Ran away from the Dutch

by M. T. H. Perelaer

They found that she was the mother of the young monkey which had fallen out of the tree before their battle, for as soon as they were brought near each other the little one hastened to seek its natural refreshment from the udders of the imprisoned animal.

At sunrise the fatiguing journey was resumed. The travellers had now to draw the rangkans over a range of hills, which did not take long. This done, the country became less rugged and they consequently proceeded much more rapidly. The slopes grew more gentle and the vegetation assumed a character which interposed little difficulty to their progress. Travelling being thus much easier the party was able to reach the borders of soengei Minjangan in the afternoon. But the day was already too far advanced for the immediate resumption of the journey, as the navigation of the rapid stream might be perilous after dark. They therefore made preparations for an early start in the morning, and went to their needed rest.

When travel was resumed next day the rangkans almost flew onwards. While passing down cataracts especially, their speed was terrific, for besides the rapidity of the stream in these parts, the helmsmen urged the rowers to exert their utmost vigor as necessary for the safe steering of the vessels over those seething waters. Amid loud yells one rangkan after another shot down the rapids, frightening the Europeans to death. The thought of [[309]]possibly coming in contact with the rocks rising from the waters at almost every point caused them to shudder. But the helms were in safe hands, the oarsmen were wary and obedient, and the vessels safely reached the Kahajan River.

It was now about mid-day, and steering due north the rangkans at once sailed up this magnificent stream. At about three the travellers reached kotta Dewa, where Amai Kotong and Harimaoung Boekit landed. They found all in the greatest confusion, for an invasion by Tomonggong Soerapatti had just been reported. This intelligence determined them to travel all night, as the moon was shining brightly and there would be no danger in a nocturnal voyage over the broad and slowly moving stream.

It was about eight in the morning when the travellers saw, far away on the left hand, rising perpendicularly from the bed of the river, a colossal rock with a rounded top. This was the end of their night’s journey. The rangkans, though propelled by the utmost exertions of the oarsmen, proceeded but slowly through the foaming waves which dashed against the perpendicular sides of the rock, here four hundred feet high. As soon as they had passed a little beyond the western side, there was a basin with a white sandy bottom, in which a tomoi had been built as a landing-place for canoes. Upon approaching the travellers observed three large rangkans already moored at this pier. They were empty; their caretakers having taken to flight upon seeing the strange vessels. But their appearance was sufficient to create a panic among the travellers.

“Olo Doesson, olo Doesson!” men from the Doesson, they exclaimed, causing no little confusion among the women and [[310]]children. Harimaoung Boekit, however, addressed a few words to them and succeeded in calming their agitation. The women and children were all removed to two of the rangkans and their places in the vacated boats occupied by men. The rangkans containing the women, who by the way could manage the oars with equal facility, crossed over to the right bank and floated down the river some distance. The other two rangkans carrying the armed men including our Europeans landed at the tomoi. Not a soul was to be seen there. They cautiously examined the small buildings but could find nothing. The men now carefully entered the path and made their way up a steep clay hill in which there were occasional depressions. At last they caught sight of the rock upon which the kotta was situated. About fifty paces further they came upon a party of sixty Doessonese grouped together and engaged in an attempt to climb up to the plateau upon which the kotta was built. Against the rock there were several lofty trees, and in them notches had been cut to form a primitive staircase, up which about twenty men were mounting to the upper edge of the cliff. When Johannes, who had again assumed the command, saw this troop he ordered his men to halt and to direct a platoon fire into the midst of the group. The two Swiss followed their old tactics, carefully saving their ammunition for more opportune moments. La Cueille and Johannes opened fire upon the climbers, carefully selecting those who had mounted the highest. The result was astonishing. Those who fell bore down all beneath them in their fall. The consternation thus caused became further increased when the unerring bullets of those two marksmen were sent in the midst of the gathered [[311]]Doessonese, among whom they did more damage than all the noisy shooting of the Dayaks, and a large number of dead and wounded men soon covered the ground. After the first moments of surprise the most courageous amongst the Doessonese stepped forward intending to throw themselves upon their assailants, but as they approached a vigorous rifle fire shot them down. They then made a desperate assault, some of them actually landing amongst their besiegers, but the two Swiss soon settled their fate with their repeating rifles. The havoc caused by these rapid and successive shots made a lane through the ranks of the Doessonese, separating the foremost warriors from the main body. A terrible panic now seized them. Wild with terror and despair they hurried down a path which led to the edge of a precipice forming part of the chief rock overhanging the river. The fugitives here came to a momentary pause, but when the rifle fire sounded behind them in all its fury they threw themselves headlong into the river, with the view of swimming to the opposite bank. Many of them were drowned, while those who escaped a watery grave were afterwards followed and hunted down like wild animals.

After this drama had been played out the Poenans and Kapoeassers were about to decapitate the dead as well as the wounded Doessonese, when suddenly a fearful yelling was heard from the top of the rock. Although nothing could be seen, Harimaoung Boekit assured his friends that he knew perfectly well what was going on above. The Doessonese were making the chief attack on the eastern side with the main body of their army, but in order to compel their enemy to divide their forces had planned the scaling of the rock on the northern side by a comparatively [[312]]small number of braves. This bold feat would have certainly proved successful, but for the accident which brought the adventurers just to the very spot.

Johannes hereupon led his men to a prompt execution of the plan he had formed to aid the defenders. He threw his rifle across his shoulders and began to climb the notched trees, which gave access to the upper edge of the rock from that side. The Kapoeassers and Poenans followed him, uttering deafening hurrahs, and in less than a moment they were seen dangling between heaven and earth, high above the abyss. After this difficult scaling, which took them about half an hour to accomplish, the valiant climbers were all at the top. Schlickeisen, whose wound forbade all exertion, had exchanged his Remington for the rifle of La Cueille and joined by four Dayaks who had been severely wounded, now returned to the rangkans.

As soon as Johannes was at the top he collected his men, tired as they were, and spoke a few words of encouragement. The wooden palisades which protected the kotta on that side were not high, because any attack from that direction was improbable. Johannes therefore leaped over the low barrier accompanied by Harimaoung Boekit to survey the kotta and ascertain the position of affairs. A heavy battle was in progress on the east of the fortification. The besieged were defending themselves desperately against an enormous number of Doessonese, and were so busy in conflict that he and the Poenan had been able to enter unobserved. In a single moment he saw the critical position of the garrison. Not a shot was fired here; everything was done with the naked sword. The assailants had already climbed the [[313]]palisades at certain points and secured a firm footing on the ramparts. The most desperate effort to drive them back proved utterly ineffectual. New assailants were arriving every moment and they would soon be strong enough to throw themselves bodily in the interior of the kotta, when the doom of the garrison would be speedily sealed by the outnumbering hosts of the enemy. Johannes therefore hurried back to summon his companions, while the Poenan chief boldly advanced to attack the assailants and thus convey to the inhabitants the information that help was near. Suddenly a shot was heard and a Doessonese who was just appearing above the palisades to leap inside the kotta, fell backwards mortally wounded. A second and third shared the same fate. The Europeans, like fate’s inexorable executioner, shot every Doessonner whose head appeared above the palisades. In the meantime the other Kapoeassers had signalled the inhabitants to clear the way for them to operate, and a heavy and continuous rifle fire was discharged amongst the troop of invaders who still retained their defiant position on the ramparts. Volley after volley was poured in, and a sortie made by the besieged to attack the flank of the enemy. The invaders wavered and dispersed; the vast army of Soerapatti flying down the hill to collect and rally at its base.

The withdrawal of the besiegers gave the Europeans time and opportunity to survey their position. Kotta Oepon Batoe might be called strong, nay, very strong, against a native enemy. With proper vigilance it was almost unassailable on two sides. The plateau upon which it was built was naturally divided by a cranny in the soil into two parts. A crystalline spring arose from this [[314]]cranny, the water of which, rushing down the hollow, formed a foaming and turbulent torrent. For the rest, the whole plateau was bestrewn with huge blocks of rocks. Two of these especially drew the attention of La Cueille. They were enormous tabular stones, flat, but very massive, situated about a few yards from each other. Each of these rested upon a much smaller stone of a globular form, supported in such a manner that the whole of this colossal mass might be set in oscillation at the slightest pressure of the hand. The Walloon thought this very peculiar, pressed and pressed again, but could not account for the mobility of the huge piles. He stooped down and saw that both stones were elevated about three feet above the ground. He further noticed that they stood outside the ramparts, immediately on the edge of the plateau above the slope of the hollow just described. He bent over the edge of the declivity, but only saw a vast funnel-shaped shaft, through which the torrent streamed downwards. An idea struck him; he called Johannes, whispered a few words in his ears and both set to work to roll a large boulder underneath each of the two movable stones. Thus the two oscillating colossal masses were firmly supported. They then excavated the soil beneath these stones, filled the holes thus made with about twenty pounds of gunpowder obtained from the chief of the kotta, and having inserted a fuse they closed the mines with heavy lumps of rocks. This done, La Cueille led his port-fire between the palisades to the interior of the kotta, where he concealed it under a couple of fagots.