tree and we are thankful to say the Balinese have respected this sacred

"Dewa-temple at Mataram; General Van Ham's grave is here."

spot. Close to the tree there now stands a memorial tablet and on its surface are written words of hope and words which tell of wiped-out

shame, of fame and victory, and of a new era in the history of our Indian army!

"The order was issued for a company of infantry to head the march, followed by the stretchers with the wounded under military escort. The entire train was to be covered by a second company of infantry. The appearance of the first soldier leaving the temple was the signal for a new attack, making it clear that an orderly retreat would be impossible. Consequently the mountain artillery under lieutenant Becking came into action against the Balinese and effectively silenced them for some time and the column fell into line; they soon reached the open sawahs and making a long round to avoid the walls of Mataram, went by way of Pasingahan and Sekar Bela and the river Antjar to Ampenan. The enemy continued to hamper the retreat by firing at us from Mataram, Poenia and Pagasangan and now and again a halt was necessary to repulse some who were bold enough to assail us in the open. The country we had to traverse was far from being a well-kept even road; here we were ankle-deep in mud, there we were up to our waists in water; but in spite of all the difficulties our casualties during this six hours' march only amounted to 20 killed and wounded and this excellent result is in a great measure owing to the skilful leadership of Major Rost van Tonningen. We were also much indebted to the services of two Sassaks, whom we met and who guided us along the safest and shortest route to Sekar Bela; undoubtedly these poor people have deserved well of us; it was they who obstinately declined to negotiate with the Balinese rajahs and bound themselves by oath never to submit to their rule again. From their own past experiences they warned the General-Staff not to put faith in the promises and finally they warned us of the impending danger, thus saving the expeditionary land forces from complete extinction.

"The condition of our wounded was most distressing, many having to be carried on quilts fastened to bamboos or guns, the number of tandoes proving insufficient; the discomfort of their cramped positions was added to by the rays of a broiling hot sun and our convicts were not always over gentle or careful in their movements, rendered especially unsteady by the inequalities of the ground. A twenty minutes' halt was thoroughly appreciated, every man sitting or lying in the most comfortable position he could find, but we were all suffering from intense thirst, which led many to drink the muddy sawah water, afterwards productive of so many cases of colic. In spite of all the hardships the soldiers kept in first-rate spirits and I cannot say too much in praise of the excellent good fellowship displayed amongst them towards one another and particularly towards the wounded; after I had sprained my foot I leaned on one of the convicts, but no sooner was this noticed than a couple of our sturdy fellows came forward to support me. I never heard a single word of murmur or complaint and every order was obeyed with the utmost precision and punctuality.

"Finally we heard voices from the front shouting:,,We are nearly

there! In the distance we see a white flag and our own beloved tricolor!"

"Never surely in all our lives had we looked upon our country's flag with such sincere feelings of affection and gratitude; it was flying gaily from above the walls of Sekar Bela, promising us freedom and safety; the Sassaks wished to convey to us that we should soon be treading on friendly territory.

"We pushed forward with renewed vigor and hope though still pursued by the enemy's fire from Poenia and to our deep sorrow we suffered losses to the last, amongst the victims being Lieutenant Ter Bruggen Hugenholtz, shot in the leg.

"Once inside the kampong the order to "rest "rest" was given and most gladly did every man seek repose and shelter beneath the shady trees, where the Sassaks brought us rice and cocoa-nut milk; the refreshment was sorely needed and certainly appreciated, this being one of those occasions when "hunger is the best sauce!"

"In a little while we resumed our march along a shady road leading to the beach; here and there we caught sight of a Sassak man or woman watching us with pity and curiosity and in an hour's time we reached Tandjong Karang.

Here we must take leave of Rogge, who was conveyed with the Resident by boat to Ampenan, thence with a number of wounded to Surabaya on the Maetsuijcker.

The Commander-in-chief went in a man-of-war pinnace to H. M. St. Emma, on which he proceeded to Ampenan. No sooner had the Commander of the Naval forces seen the soldiers approaching the beach, than he despatched medical assistance and the more seriously wounded were placed on the boats and taken to the hospital or to the sick transport ship.

The remainder of the column still had a tedious march before them across the dry sand and the river Antjar before reaching the bivouac at Ampenan. They were met by the column which had been in occupation and who can doubt of the joyfulness of that meeting. After a march of seven and a half hours they reached the bivouac without having allowed a single one of their wounded to fall into the enemy's hands. We look upon this retreat as another of those wonderful events well worth rescuing from oblivion!

It had been a period of extreme anxiety in the bivouac at Ampenan when they were warned by the firing of 25th-26th August that hostilities had broken out in the interior. After the departure of the 2nd and 4th Companies under Van Lawick, all that remained in this open unfortified bivouac excepting a detachment of cavalry, were the two companies of the 9th battalion, but without a single piece of ordnance and of the naval force, there were only the "Koningin Emma" and the "Prins Hendrik", for, in consequence of the succesful turn of affairs, the force had been gradually dismissed. The Cycloop, the Sumatra, the Tromp

and the Borneo had all in turn left for Surabaya, the three last for repairs and thither too had both despatch boats returned in the middle of August, their services no longer being needed.

The night 25th-26th August had passed by uneventfully at Ampenan; however, next morning the Commander of the Marine, captain H. Quispel of the Navy, judging from the attack at Mataram and Tjakra Nagara that Ampenan's turn would come next, took upon himself to disembark the parties from the Koningin Emma and the Prins Hendrik; they composed a force of 200 men and four guns and were placed under the command of C. A. Dominicus, Naval Lieutenant of the 1st class, although the commandant of the bivouac at Ampenan was his senior in the

The "Prins Hendrik."

service.

They set to work in conjunction with the two infantry companies to throw up breastworks all the way round the bivouac running into sea both North and South and the two warships were stationed at these two points further to protect

the bivouac

with the ships' guns if occasion

demanded it. The naval brigade was first stationed on the high road to Mataram, but later on in the bastions of the new earthworks; the cavalry were sent out to reconnoitre and soon fell in with the enemy in occupation of the main road to Mataram; they withdrew as soon as one of their horses was wounded. . . . We refrain from remarks for the moment.

In anticipation of an almost immediate attack, it was considered more prudent to abstain from any attempt to open up communications with Mataram; however nothing happened until the morning of the 27th when they received information (brought by convicts) from the Commander-in-chief of his retreat to the Dewa temple and instructions to set out provided with tandoes and ammunition to meet the retreating column pushing forward to Ampenan; as we have seen the order was executed and the troops met South of the river Djangkok.

There was very little rest in the bivouac on the night of 27th --28th

August; after the suspense and horrors of the last two days it is not to be wondered at if nerves were unstrung and a general feeling of apprehension current among the troops; frequently they imagined the enemy was rising up from out of the darkness and the sentries kept up an almost incessant alarm. In the early hours of the night the approach of the 9th battalion was signalled and a portion of van Lawick's column reached the bivouac with many wounded; a little later another portion arrived, but many were still missing for several days...

.

On the 26th August van Lawick's column ignorant of the stirring events at Tjakra, went on a long march; the Commandant went that day with the 2nd company-captain Lindgreen's natives-to Swangi not far south of Sakra, to hold a final conference with all the chiefs of the neighbouring kampongs. The following day-Sunday-was to be a day of rest and the return to Ampenan was fixed for the Monday. The chief of the staff of this column, Captain Willemstijn, and Lieutenant van der Plank rode out in the morning to Praga to become better acquainted with the line of communication to Batu Klian; the European companythe 4th, under Captain Christan—had remained behind in the bivouac with the surgeon dr. Ujlaki.

The doctor's services were really not much in demand amongst the troops during the time we were in Lombock, but he was kept extremely busy by the inhabitants. His ambulance was daily besieged by Sassaks coming to ask for remedies for all sorts of diseases, old ulcers on the leg, running sores, neglected skin eruptions and every variety of ailment ; the demand for medicines and bandages soon exhausted the available supply, which had to be replenished; the 4 nurses would have been unable to get through their work, had they not been supplemented by volunteers from amongst the ranks.

The

The presence of the troops had helped to alleviate the sufferings of the Sassaks in other ways too, for, daily, hundreds of half starved natives, who had not seen or tasted rice for months, came to the bivouac with their emaciated and half-famished children, grateful had they only been permitted to eat the crumbs that fell from the soldiers' table. Commander had rice cooked for them in large kettles and would have had meat cooked also, but they preferred eating it raw, rather than wait! (a fine cow could be bought here for a couple of sovereigns or thereabouts).

The soldiers often shared their meals with these poor people and supplied them with what clothes they could spare.

On his return from the march somewhat later than usual (3.30 p.m.), van Lawick found the letter of instructions from the Commander-inchief; it had been given a conspicuous place by Captain Willemstijn, who had received it from the Chief of Batu Klian, Raden Ginawan.

Finding he had a little time to spare after his ride to Praja, he returned by way of Surabaya, where he paid a long promised visit to the Chief, who, after a short conversation, handed it to the captain,