142 A VISIT TO THE INDIA AHOHirELAGs i. 



spear, liiirled from the hand of his intended victiniB 

 falJier. 



I hare liere given an imperfect outlme of the deCKla 

 done by the Serebas and Sakarran pirates iluring one 

 ordinary expedition up one Hver, the Sadong. I assure 

 tlie reader that imagination could scarcely fill up this 

 ouUine with characteristics answering to the reality. I 

 have not mentioned those most revolting circumstances, 

 which, though thej may vary in their detaib, are 

 common to all these occasions. What manner of people, 

 then, are these Malays and Djaka, who occupy their 

 business in tlie waters of Serebas and Sakarran \ What 

 u their buaincss — if not piracy? I will not now 

 anticipate conclusions upon which many more facta shall 

 yet he brouglit to bear ; but it may be remarked at once 

 — -first, that it is a great mistake to designate these 

 proceedings as " inter-tribat feuds." The Malays and 

 Dyaks of Serebas do not busy themselves with fcuda, a^ 

 such : but they will get up a feud (if any one insLsts on 

 calEng it so) wherever heads and pillage are to be had. 

 But, secondly, a mere change of expression could not 

 exonerate ua from the duty of repressing such excesses. 

 A nation which, to its honour, will not tolerate an African 

 slave- trade, with its concomitant horrors, can scarcely 

 plead the principle of non -in tor vent ion when the scene of 

 equal horrors lies in her direct commercial pftth. 



At length, in the hope of arresting tho continual 

 further sacrifice of life and property, by which these 



