entitled to the honour of the parentage, though Jamboo, with a smile, said, "I don't know, sar; she say so!" an assertion I was quite ready to believe. A half-caste he undoubtedly was, and, as such, passed for a Portuguese although his only reason for so saying was, that the people of that country were about as dark as himself, and that Jamboo, finding himself without a religion as well as a father, had, faute de mieux, become a Roman Catholic, his faith being strongly mixed up with his poor mother's Buddhism and the wild superstitions of his Malayan companions. His face, of a dark olive colour, was perfectly beautiful; his figure, although effeminate, was graceful and lithe to a degree; his hands and feet might have served Phidias as a model; and he was not wanting in intelligence. Weak and nervous in temperament, he was as obedient as a child, and it was painful to witness his cringing, fawning manner.

:

Jamboo's account of my worthy crew was somewhat startling the majority of them had, I learnt, at various times been imprisoned in Singapore jail as pirates, the most notorious scamp being my serang, Jadee. "Pleasant company!" I ejaculated as I scanned the rogues, who, seated along the deck on either side, were throwing themselves back with a shout at every stroke of their "sweeps," and displaying twenty-five as reckless, devilmay-care countenances as any equal number of seamen ever exhibited. The serang, Jadee, was, to my astonishment, standing on the main hatch, with a long Illanoon creese in his hand, which he waved as he gave utterance to a series of expressions, uttered with frantic energy and rapid pantomime, stopping every now and then to

MY SERANG'S ORATION.

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allow his crew to express their approval of what he said by a general chorus of Ugh! which sounded like a groan, or an exulting shout of Ya! ya! ya! which was far more musical. "He is only telling them what fighting and plunder are in store for them," said Jamboo, "and pointing out the certainty of victory while fighting with white men on their side, mixing it up with descriptions of revellings they will have when this war is over."

CHAPTER III.

COMMENCE TO BLOCKADE QUEDAH FORT-JADEE'S IMAGINARY FIGHT WITH A TONKOO-MY MALAY COXSWAIN'S APPEARANCE -HIS ATTIRE AND CHARACTER-JADEE'S PIRATICAL PROPENSITIES ESCAPES IMPRISONMENT BY HANGING A MAN-QUEDAH FORT AND TOWN- THE APPEARANCE OF THE ADJACENT COUNTRY A WET NIGHT-MY CREW- JADEE'S WANT OF BIGOTRY-PRIMITIVE MODE OF EATING.

THE pinnace, with the Pearl and Emerald, soon reached the shallow bar which lies across the Quedah river, a feature common to every river on this side of the Malayan peninsula, and doubtless occasioned by the action of the south-west monsoon against the natural course of the rivers, causing the sediment to be deposited at their entrances, instead of being carried out into the deeper parts of the sea. The fort of Quedah hoisted its colours, and armed men showed themselves along the battlements; but we merely placed ourselves in line across the entrance of the river, out of gunshot, and anchored to commence the blockade. The north-east monsoon, which is the fine-weather season of this coast, had scarcely set in yet, and flying showers, with occasional squalls, promised a wet and cheerless night. Rain-awnings were spread at once, and after every preparation had been made for a sudden action with war

JADEE'S PERFORMANCE.

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prahus, I sat down with Jamboo, and my serang, Jadee, to glean information and pick up Malay. To my inquiry, through the interpreter, as to the opinion Jadee held of the line of conduct likely to be pursued by the occupants of Quedah, he assured me that the Malays would never voluntarily fight the "white men, Orangputihs," as we, of all Europeans, are styled pur excellence. It was quite possible, if we were very careless, that they would try and capture Englishmen as hostages for their own safety; and that, by way of inspiriting his men, a Malay chief might, if he found one of the gunboats alone, which was manned by Malays, fight her, in the hopes of an easier capture than they would find in the pinnace. The very prospect of such a piece of good fortune seemed to arouse all Jadee's recollections of bygone forays and skirmishes; for no sooner had Jamboo told him that I only hoped Tonkoo Mahomet Said might take it into his head to try the experiment upon the Emerald, or "Numero Tega," as she was called by Jadee, than my serang sprang to his legs, and shouted, quivering with passion, for Campar! Campar soon came : Campar being a swarthy giant, who did the double duty of armourer and carpenter.

In reply to some order he dived below, and brought up a thick quilted red vest, without arms, which the excited Jadee donned at once, girded up his loins, gave his head-dress a still more ferocious cock, and then baring his arms, with a long Illanoon creese in one hand and a short "badi" or stabbing-knife in the other, he enacted

"Tega" is Malay for "Three;" the Malays preferred calling the vessel by her number, instead of by her name of Emerald.

a savage pantomime of a supposed mortal fight between himself and Mahomet Said, in which he evidently conquered the Tonkoo; and finished off, after calling him, his mother, sisters, and female relations, all sorts of unseemly names, by launching at him, in a voice of thunder, his whole stock of English: "Ah! you d-d poul ! come alongside!" poul, or fool, being supposed to be something with which the white men emphatically cursed their enemies.

Amused beyond measure, though somewhat differently from my crew, who, holding Jadee in the greatest awe, crowded aft and looked on, firmly believing that Tonkoo Mahomet Said would be so treated should his enterprise lead him to combat the noted Jadee, I quietly told him that I only trusted he would do as well if the real fight ever came off, and meantime would dispense with such a performance, especially as the row he made had caused "Numero Tega" to be hailed from the pinnace to know if anything was amiss. This piece of advice Jadee took in such good part, that he constantly rehearsed the pantomime for my amusement whenever he saw me low-spirited or in want of occupation.

Jadee informed us that his cognomen amongst the people of Singapore, and white men generally, was Jack Ketch, a nickname he pronounced so clippingly that it sounded not unlike his real one: and from Jamboo I heard the following history of my redoubted serang; but, previous to repeating it, let me introduce the hero.

Jadee stood about five feet seven inches in height; his colour was of a light brown. His broad shoulders, small waist, and fine hips, with well-formed arms and