I remember one day, when on board the Minden, receiving a note from the shore by a catamaran lad, whom I told to wait for an answer.  Upon this he asked for a rope, with which, as soon as it was given him, he made his little vessel fast, and lay down to sleep in the full blaze of a July sun.  One of his arms and one of his feet hung in the water, though a dozen sharks had been seen cruising round the ship.  A tacit contract, indeed, appears to exist between the sharks and these people, for I never saw, nor can I remember ever having heard of any injury done by one to the other.  By the time my answer was written, the sun had dried up the spray on the poor fellow’s body, leaving such a coating of salt, that he looked as if he had been dusted with flour.  A few fanams—­a small copper coin—­were all his charge, and three or four broken biscuits in addition sent him away the happiest of mortals.

It is matter of considerable surprise to every one who has seen how well the chain-pier at Brighton stands the worst weather, that no similar work has been devised at Madras.  The water is shallow, the surf does not extend very far from the beach, and there seems really no reason why a chain-pier should not be erected, which might answer not only for the accommodation of passengers, but for the transit of goods to and from the shore.

CHAPTER XXII.

VISIT TO THE SULTAN OF PONTIANA, IN BORNEO—­SIR SAMUEL HOOD.

In the summer of 1814, Sir Samuel Hood made a voyage, in his Majesty’s ship Minden, to the eastern parts of his station.  We called first at Acheen, on the north end of the island of Sumatra, where we held some very amusing intercourse with the king of that district, whose capital the Admiral visited.  From thence we steered over to Pulo Penang, or Prince of Wales’ Island, and thence down the Straits of Malacca, entering the China Sea by the beautiful Straits of Sincapore.  The Admiral’s chief object was to visit Java; but as there lay three routes before him to choose between, viz. the Straits of Gaspar, the Straits of Banca, and the Caramata passage, he preferred taking the last and widest, which also led him near the western shore of the immense island of Borneo.  On reaching the equator, he steered in for the mouth of the great river Lava, which passes the town of Pontiana.  The weather being very favourable, the ship was anchored, and the barge got ready for an expedition.

At four in the morning, on receiving the joyful intimation that I was to be officer of the boat, I lost no time in getting together everything likely to be useful—­a sextant, artificial horizon, spy-glass, chart, compass, and Nautical Almanac, besides a Malay Dictionary.