The Boy Travellers in the Far East, Part Second / Adventures of Two Youths in a Journey to Siam and Java; With Descriptions of Cochin-China, Cambodia, Sumatra and the Malay Archipelago

by Thomas Wallace Knox

"You see how it works," he continued. "The Dutch officials can talk and write in their own language with very little fear that the natives can understand a word; but no native can write or say anything that every Dutch official cannot comprehend at once. On several occasions they have been able to nip conspiracies in the bud by this advantage, particularly at the time of the great mutiny in India. Then they do not encourage missionaries to labor among the natives; they argue that the natives are quite content with the religion they have, and it would interfere with their labor in the field to become interested in Christianity. And if a missionary should open a school to teach any other language than Malay, and endeavored to tell the principles of any European or American religion to the natives, he would be very liable to receive a notice to leave the island at an early date."

A company of soldiers marched past the hotel while the party was at breakfast. After looking at them, Fred inquired, "How large an army do they keep here, and how is it composed?"

"The number of troops in the field, or on duty in garrisons, varies from time to time," was the reply, "and therefore an account of the army at one date is not altogether good for another. The army is composed, like that of India, partly of native and partly of European soldiers. The native force is exclusively Mohammedan, and is filled up by voluntary enlistments, never by conscriptions. The European portion is also voluntary, and the conscript troops in the army in Holland are never sent to Java. The infantry is divided into field battalions and garrison battalions, and the soldiers in each battalion are one-third European and two-thirds native. Each battalion contains six companies, the two flank companies consisting of European soldiers, and the four centre companies of natives. The native companies are composed of the different Mohammedan tribes and sects from all parts of Netherlands India, all mixed together, so that there shall never be a large majority of one kind of people in the same battalion."

"That is a very shrewd arrangement," said Frank, "as it prevents a mutiny by making it impossible for a whole battalion to have a common grievance."

FOOT-BRIDGE OVER A MOUNTAIN STREAM.

"Not only that," the gentleman replied, "but it facilitates the movement of the troops; and the Dutch say that their principal object in making the battalions in this way was in consequence of the character of the service. The Dutch East Indies are of great extent, and it is often necessary to make marches where there are no roads, and the few bridges that exist are only intended for persons on foot. Consequently, they can never move their troops in large bodies, owing to the difficulty of carrying provisions. Each battalion under the present system has the means of transporting its own provisions, ammunition, and light mountain guns where there are no roads, as the native soldiers can act as porters, while the Europeans compose the fighting force in case an enemy is encountered.

"All the commissioned officers are Europeans, and in each native company two of the four sergeants and four of the eight corporals must be Europeans; and some of them live in the barrack-rooms with the native soldiers. The European companies in each battalion have barracks separate from the natives, but close at hand; and whenever any of the soldiers of the native companies are sent on duty, they are accompanied by a proportionate number of Europeans. There is a difference in the pay and food of the European and native soldiers; but in all other respects they are treated as nearly alike as possible.

"There is a free school attached to each battalion for the education of both adults and children; the soldiers are urged to attend it, and their children are required to do so. Every officer of the battalion, whether commissioned or non-commissioned, who has any peculiar knowledge, is required to give it to the school; and any soldier of the battalion who has a talent for instructing can be appointed an assistant-teacher in the school, and be relieved from duties that are purely military—except in time of war. All soldiers, whether native or European, can have their wives and children with them, except when on active service in the field."