Ran away from the Dutch

by M. T. H. Perelaer

Now came the turn of the vultures and a scene ensued too horrible to depict. Seven more human bodies were massacred that day with the same tortures and under the same terrible circumstances.

The four Europeans, anxious to escape from this horrible scene, had at first sought refuge in a corner of the square remote from the place of execution, but the wind brought to them the sickening fumes of the burning flesh; they then removed to a shed on the opposite side, where they tried to divert their attention from the horrors then in progress by cleaning and repairing their own rifles as well as those used by the Dayaks. Alas! those horrors they were powerless to prevent.

Johannes with a great deal of trouble had succeeded in begging the life of one of the wounded Doessonese, who was accordingly spared and given to him as his own hireling. He was a youth of about twenty, of quiet appearance, but displaying great firmness of character. He had only received a slight scalp wound, but being stunned he found himself locked up a prisoner of war. When released he was at first shy and frightened. He could not understand how any one should be so interested in him as to spare his life and wish to save him, all from a feeling of compassion. But after the four Europeans had spoken to him in a friendly and encouraging manner, when he saw how carefully they dressed his wound and shared their food with him, the icy crust of his reserve gave way, rendering him both curious and communicative. He asked several questions, [[299]]all of which Johannes frankly answered. After having fully gained the confidence of the prisoner they learned from him that Soerapatti with twelve hundred men had started from soengei Lahej, first to take revenge upon Amai Mawong and then to ravage the Kapoeas and Kahajan districts with fire and sword. He had left his son Goesti Kornel in charge of two hundred warriors before kotta Hamiak, with strict injunctions to destroy that fortification and to bring him the skull of its chief. He himself with the other part of his army had advanced upon the Kahajan, the first object of his journey being to attack kotta Oepon, whose chief was Tomonggong Toendan, one of his principal enemies. The prisoner further informed Johannes that several of Soerapatti’s warriors were armed with rifles, and that he also carried three or four pieces of artillery, captured some years before from the Dutch.

All these were important communications not to be neglected. When evening had set in and most of the male inhabitants of the kotta were seated together, dissecting the skulls of the slaughtered prisoners of war, Johannes presented the spared Doessonner with a mandauw, gave him a basketful of provisions, conducted him outside the fortification, pointed toward the east, pressed his hand cordially and set him free. The Doessonner did not need to be told twice that he was at liberty, but taking the hand of his benefactor he placed it on his own head and bent his neck before him in silent reverence. Then without hesitation he made his way towards the thick wood, in which he soon disappeared like a ghost. Johannes now re-entered the fortification and immediately summoned Amai Kotong, Harimaoung Boekit [[300]]and the son of Amai Mawong to inform them of what he had heard and to consider what was now to be done. His reports awakened the utmost alarm, for the route taken by the Doessonese was exactly that which Harimaoung Boekit intended to follow himself. They found that they must alter their plans entirely.

“The course we have to follow is quite clear to me,” said Harimaoung Boekit. “Going forward we shall either meet with the chief army of our enemies or with one of its flanks. Now we are much too weak to think of meeting them in the field.”

“Is there no way out of the difficulty?” Johannes asked.

“Yes; to get ahead of the Doessonese,” was Harimaoung’s reply.

“Would that be possible?”

“Yes; with a great deal of speed and exertion. You see,” continued the Poenan, pointing towards the west, “soengei Miri lies over there, but we’ll have to go in that direction,” indicating the south-west. “We will follow soengei Sirat until it reaches soengei Mantarat, then sail up the latter as far as the kotta of that name. We will then disembark, drag the rangkans over land into soengei Minjangan, where we will set them afloat and sail down the stream into the Kahajan.”

“Beautifully planned,” cried Johannes. “But first of all what is the distance between soengei Mantarat and soengei Minjangan?”