X.

OCCURRENCES PRECEDING THE ATTACK OF TJAKRA NAGARA.

It was once more Saturday night-29th-30th Sept.-but what a different Saturday to that of five weeks ago. This time the sleep of the troops remained undisturbed.

The following morning, 30th Sept. the Second-in-command advanced with a column, composed of 3 companies of Infantry, 1 section of mountain artillery, 2 sections of engineers and all the available convicts to proceed with the work of demolition. What a frightful undertaking is the destruction of a town. The walls must be knocked down, homes laid waste, trees felled, so that Mataram as a town, may cease to exist.

from Ampenan

Cleared

to Tjakra

ground

Redoubt of Mataram. Scale 1: 2250.

Day after day, week after week, the work of extinction will be continued without interruption, until it is accomplished.

But, we will not anticipate events. The whole of the 30th September the labours were carried on under suitable cover. The fort at Mataram-poeri was reinforced, the surrounding ground was cleared.

Nothing more was seen of the enemy. The booty-secking Sassaks scattered themselves over the entire East part of Mataram and it was not long before they discovered and brought back to us with great rejoicing the second of our lost field-guns. Capt. Willemstijn, of the staff who was present with Segov's column made a reconnoissance on the other side of the R. Antjar-in their precipitate flight the Balinese had omitted to destroy the bridge which crossed the river at this point-and was able to see distinctly the earthworks, by means of which the Balinese had shut off all communication with Mataram from the East side.

The Sassaks were also busily engaged searching about in the N.W. direction, and it was quite certain this part must be deserted too, for the wary Sassaks would never have ventured where they were likely to meet their foes.

It was thought that all the Balinese must have retreated from Mataram. Already-it was 4 p.m.-preparations were made for the return to Ampenan. Two Sassaks, one provided with a Netherlands flag, the other with a white one, begged for an interview with the Commander. Admitted to General Segov they inform him "that they have come as representatives of their kampongs in N.W. Mataram to make their submission and further, that about 50 paces from the N.W. Poeri there was a store of Balinese weapons and ammunition. The General can go there quite safely, there was no danger whatever and they will show him the way. Should he find anything wrong, he will be able to shoot his informants." Of course the General did not go on this errand himself, but despatched a section of Infantry belonging to the 2nd battalion, under Lieutenant van Appen.

Captain Erpecum, acting aide-de-camp to the General went with them as a matter of curiosity and for the same reason they were joined by Captain van Griethuijsen, commander of van Oppen's company.

Guided by the Sassaks, they turned into a narrow street W. of the poeri and running Northwards. One hundred and fifty paces further, they had to enter a side-street, only about two yards wide, which the guides said, lead to the powder-magazine They follow it for a bit.... "This is going too far", says van Erpecum. Yes, the guides begin to think they have taken the wrong turning. One of them is lifted up to look over the wall; the house was empty, this was the wrong place. So they turned back until they reached a continuation of the street where they were first of all, and keep more Northwards. There on the left-hand side was a narrow little doorway, yes, that was the door leading to the magazine.

They entered but barely had part of the troops passed through, when they were surprised by the most overwhelming fire from all sides. "Back!" shouted van Erpecum; all made for that narrow little doorway-but only one man could go through at a time. It was a hopeless struggle to get out-the enemy fired straight into the very midst of that mass of humanity.

And outside? From behind the wall on the other side of that narrow street the Balinese speared or shot at point blank range, those of the unfortunate men who have not got inside.

Captain Erpecum succeeded in retreating to a short distance with a good many of the wounded,-among whom was Captain van Griethuijsenbut had to leave behind those who were killed; they reached another narrow passage and there van Erpecum tried to put his men under Cover. Just as he went round a corner to see what the exact situation was, he was fired upon and fell, and it was in vain that they tried to help him; Lieutenant van Appen was also shot through the chest and he too fell a victim in this unequal struggle.

The General heard the firing and immediately sent a couple of sections of infantry to the rescue; but in this maze of walls it was not so easy to find their comrades; everything in the poeri was in a state of alarm; a cavalry soldier came hastening up for "tandoes" for the wounded, some of them were already being carried back. The first was Captain van Griethuijsen, then came Lieutenant van Oppen. The surgeon and the recorder Valette try to bandage their wounds whilst bullets were whizzing around them but it was too late to save van Oppen, he succumbed to his injuries. A short time after a couple of convicts, who had volunterced to undertake the dangerous task, went and fetched the dead body of van Erpecum; a bullet through the heart had caused instantaneous death.

And thus the very day after the victory two smart, efficient young officers lost their lives.

If an officer-like Valkenburg and Broekman the previous dayfall in the heat of the fight, at the head of his men, whilst stimulating and encouraging them in their duty, it is no doubt hard, very hard for those they have left to mourn them. But in that case the mourners, be they child, brother, husband or friend, have the solace of knowing that the lost one laid down his life on the altar of the fatherland and that the sacrifice thus offered has had glorious results! Not so under such circumstances as we have described.

Towards dusk the enemy was driven was driven away and all was quiet at Mataram.

The troops returned with the wounded, of which besides Captain Griethuijsen there were about nineteen soldiers. There were also nine soldiers missing. What fate had befallen them?

Deeply and sadly impressed by these occurrences the men made the return march to Ampenan in complete silence. By the time they passed Arong-Arong it was quite dark.

Suddenly a shot was fired from the kampong of Sinagong on the North of the high road. Fortunately nothing more was heard and it was indeed. a blessing that the enemy did not further harass the column that night; how easy it would have been to create confusion in the darkness in that long line, which included so many hundred convicts.

Thus it happens during every war that there are moments of weakness even for the victorions side, if only the enemy knew of them and made the most of them.

Without however any further disturbance the troops reached headquarters, but it was a very wretched night for everybody.

The following day two events of very opposite natures took place : one was a work of vengeance.

One of the Sassak guides, who had led our brave men into the pitfall, had been shot at the beginning of the fray, but the other had been taken prisoner and conveyed to Ampenan. At first he denied having had any share in the betrayal but a few applications of the cane soon brought him to the speedy acknowledgment that he had acted in

obedience to the commands of his master, Gusti Gredak; he had been ordered to try and induce the General and as many Dutchmen as he could to fall into the snare. First of all he had refused to obey, then the Balinese took a spear and stuck it through his foot-and really the marks were there-and threatened him with death if he persisted in his refusal.

This confession sealed his fate.

The next morning he was hanged just outside Ampenan and his fate was shared by a Balinese spy, who had been caught the day before. Were these guides really guilty? We tell the tale that was extracted by the cane for what it was worth; but decidedly appearances were against them.

But then on the other hand the question arises, what could have prompted the Sassaks to such an act? Fear of the Balinese?

They knew perfectly that they were sure of our protection, whilst if they misled us, they were certain of punishment, if not immediate death.

And surely it was not affection for the Balinese that could have inspired them; besides was not the powder-magazine found a few days later in the neighbourhood where the disaster had occurred?

Whatever may have been the true state of things, there was not time for enquiry on the battle-field and the knot had to be cut in the simplest and quickest possible manner.

Furthermore it was expedient to give some sort of satisfaction to the deeply-embittered soldiers. And the other victims?

Rows upon rows of men were standing around a newly-dug grave while

the bodies of their comrades were laid to rest; their grief was mingled with resentment, when they thought of the treachery that had taken from their midst those brave fellows, who escaped death on the open field.

The chief of the staff spoke of the loss sustained by the army, the comrades and the relatives of the deceased; the priest, Father Vogel, said a few timely words to those gathered together at the grave side and when he said that "many of us are nearer the gates of eternity than we may suspect," everybody felt the terrible truth of this remark and the Commander-in-chief, deeply touched, took the hand of this faithful minister, who had done his duty on so many sad occasions.

The work of demolition progressed daily at Mataram.

Every morning early the troops with all the available convicts marched there and only returned at nightfall.

Slowly but surely the ground around Mataram-poeri was being cleared and levelled and was becoming wider in area; the covering party was always at the prescribed distance in front, and everything is done with the utmost caution and not a step was taken before making perfectly sure of the safety of the situation."

In the beginning, whilst the demolition was being proceeded with in South and West Mataram, bands of Balinese had shown themselves in North and East Mataram, so it was decided to re-inforce our post at Mataram-poeri, on the 2nd October, by an additional 20 c.m. cannon. When the work was terminated in the S. W., it was begun in the N. W. On the 5th October the soldiers that were missing after the catastrophe of the 30th Sept. were found all heaped up together; these were sergeant Van Till and eight fusiliers. The enemy had taken their rifles, ammunition and clothes, but had not mutilitated the bodies.

Quite close to the spot where they were found, the workers really discovered the magazine of which the Sassaks had spoken; it contained 216 barrels and 13 kegs of gunpowder, 4 cases of cartridges for breechloaders and repeaters, and implements for filling cartridges.

It is a mystery why all this material was left behind, for the enemy had not quitted this part of Mataram in such great haste.

About a yard from yard from this point was found one of our shells, which

had not burst.

The systematic way in which the demolition was carried on brought to light many other important finds, principally in the way of arms and ammunition. Naturally the Sassaks possessed themselves of the lion's share of the treasures, such as furniture, clothes, valuables and cases filled with Kèpengs. Here and there great stores of rice were dug up.

Their generous offer to dig up the treasures buried behind the poeri at Mataram, was however rejected; they were told that the troops could not spare time for that at present, for it was not considered necessary to see all the treasures disappear into the hands of the Sassaks. *

As, in the beginning at least, the Sassaks had been of very little help

* We have not heard whether any later researches have been made there...