Life in the forests of the Far East (vol. 2 of 2)

by Sir Spenser St. John

To show that it is not a mere imagination that the Tien Ti secret society sent emissaries around at that time, I may state that on the 14th of February, four days before the insurrection, a Chinese named Achang, who had arrived in Brunei from Singapore a few days previously, and had the year before been expelled from Sarawak for joining that Hué, came to my house to try and induce my four Chinese servants to enter it; and added as a sufficient reason that the kunsi of Sarawak would by that time have killed all the white men in that country. He also said that he was very successful in enlisting members among the sago washers and other labourers in the capital, and that they had made up their minds to attack my house, and destroy me within a few weeks, and if my servants did not join the society they would share my fate.

I did not believe what was said about Sarawak, and any warning of mine would not have reached there for a month, but I did not altogether neglect this information, which was secretly given me by my butler, a Chinese, who had lived several years in England, and whose death by cholera in 1859 I much regretted; but sent to the sultan and ministers intimation of what I had heard, and the stern remark of the tumanggong, that if such an attack were made, not a Chinese should, by the following night, be left alive in the whole country, effectually curbed them. This Achang, though a very quarrelsome fellow, had soon a case of just complaint against a British subject, which he brought before my court; when it was over, I asked him how he would have obtained a settlement of his claims, if his intention to murder me had been carried out. I never saw a man’s countenance change more, and thinking he was about to fall on the ground, and to clasp my knees, either to beg for pardon, or, what is more probable, to entreat that I would not believe the story, I told my writer to lead him out of the court.

At Bau the letter from the Tien Ti Hué was shown to nakodah Jeludin by the writers of the kunsi, whilst he was detained a prisoner there, and this was not invented by him as a startling incident, but mentioned casually in the course of conversation; this Malay afterwards died fighting bravely in the last charge to break the ranks of the Chinese.

During the month of November, 1856, rumours were abroad that the Chinese gold company intended to surprise the stockades, which constituted the only defences of the town of Kuching, and which, as no enemy was suspected to exist in the country, were seldom guarded by above four men each; but Mr. Crookshank, who was then administering the government, took the precaution to man them with an efficient garrison, as it was said that during one of their periodical religious feasts, several hundred men were to collect quietly, and make a rush for the defences which contained the arsenal. On Sir James Brooke’s return, however, strict inquiries were instituted, but nothing could be discovered to implicate the gold company in a plot, and it appeared unlikely they would attempt it during the absence of the ruler who could have so soon revenged it.

On the 18th of February, the chiefs of the gold company assembled about 600 of their workmen at Bau, and placing all the available weapons in their hands, marched them down to their chief landing-place at Tundong, where a squadron of their large cargo boats was assembled. It is generally reported that, until they actually began to descend the stream, none but the heads of the movement knew the object, the men having been informed that they were to attack a Dayak village in Sambas, where some of their countrymen had lately been killed.

During their slow passage down the river, a Malay who was accustomed to trade with them, overtook them in a canoe, and actually induced them to permit him to pass, under the plea that his wife and children lived at a place called Batu Kawa, eight miles above the town, and would be frightened if they heard so many men passing, and he not there to reassure them; he pulled down as fast as he could till he reached the town of Kuching, and going straight to his relative, a Malay trader of the name of Gapur, who was a trustworthy and brave man, told him the story, but he said, “Don’t go and tell the chiefs or the rajah such a tissue of absurdities;” yet he went himself over to the bandhar and informed him; but the datu’s answer was, “The rajah is unwell, we have heard similar reports for the last twenty years; don’t go and bother him about it; I will tell him what your relative says in the morning.” This great security was caused by the universal belief that the Chinese could not commit so great a folly as to attempt to seize the government of the country, as they did not number above 4,000, while, at that time, the Malays and Dayaks, within the Sarawak territories, amounted to 200,000.

But at midnight the squadron of Chinese boats pulled silently through the town, and dividing into two bodies, the smaller number entered Suñgei Bedil, the little stream above the government house, while the larger continued its course to the landing-place of the fort, to endeavour to surprise the houses of Mr. Crookshank, the police magistrate, and Mr. Middleton, the constable, while a large party was told off to attack the stockades. The government house was situated on a little grassy hill, surrounded by small, but pretty cottages, in which visitors were lodged. The Chinese landing on the banks of the stream just above a house in which I used to reside, marched to the attack in a body of about a hundred, and passing by an upper cottage, made an assault on the front and back of the long government house, the sole inhabitants of which were the rajah and a European servant. They did not surround the house, as their trembling hearts made them fear to separate into small bodies, because the opinion was rife among them that the rajah was a man brave, active, skilled in the use of weapons, and not to be overcome except by means of numbers.

Roused from his slumbers by the unusual sounds of shouts and yells at midnight, the rajah looked out of the venetian windows, and immediately conjectured what had occurred: several times he raised his revolver to fire in among them, but convinced that alone he could not defend the house, he determined to effect his escape. He supposed that men engaged in so desperate an affair would naturally take every precaution to insure its success, and concluded that bodies of the insurgents were silently watching the ends of the house; so summoning his servant, he led the way down to a bath-room, which communicated with the lawn, and telling him to open the door quickly, and then follow closely, the rajah sprang forth with sword drawn, and pistol cocked, but found the coast clear. Had there been twenty Chinese there, he would have passed through them, as his quickness and practical skill in the use of weapons are not, I believe, to be surpassed. Reaching the banks of the stream above his house, he found the Chinese boats there, but diving under the bows of one, he reached the opposite shore unperceived, and as he was then suffering from an attack of fever and ague, fell utterly exhausted, and lay for some time on the muddy bank, till slightly recovering he was enabled to reach the government writer’s house. An amiable and promising young officer, Mr. Nicholets, who had but just arrived from an out-station on a visit, and lodged in the upper cottage, was startled by the sound of the attack, and rushing forth to reach the chief house, was slain by the Chinese; while Mr. Steel, who was there likewise on a visit, and Sir James’s servant, escaped to the jungle.

The other attacks took place nearly simultaneously, Mr. and Mrs. Crookshank rushing forth, on hearing this midnight alarm, were cut down, the latter left for dead, the former severely wounded. The constable’s house was attacked, but he and his wife escaped, while their two children and an English lodger were killed by the insurgents.

The forts, however, were not surprised; the Chinese, waiting for the signal of attack on the houses, were perceived by the sentinel, and he immediately aroused Mr. Crymble, who resided in the stockade, which contained the arsenal and the prison. He endeavoured to make some preparations for defence, although he had but four Malays with him. He had scarcely time, however, to load a six-pounder field-piece, and get his own rifle ready, before the Chinese, with loud shouts, rushed to the assault. They were led by a man bearing in either hand a flaming torch. Mr. Crymble waited till they were within forty yards; he then fired and killed the man, who, by the light he bore, made himself conspicuous, and before the crowd recovered from the confusion in which they were thrown by the fall of their leader, discharged among them the six-pounder loaded with grape, which made the assailants retire behind the neighbouring houses or hide in the outer ditches. But with four men little could be done, and some of the rebels having quietly crossed the inner ditch, commenced removing the planks which constituted the only defence. To add to the difficulty, they threw over into the inner court little iron tripods, with flaming torches attached, which rendered it as light as day, while all around was shrouded in darkness.