22 
NORTH BORNEO. 
the captain took the safer or outside course, but, before he had proceeded many miles, ran 
his vessel on to another coral-reef: this time, however, the sea bumped her a good deal, and 
if the wind had got up she would have soon had a hole knocked in the bottom; but after 
two hours of full steam ahead varied by full steam astern, we were enabled once more to 
continue our voyage. 
The coral-reefs round the coast of North Borneo are so numerous that it is a common 
occurrence for vessels to touch once or twice in a voyage : these reefs are so dangerous in 
the Mallawalle passage diming daylight, as there is neither beacon nor buoy to steer by, 
that captains have to thread their way amongst them with the greatest caution; of course 
after dark the passage is next to impossible. The reefs grow up like walls within a few 
feet of the surface of the sea, so that a ship might sound twenty fathoms, ivhile the next 
cast of the lead would be less than two ; but luckily their composition is soft, and unless 
the weather is rough little harm is done. 
Our voyage was now drawing to a close, and on the morning of the 10th we entered 
the fine harbour of Sandakan: no one could have been more relieved than myself to bid 
good-bye to the dirty little 4 Spaniel.’ The Chinese steamship owners do not care about 
European passengers, as they require a large space at their disposal and waiting upon, 
whereas Chinese passengers will crowd together and be contented with very little. Perhaps 
this in some way accounts for the high passage-money and want of accommodation. 
In Sandakan we put up at the Best House, a most comfortable little house, under the 
able management of Mr. Bailey. I believe that this house has since been given up, and 
that visitors have now to stop at an hotel under Chinese management. 
Sandakan is the chief port of North Borneo and the seat of government; in those days 
it was decidedly a most unpretentious-looking place. The small township is built partly 
on the slopes of some steep sandy hills that run down close to the sea, and partly, after the 
Brunei fashion, on piles over the sea. It is, I believe, one of the healthiest spots in North 
Borneo, the forest being cleared away for some distance inland; but the hills I fancy are 
rather too steep to build on without a heavy expenditure for levelling and building roads, 
the sandy soil being easily cut up by the heavy rains: if there is a future for it this difficulty 
will not be easily overcome. Even at the present time the Government were building 
substantial piers over the shallower parts of the coast for Chinese shops, it being apparently 
easier to build over the water than on the land. The toivn consisted of wooden buildings, 
in one or two cases roofed with galvanized iron; the chief buildings were the Government 
offices and a few brick shops. The usual collection of tumble-down leaf shanties, mostly 
built on piles, formed the native quarter ; this part of Sandakan has since been burnt down, 
and no doubt replaced by buildings more suitable to the dignity of the capital of British 
North Borneo. The European part of the community had perched their bungalows on the 
hills some little distance from the town, where fresh breezes would be more plentiful. 
There were in those days some fifteen Europeans in Sandakan, chiefly in the employ of’ the 
Company,—this was in the year 1885 ; but of late years their numbers have, I believe, been 
greatly augmented and again decreased. Besides the Chinese, who, as usual, predominate, 
there are numbers of Sulu Islanders and other native races that visit Sandakan in their 
prahus on trading-expeditions. 
