiind, raising its magnificent he*i,d above the clouds. 

 Nothing could bo finer than the scene before m ; and the 

 day being cleai^ we did not lose any part of this beautiful 

 movmg panorama. Our poor invalids were much too ill 

 to enjoy it : this was^ however, the first day m which I 

 had been able to discover the slightest improvement in the 

 Go\'erjior's appearance, At seven IMI.. we ciimc to, mthin 



