tunity. I am sorry that I cannot see to this myself, as
my stay here is brief and every moment Occupied, the
steamer by which I leave for Kudat being expected
here this evening.
“ I beg to call your attention to the devotion of Mr.
Beveridge and the men in bringing the corpse all the
way by sea to Sandakan in a small gobang or canoe in
a tropical climate. Some recognition of these services
is called for, and on this subject I will address you in
a separate letter.
“ I have the honour to be, sir,
“ Your obedient servant,
“ W. H. Tbeachee,
“ Governor.
“ The Chairman,
“ British North Borneo Company.5’
“ JElopura, March 7th, 1888.
“ Sie,—I t is my melancholy duty to have to report
to you the death of Mr. Frank Hatton by a shot from
his own gun on the 1st instant up the Segama River.
“ I have the honour to enclose the report of the
coroner’s inquest; but in order to make the matter
quite clear will give a short account of the sad
occurrence.
“ I t appears that Mr. Hatton’s expedition was composed
of four boats. Mr. Hatton was in the first,
Mr. Beveridge, about an hour behind, in the last. Mr.
Hatton fired from his boat at an elephant, twice
wounding it, apparently severely; and jumping on
shore, accompanied only by his mandore, Drahman,
gave chase. They very soon came up to the elephant,
which had stopped, and was roaring or grumbling.
Thinking no doubt the Winchester rifle, with which
alone he was armed, too light to attack the elephant,
he left Drahman to watch it, and went back and. called
all the men who were near, armed them with Sniders,
and told them to come with him. The elephant had,
however, in the meantime moved off, and they all went
after i t ; but it then being nearly dark, Mr. Hatton
was at last persuaded to return to his boat. On the
way back he was walking with his rifle (the Winchester)
at the shoulder, and stooping down to pass underneath
a vine (a creeper), put out his hand, holding the stock
of the rifle in it, to lift up the vine. The stock was thus
from him, the muzzle towards him, the rifle probably
being on full cock (though there is no direct evidence
of this); at the instant he was in this position, partially
stooping, his arm extended from him, the muzzle of
the gun must have slid down his shoulder, leaving it
pointing at the top of his shoulder, and at this instant
it went off, presumably from the trigger having been
pulled by some twigs of the creeper. The ball entered
at the collar-bone and came out at the back somewhat
lower down. His men were round him in a moment,
and seized him before he fell, but | Oodeen, Oodeen,
mati sahya, Oodeen,’ was all he said. Oodeen was
his boy, a Tutong lad, on whose shoulder his head was
then resting. One, if not two, of the main arteries were
severed, and death ensued very rapidly; but Mr
Beveridge had almost arrived at the place where Mr.
Hatton landed, heard the fatal shot and the cries that
followed, and rushed up to the spot, arriving there
within four to five minutes of the occurrence, and while
Mr. Hatton was still alive; but nothing could be done,
and in a moment or two more he breathed his last.