Journal of the Indian Archipelago and Eastern Asia/Series 1/Volume 3/Sir James Brooke's Expedition against the Sarebas Pirates
SIR JAMES BROOKE'S EXPEDITION AGAINST THE SAREBAS PIRATES.
ON a former occasion I forwarded to you a list of the native flotilla, which was ready to put to sea with Sir James Brooke in his recent expedition against the pirates of Sa- rebas.
The expedition set out on the 25th March, and visited every river between Sarawak and Sarebas, in hopes of find- ing the enemy, but without success. In the course of a few days the flotilla was joined by prahus from various rivers on the coast, which I did not formerly reckon, but which were as follows, in addition to my former list:
| Samarahan, | additional | 5 |
| Sibuyows, | additionaldo. | 4 |
| Sarawak, | additionaldo. | 7 |
| Sadung, | additionaldo. | 10 |
| Linga, | additionaldo. | 12 |
| Sussung, | additionaldo. | 5 |
| 43 | ||
| Former list | 55 | |
| 98 prahus. | ||
This formidable flotilla was led by four boats of the H. C. Steamer Nemesis, under the orders of Mr Goodwin, and whilst the gallant commander Captain Wallage with his Steamer guarded the Sarebas river, the expedition entered the Kaluka, and at once ascended both the right and left hand branches of Lipat and Sussang. At the former place the Malays were found trading with the pirates, and having been advised to be cautious in future, became guides to the interior of the Rembas branch of the Sarebas river.
At the distance of about 60 ruiles, up the Lipat from the sea, a force of about 2,000 men was landed, and was absent for three days, during which time it captured several places, and destroyed large stores of rice and salt. This land force was so slightly opposed, that it was conjectured that the men were mostly absent, either to defend the fortified po- sition of Truh on the Rembas, or preparing to attack some other place. The latter conjecture was found to be correct.
The flotilla next returned to Sarebas, and at the mouth of the Rembas, one small advance boat sent on to reconnoitre encountered a piratical force (or as it is here called, a balla) of about 40 boats, which guessing the approach of the Sara- wak expedition, returned in the utmost haste, leaving behind, rice, fire-wood, and some cooking pots, all which articles were very acceptable to our Dyaks.
After further beating up their quarters in the Rembas to the full extent that prudence would permit, with so small a force of Europeans, the flotilla left the river Sarebas, and the people proceeded on their return to their separate homes. Ten boats from Sadong however went up to the mouth of the Linga river, intending to join a party of Balows in an excursion up the Sakarran, and as they lay at anchor, they were attacked during the night by from 100 to 150 Sakarrau boats, which came down that river, for the purpose of sur- prising the town of Banting in the Linga. A conflict ensued of soune duration, but as the Banting people and the Balow Dyaks with about 35 prahus hurried to the assistance of their allies, the Sakarrans fled, after losing four large prahus and seme men, and when the last accounts reached Sarawak, the Sadong and Linga people were in hot pursuit of the pirates up the Sakarran.
The Sarebas balla driven back from the mouth of the Renibas, was evidently to have joined this large Sakarran force, and one good resulting from the expedition has been preventing the murder and devastation which this fleet would have committed.
The enemy received serious damage in the interior of the Rembas, and will feel sensibly the want of that first neces- sity of life-salt, now that the intercourse with Lipat is cut off.
Sarawak, 20th April, 1849,