LABUAN. 
91 
As my leave was nearly up I had to make my way as 
quickly as possible through Tjfandjoer and Buitenzorg to 
Batavia, passing through a very fine country which^ unfor- 
tunately, from the constant and excessive rains, 1 was 
unable to see distinctly. 
Soon after my return to Singapore I was ordered 
to proceed to Labuan, which our Government had lately 
annexed, and of which Sir James Brooke, the Rajah of 
Sarawak, was made Governor and Commander in Chief. 
Thirty European marines had been put ashore as garrison, 
and as they were being decimated by fever» it was decided to 
send Sepoys, so 1 w^is ordered with eighty men to relieve the 
marines. Captain Harry Keppel (now Admiral Sir Harry 
Keppel, G.C.B.) took me over in his fine ship the Meander." 
There was no cabin for myself or my subaltern, so a very 
comfortable canvas one was rigged up between two of the 
guns on the main deck. My subaltern^ a Scotchman, was 
not a good sailor, and had to confine himself to our cabin. 
On the second morning he came up on deck with such a 
serious look on his pale face, that 1 thought something was 
gone wrong with the detachment. I had brought with me 
a Minah Bird which could imitate almost anything, and 
the only place I had to put it was over the wash-hand 
stand, to which poor D., deadly seasick, constandy rushed; 
the bird after a very short time imitated his retching so 
exacdy that it made the poor fellow much worse, and irritated 
him beyond endurance. He rushed up to me and in broad 
Scotch said, '* I tell you what it is Hamilton, if you don't 
take that dommed bird away, I'll wring his neck." 
The first impression of Labuan was not very cheering, a 
bit of land covered with high forest trees looming out of mist 
