A Dark History of Sarawak that Few People Know (continuation)

The Chinese had no intention to remain in Kuching. By morning of the third day they were ready to pull back upriver to Bau, their community settlement, where over 3,000 of them had been living.

They were in a quandary as they seemed to realise their victory was short-lived. They knew that there was still Mr Charles Johnson, James Brooke’s nephew to reckon with. He, who later become the Second Rajah Charles Brooke, was immensely popular among the Dayaks of Skrang and could let loose ten thousand of them against the Chinese.

In addition the Malays were fiercely loyal to James Brooke. They were under the leadership of Datu Bandar who called a meeting among them, but he advised caution under the those circumstances when the Chinese were already well armed with big guns just looted from the government stockade. So, they generally remained restrained, preferring to fight for revenge later. The Malays were good at river and jungle fighting, but against heavy guns with the Chinese defending the newly captured town, it would be another story.

There was chaos among the European community at Kuching. James Brooke, the Rajah, was as good as giving up the struggle. He was alone and had not fully recovered from Malaria which he contracted earlier. There was panic all over when the Chinese rebels returned to Kuching on the fourth day, except for the courage of Bishop Mc Dougall who gathered European women and shepherded them up the schooner and sent them up to the mouth of the river where they were safe. He persuaded the Rajah to return and take command. Meanwhile, the Rajah’s nephew, Charles Johnson ( he was to later become the Second Rajah under the name Charles Brooke) was still in Lingga when he heard the story of the Chinese rebellion.

Four days have passed, and then the miracle happened. On the fifth day when Kuching was still burning, plundered and set fire by the Chinese rebels for the second time, along the coast came the steamer of the Borneo Company bearing the name of Sir James Brooke. It had come just in time, in the manner of the last minute rescue as in all romantic stories.

A few hours later, the steamer Sir James Brooke sailed upriver with Rajah Brooke on board into Kuching. The Chinese opened fire from the fort, but it did no damage. The steamer returned fire and it hit the Chinese defence directly, causing panic, and they fled.

The steamer sailed further upriver, on the side of which the Malay kampung was still burning, much of which was now in ruin. The steamer later anchored off the Main Baazar, and thus Kuching was retaken.

The Sea Dayaks wanted to chase the Chinese upriver, but the Rajah was in no mood to encourage general massacre or to encourage their habit of head hunting. The Sea Dayaks and the Malays could be held back for a time, but not forever. In the end nothing could restraint them. Thousands upon thousands of Dayaks began with the hunt. They felt the Chinese were legitimate prey, and they killed the Chinese mercilessly.

Running away from the Dayak war boats which was fast catching up, the Chinese took to land and made their way across the border to Sambas in the Dutch territory. Fighting an impossible battle, some 1,000 Chinese were killed while 2,500 made it to the border, most of whom were women and children.

The Dutch also attacked them and plundered them of everything they possessed and sent those back to Kuching, where it was observed that a good deal of which did not belong to Kuching at all.

The fighting lasted for more than a month. When all the dangers from the Chinese came to an end, the Dayaks and the Malays celebrated. END

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DAH IKHWAN

[This article is summarised from the book ‘ The White Rajahs of Sarawak‘ by Robert Payne, published by Oxford University Press]