OVERLOOKING SANDAKAN BAY.
Drawn by E. J. Meeker, from a photograph by Mr. Robson. To face page 307.
A Postscript m London. 307
However, lay down in my hammock and spent the
remainder of that night gazing listlessly at the sky,
feeling down-hearted and thoroughly miserable; till,
all at once, I heard the splash of a canoe, and, jumping
up, found that Bongsu had just arrived with his two
sons. They approached me in an agitated manner,
and told me in Malay that they had dived in the ‘ river
where Frank s canoe was upset, and they showed me
a prismatic compass and a flat compass, and an aneroid
which they had recovered from the bottom of the river.'
I immediately whistled up my men, and gave orders to
Hassan, my corporal, to immediately start off, and try
and overtake Frank and give him these things, which
I knew were a serious loss to him. Half an hour
afterwards all was quiet again, and Hassan was. well
on his way down the river.
“ On the third day Hassan returned, and brought
me a note, upon which was written, ‘ 4 a.m.—Dear
Ward,—Thanks for the things, but I fear they are
sadly damaged.’ I took this note, folded it carefully,
and stowed it away.' Everything was miserable for
the next week. I was sad, ill, and down-hearted.
I wanted to return to Sandakan, but feared to leave
the place on account of rumours of a band of desperadoes
from a neighbouring tribe coming up and
docking off our heads.
AVkilst in this uncertain state of mind, a man arrived
at Pinungah, whom I recognized, and who proved
afterwards to have been one of Frank’s followers. He
was in a terrible state of excitement, and spoke so
quickly I was unable to understand a single word he.
said. At last by the aid . of Hassan,1 I was told that
1 This Sergeant Hassan (who is again mentioned in the succeed-'
X 2