“Good-night! Oh heavens, what a night!” Wienersdorf muttered, impatiently following.
At about five in the morning, after the moon had gone down and everything around was dark, Wienersdorf, seizing the opportunity while Johannes was talking to one of the sentries, crept to the cage in which the poor woman was confined and found her sleeping soundly. He quietly awoke her and after a great deal of trouble broke some of the bars of her prison. He then urged her by signs to leave it and escape to the wilderness. Alas! the poor woman, frightened at seeing a perfect stranger in the darkness of night, refused to move. The Swiss entreated [[172]]her to go; he wrung his hands and grasped the trellis-work of her cage. But all in vain.
Thus Johannes found him lost in despair. While leading him away he tried to convince him of the absurdity of the escape of the woman. The expiation ceremony would not even be postponed by her flight, for another victim would soon be chosen in her place, while a hot pursuit would be made after the fugitive, eventually to end in capture and a terrible death.
The night passed quietly. Not a sign of the enemy was seen. As soon as day began to break Amai Kotong despatched a few of his Dayaks in a djoekoeng down the stream to take their post at the nearest angle formed by the river. They would serve as an advance guard, for from that point they had an extensive view over the stream and could signal to the kotta the approach of any canoes. [[173]]
CHAPTER XI.
FURTHER MEANS OF DEFENCE—THE OATH OF ATONEMENT—JOHANNES AN ORATOR—TWO GUN SHOTS—THE ATTACK—WIENERSDORF IN A FAINT—A GRATEFUL POENAN—A DAYAK BEAUTY—AN OFFER OF MARRIAGE—WIENERSDORF IS ENGAGED TO HAMADOE—AN AMBASSADOR FROM THE COLONEL—HE CARRIES BACK HIS MESSAGE.
At daybreak every man in the fortification again set to work to complete arrangements for defence. Johannes and Wienersdorf were among the earliest and most active workers. They hauled up all the canoes and placed them in security, and then levelled the banks of the river in order to render a surprise by water impracticable. These tasks finished they dug a quadruple circle of pits around the fortress, and after driving a couple of pointed stakes in each of them they covered them with a layer of long grass in order to conceal them from view. They also planted rows of spikes of hard wood in the vicinity of all the principal approaches.
The Poenans of Harimaoung Boekit were in the meantime occupied in preparing the stake at which their victim was to be immolated. This, when finished, was planted in the centre of the quadrangle, the area of which was swept and strewn with white [[174]]sand in accordance with the custom observed on similar occasions. The women were busily engaged in cooking as the ceremony of the oath of atonement invariably concluded with a grand festive banquet. They killed two buffaloes and four large pigs, the flesh of which was made into numerous savory dishes, boiled, roasted and stewed. Instead of the usual pileworms they had slices of snakes and a bangamat, or flying dog, roasted whole and served like our sucking pigs. The principal side dish consisted of baloedoek, an amphibious animal about a foot long, white and covered with fine scales. Its body resembles a fish and it has the head of a frog. Besides these there were hambatar, or the larvæ of beetles. They also prepared cakes of rice meal, sago and pisang, while finally, in the way of confectionery, they had shells filled with tangoeli, the larvæ of bees stewed in honey, a highly prized delicacy. Every one being thus busily occupied, the hours of the morning soon passed.
It was close upon noon when all was ready for the ceremony. Amai Kotong then called the inhabitants of kotta Djangkan together and Harimaoung Boekit formally invited the Europeans to be present at the ceremony of the oath of atonement. All of them however could not attend, as they had undertaken to keep the lookout in turns while the festivities were in progress. La Cueille was first detached for this important duty. Wienersdorf and Harimaoung Boekit took their places in the midst of six young men who, with palm branches in their hands, formed a guard of honor for the two heroes of the festival.