THE KANOWIT. 



m 



The whole country on either bank of this river is 

 rich and fertile in the extreme. Fields of cottonj sugar- 

 cane, and padij with cocoa-imt and fruit-trees in variety, 

 grow in the greatest luxuriance. Pigs in hundreds, 

 ducks and poultr}' without nuittber, prove<l that th^ 

 people were robbers from choice, and not from necessity. 



In every house cotton-looms f<ir making cloth were 

 found. The country at each mile improved in beauty: 

 the scenery was varied by hill and dale ; while a 

 succe^ion of open spaces, cleared for cultivation, gave 

 evidence of a dense population well able to enrich 

 themselves by honest industry. Our party wore infomcd 

 tliat, if they continued to advance for the next four days, 

 they would stiD find the country continue to improve. 



The Sakarrans prided tliemselvcs on being able to 

 send out eighty bangkongs, manned by 3800 warriors. 

 Coniident in their own strength, they had never taken 

 any extraordinary measures for their defence ; they 

 little expected a visit from an organised body of 2000 

 Malays and Dyaks, led by ml European Rajah of 

 Sarawakj and a handful of Englishmen. The unwelcome 

 visit ors^ however, were come at last, penetrating upwards 

 of one hundred miles into the interior of their country ; 

 come to convince them that such atrocities as had dis- 

 graced them for so many years could no longer be 

 conunittcd with uupunlty. 



Enough, however, had now been done in the way of 

 chastisement for one occasion; "for while," the Eajah 



