Michael Theophile Hubert Perelaer

“ The doctor raised himself from his comfortable position, stepped forward to take the outstretched hand and pressed it cordially. Availing himself of the brief absence of the Colonel, he whispered to the Chief, "They must be saved, they must not be allowed to fall into the hands of the Dutch."
Tomonggong cast a penetrating look on him. Used to treason and falsehood the first feeling of an East Indian, however honest he himself may be, is one of distrust. He suspects that a snare is being laid for him. ”

“ We will be called, and we certainly are, deserters; but we do not deserve the ignominy which will cling to our names. You at least could not misjudge us. We might have considered ourselves bound to the Dutch government, but when we perceived that we were the victims of foul duplicity our contract did not appear binding upon us. In transactions of such a nature it is not fair that one side only should fulfill its duties, while the other is left free to carry out such part of its engagement as is found convenient. ”

“ After the Tomonggong had taken his leave, the two friends remained together to empty the bottle which had been opened.
"An awkward business," observed the Colonel, "devilishly awkward for those poor fellows, but scarcely less so for me. Besides the dangers which may attend my pursuit after them, I shall have to weather the reprimands from headquarters. You know our authorities always turn these matters against us. Whenever the Dutch government has a difficulty the first impulse of all in power is to look out for a scapegoat." ”

“ You cannot take any men away from it without danger."
"Oh, I will leave the garrison intact. I will have them hunted down by a native detachment."
"That would be cruel. To be hunted down by Dayaks!"
"I must own that those fellows are not over-scrupulous; but what else can I do? As you say, I dare not take any of the garrison and I cannot very well remain inactive. However, it is impossible to decide what steps are to be taken until I have seen the Chief of the district. It may be that the deserters have already been seized by the kampong guard and that our anxieties are premature. ”

“ After the departure of the sergeant, the Colonel took up the letter, which he had thrown on the table, and read:
"High-born and Honored Colonel.—We shall be a long way off when this letter is read by you. You will undoubtedly use every effort to recapture us, but all will be in vain, Our measures have been well taken and you will never see one of us back alive. We have had enough of the Dutch service. ”

“ At length he resumed, "Tomonggong, I must recapture these men, if only to prevent the example from spreading among our troops. If those poor fellows get among the natives of the upper country they will unquestionably be attacked and perhaps killed." ”

“ Necessity compels us to act as we are doing. Judge for yourself. You kindly lent us your theodolite, field-glasses, sextant and compass in order that we might keep up our knowledge of surveying. Some of those instruments we have decided to take with us. ”

“ The time we have yet to serve is long and men's characters are not alike. We Swiss have been cruelly deceived by the recruiting officers of the Dutch army. We refrain from saying where the deceit lies. ”

“ By to-morrow morning I shall know how your soldiers have escaped and I assure you I will soon be on their track. They could not have left the district unobserved. But while now, in the dark night and with evil reports abroad, you can only spread alarm by taking any steps, to-morrow, when the sun brightens the skies, I shall be better able to act. The natives will clearly understand the object of our expedition and all misapprehensions be rendered impossible. ”

“ You are able to fathom our misery in all its extent. We have been enticed from our lovely valleys under the most wicked pretences; we were promised the greatest advantages, but of all these promises nothing has ever been realized. ”

“ The book contained extracts from the army register, that wonderful description of the whole of the Dutch Indian force which is kept posted with the most laudable exactitude at the war office in Batavia.
"Schlickeisen," read the Colonel; "a Swiss born at Steinbach, in the canton of Glarus, twenty-one years old. Father a priest." He turned over another leaf.
"Wienersdorf, also a Swiss; born at Winterthür, in the canton of Zürich, twenty-three years old. Father a professor of natural philosophy.
"La Cueille, a Belgian, born at Cheratte, in the province of Liege, twenty-six years old. ”

“ The men who had deserted, thought he, did not seem to have any quantity or variety of provisions, but they were brave men who would certainly levy toll upon each kampong they passed and find food on every river they traversed. ”

“ The first knell is struck when a death occurs; the second when the body is coffined; the third when the corpse is being carried to the grave, and the parting knell when the grave is closed. The titih is struck continuously during the progress of the funeral, but on the other occasions there are intervals of four or five minutes between the sounds, just like our passing bell. ”

“ La Cueille had likewise left a letter behind to explain the theft of the doctor's instruments and arms, which as he was a gunsmith had been entrusted to him for repair. He had also begged to be excused to the Colonel, whose two Remington rifies he had carried off.
"One cannot risk such a dangerous journey quite defenceless," the Walloon had reasoned. "The Colonel was sure to know of the dangers they would have to encounter." ”

“ He cried aloud to the oarsmen:
"Stop! Come back! Turn immediately!"
Again was heard the opprobrious epithet; this time followed. by a rifle shot which wounded a Javan soldier. The Colonel ordered the four-inch gun to be turned toward the canoes, placed it himself at the proper elevation and fired; but the night hung dark and no sure aim could be taken. The shot struck the water in the rear of the second canoe, bounded over it, passed through
The Night Funeral. the roof of the first boat and as it struck the water raised so great an upheaval as to nearly capsize both canoes. ”

“ Ascertain from him and from the sentries whether Baba Poetjieng has been in the batang." The sergeant withdrew.
Baba and Kee are used to designate the Chinese in the Dutch Indies. The former is the more complimentary. Kee is humiliating and almost a nickname.
Baba Poetjieng was a sly Chinaman who had managed to make himself indispensable to the garrison by the sale of such merchandise as tobacco, needles, thread, beer, canned meats and vegetables, paper, pens and ink, etc., all of the first quality and unmistakably cheap. ”

“ Return to your dwelling and summon without loss of time the chiefs of the nearest kampongs. Let them collect about fifty men provisioned for a few days. They must all be fully armed and ready to start in two hours. ”