THE REVOLT OF THE MACASSARS.
A people to whom the Kingdom of Siam had given refuge in their
misfortunes, were the cause of an event that shook it to its
foundations. The King of Macassar, a district in the island of
Celebes, had been dethroned by the Dutch. One of his sons, escaping
from the vengeance of the conquerors, had sought asylum in Siam. The
King of Siam, attracted by the rank of the unfortunate prince, granted
him land on which houses were built for him and his followers who had
accompanied his flight.
This locality which still retains its name of 'The field of the
Macassars' was situated adjacent to that assigned to the Malays who
were also a Mahommedan people.
The benefits showered on the fugitive Prince only made him ungrateful,
and when he ought to have sacrificed everything for his benefactor, he
made an attempt on his life, in order to place the King's younger
brother on the throne. The conspiracy was discovered and the author of
it deserved severe punishment, but Narai overlooked the offence and
magnanimously pardoned him. Daen (this was the name of the treacherous
Prince) emboldened by impunity, considered himself more powerful than
the Prince to whom he was so much indebted.
Base characters regard clemency as a sign of weakness, not as a
virtue. Humiliated by an unmerited pardon, he rendered himself still
more unworthy by entering into a new conspiracy. As he needed
fellow-conspirators for the execution of his evil designs, he
corrupted by means of specious promises, the three Princes of Champa,
who, like himself had sought refuge in Siam, after the death of their
father to escape from the machinations of their brother, who having
succeeded to the throne, would have in accordance with Mahommedan
usage, laid violent hands on possible rivals.
These Princes conspired with the Prince of Macassar to open a road to
the throne. Their plot was, at first, to place the crown on the head
of the youngest of the King's brothers and to reign in the name of the
crowned phantom. They were resolved to compass his destruction after
having elevated him to the throne and to substitute one of themselves
by vote. It seemed that the interests of their religion justified the
conspiracy in their sight. They intended to offer to Christians and
Mahomedans alike, the alternatives of death or the Koran.
One of these three Princes occupied a high position at Court. He was
the youngest, and the others placed him at the head of the conspiracy.
He was of an age at which ignorance of the risk he ran, might lead him
into crime without his perceiving the fatal results. He followed the
counsels of a bold Malay who had nothing to lose and who was ready for
any desperate deed. It was necessary to enlist the sympathy of heaven
for their cause so as to inspire their followers with that fanatical
enthusiasm which regards the present life as a mere prelude to eternal
felicity.
They received great assistance from the impostures of a Mahomedan
priest who informed the Malay and Macassar encampments that a sign of
evil omen had appeared in the sky and that their nation was threatened
by a grave disaster. For the space of three months he published these
dreadful tales. Fanatical madness is contagious, and an imposter who
misuses the name of the Deity can soon reckon on a numerous following.
With the exception of three hundred Malays, everyone eagerly drank in
his words. When the plot was ripe, the three ringleaders sought means
to win over these three hundred to their side, as the success of the
plot largely depended on their co-operation. They decided that on the
appointed day, they would summon them to their meeting and that they,
seeing their compatriots armed for the common cause, would no longer
hesitate to throw in their lot with them. It was resolved to break
open the prisons and to liberate the captives to augment their forces.
As their financial resources were limited, they signified their
intention of looting the palace and the treasury in the hope of
encouraging the bravery of their fellow-conspirators by the prospect
of a rich booty.
On the appointed day, before striking the first blow, the two Princes
wrote to their brother, who was holding office in Louvo, to advise him
to put as great a distance as he could between himself and the Court.
He received the letter at nightfall and the messenger disappeared
without waiting for an answer. The hasty departure of the messenger
aroused the prince's suspicions and guessing that the letter contained
some important secret information, gave it unopened to Faulcon, who
alarmed at the news of the rising, hurried off to inform the King.
Three thousand men were sent to defend the palace. The guards
stationed near Louvo prevented the outbreak of the revolt by their
vigilance. Forbin was sent to Bangkok to attend to the defence of that
important port.
The conspirators ignorant of the discovery of their plot, assembled to
carry out their designs. When the three hundred Malays, whom the
conspirators had been endeavouring to win over, had discovered the
nature of the plot, they became highly indignant and protested that
far from wishing to betray the King their benefactor, they were ready
to shed their blood in his defence.
Their fidelity brought back many to a proper sense of their position.
The Mahomedan priest trembled for his life and saw no better way out
of his difficult position than by revealing the secrets of those whom
he had deceived. The princes no longer doubted that they were
discovered, especially when they learnt that the palace was defended
by three thousand men and that armed guards were keeping watch on the
ramparts.
They returned home without striking a blow. The King, although he
could have punished them very severely, showed his clemency and
pardoned them.
The Malay leader, who had been the arch-plotter deserted the camp of
the Princes whom he had so seriously compromised. He divulged all the
secrets and sources of the plot and avowed that he had only served
with the Princes in order to be able to disclose the matter to the
King.
Faulcon was sent to interview the rebels and to induce them to return
to their allegiance. He pardoned all those who came and acknowledged
their faults. The Malays who had rebelled simply because they had been
prevailed upon by the others, gave testimony of their repentance and
obedience in future. But the Macassars, who were unprincipled
scoundrels, showed a ferocious courage that feared death less than the
shame of submission. Their Prince was frequently ordered to appear
before the King's tribunal, not to be judged, but merely to
acknowledge his guilt and to reveal the names of his
fellow-conspirators. He excused himself on various pretexts and
alleged that although he was not guilty, yet he could not endure the
shame of having to justify his actions. If he had anything to reproach
himself with, it was the fact that he was unable to reveal the names
of those who had entrusted him with their secrets, but that his
dignity would have been compromised had he condescended to play the
part of a spy and informer, and furthermore that far from wishing to
betray the King to whom he owed so much, he was incapable of traducing
the very least of his friends. The King who could not subdue his pride
by kindness, found that he was obliged to resort to force. But the
Macassars too hardy to blench at the approach of death, gave him to
understand that the most formidable enemies are those who are prepared
to die.
Hearing of their resistance, the King of Macassar sent slaves and
money to the rebellious princes to ensure them a means of subsistance.
A Malay captain, one of the ringleaders of the revolt, thought that he
could take advantage of the ship which had brought these gifts to
Bangkok, to find a home in some other land. But the Chevalier de
Forbin by means of a warrant he had received for his arrest, prevented
his escape. He had asked for, and obtained a passport to leave the
Kingdom, but on his arrival at the chain stretched as a barrier across
the river, Forbin sent an order that he should land and give an
account of the members of his suite.
The Captain, perceiving the threatened danger, replied that he would
only submit to the governor's order on condition of his being
accompanied by all his suite bearing arms.
After some deliberation he was allowed to land with an escort of eight
soldiers armed with daggers. These daggers are formidable weapons as
they are usually poisoned. The possession of one of these daggers is a
mark of honourable distinction among the Macassars, and the surrender
of it to an enemy is considered to be the greatest disgrace, and
whoever draws his weapon and does not succeed in killing his adversary
is held to be dishonoured in the sight of the nation. The captain,
apprehensive of danger, fearlessly disembarked from his ship and made
it known to his companions that it was his determination to plunge his
dagger into the breast of the first man that attempted to disarm him.
On his arrival at the fort he was ordered to send for the rest of his
suite who remained in the ship. He was obliged to yield as the hall
was filled with soldiery. An officer commanded him in the King's name,
to surrender his dagger, but instead of obeying, the Malay stabbed him
to the heart. Two Siamese soldiers tried to seize him, but they met
with the same fate as their officer, and a fourth man succumbed to his
blows. Then in a frenzy of rage he and his companions rushed on the
soldiers who were armed with pikes, and forced their way through in
defiance of death. They sprang upon a bastion, but the musketry fire
compelled them to leap into the fosse. Some, even were able to make a
stand against the guards posted to stop their flight, but, sorely
wounded, they received the fatal strokes they had desired to deal.
When the captain lay dying in the dust, a French officer advanced to
seize his dagger, but instead of grasping it by the handle, he only
managed to get the scabbard. The Macassar, recalled to action by the
fear of losing his weapon, snatched it and ripped up his adversary and
exhausted by the effort, died together with him. By this stubborn
resistance Forbin was assured that the survivors would sell their
lives dearly. He turned out the garrison which numbered four hundred.
There were only thirty-two Macassars and they were reduced to
desperation. These savages, more like wild beasts than men, wished to
dictate terms rather than to make them. They demanded the body of
their captain and threatened to punish the French if they refused to
give it up. When they perceived that Forbin was making preparations to
attack them, they made ready for a vigorous defence. They twisted
strips of cloth round their arms and shoulders to serve as shields. An
English captain, underrating the strength of these fanatics, told the
general that he would go forth and bring them back in chains. He
advanced, but soon fell a victim to his daring. The Macassars fell
upon him and stabbed both him and his followers through and through
with their daggers. The garrison on seeing this rash venture, were
panic-stricken and broke their ranks. Forbin made vain efforts to
rally them and ran a great risk of losing his own life. If the
Macassars had but known how to take advantage of the terror they had
inspired, they could have rendered themselves masters of the fort. But
as they were more desirous of the blood of their enemies than of
dictating terms; they massacred without mercy all the soldiers, women
and children who fell into their hands. Having glutted their thirst
for vengeance, they dispersed into the jungle where they suffered
greatly from hunger and the attacks of leeches and mosquitoes. They
were hunted like wild beasts, and in spite of their desperate
condition, they had the courage to face death with their weapons in
readiness. They appeared merely to regret the fact of death in cases
where they could not take the lives of their adversaries.
Those who were taken alive, begged for death, and tired of life, they
merely desired the same fate as their companions whom they did not
wish to survive.
The Prince of the Macassars, to whom the fate of his companions should
have been a warning, ought to have yielded himself to the mercy of the
King; but he still persisted in his refusal to appear at Court.
A force of 6000 men under the command of Faulcon was sent to force his
submission. This body of troops ought to have been more than
sufficient to crush a handful of undisciplined men, but the Macassars
are the bravest and most determined of the Eastern races. Energetic
and fearless in danger, they despise luxurious habits that sap
vitality and extinguish all sparks of courage.
On hearing the trumpets sounding the attack, they maddened themselves
with drugs and in a blind frenzy of passion fell upon the foe.
Faulcon, who relied on strategy more than on numerical superiority,
embarked in a ship with an Englishman the captain of a war-vessel
stationed at the bar of the river. He was accompanied by a missionary
and several Europeans who were more reliable than the Siamese who
trembled at the mere mention of the name of the enemy.
The captain of the guard at, the head of fourteen slaves, made an
advance in the direction of the Macassar camp, without taking
precautions to cover his retreat. A Macassar with thirty men springing
from an ambush fell upon them and slew the captain and seven of the
slaves. The remainder of the party fled in the darkness. At the same
time the English captain of the war vessel made an attack on the
extreme point of the camp. Their musketry fire riddled the Macassar
huts and caused the inmates to beat a hasty retreat. The captain,
followed by a dozen Englishmen and a French officer pursued them. The
Macassars turned at bay and then with a haughty defiance, advanced,
armed with their daggers, determined neither to ask nor to give
quarter. The English captain fell dead on the scene of the combat, his
companions fled in terror, and the French officer had to swim for his
life.
The Macassars deserted their ruined camp and endeavoured to reach the
Portuguese quarter in order to make a furious attack on the
Christians. Faulcon seeing their plan, made arrangements to circumvent
it; and, followed by eight Frenchmen, two Siamese and one Japanese,
unwisely made a frontal attack. He advanced, but the enemy had formed
up in two parties to cut off his retreat. Maddened by their drugs,
they fell upon his little band like hungry tigers upon their prey and
Faulcon seeing that he was in danger of being overwhelmed by numbers,
beat a hurried retreat after losing half of his men.
It was evident that the attack must be made more warily and that it
was useless to imagine that mere force of numbers would be sufficient
to crush them. Faulcon rallied his whole army and fell upon the foe
who fought with the courage born of despair. At length the Macassars,
overwhelmed by numbers, retired, some to their huts and others behind
hedges of bamboos. Twenty two of their number took refuge in a temple
and resolved to bury themselves in its ruins. The huts were fired, but
the Macassars did not emerge from them until, they were nearly burnt.
Then to cut short the agony, they rushed forward sword in hand on the
pikes of their foes and fought till they died pierced through and
through, The Macassar Prince, wounded by a ball in the shoulder,
perceived Faulcon, the man whom he considered to be his most dangerous
enemy. The thirst of revenge lent him strength, and mad with rage, he
advanced on his hated rival, but as he was in the act of striking with
his javelin; he was shot by a French soldier.
Those who had taken refuge in the temple, surrendered without striking
a blow. Thirty three more who had been severely wounded were taken
prisoners. One of the sons of the Prince, a boy of 12 years of age,
implored the mercy of the conqueror. He was shown his father's corpse.
"Alas," he exclaimed "he was the cause of our country's miseries, but
I feel his loss none the less keenly."
A few remarks on these curious people might be made here. It is quite
a novelty to find in an enervating climate, such an example of
ferocity. The Macassars have no knowledge of fire-arms and they regard
them as detrimental to personal prowess, because they render modes of
attack by bodily strength of no avail. Besides this type of weapon
hinders the user from tasting the fruits of vengeance and leaves him
ignorant of the number of the slain. On the other hand, this dislike
for fire arms may be due to the fact that they do not know how to use
them, as they would have to surrender their superiority in the art of
hurling lances and assegais. They show the greatest skill in the use
of the sword and dagger, and they employ long blow pipes from which
they shoot arrows tipped with a poisoned fish-bone. Whoever is struck
by one of these deadly missiles has not more than three hours to live.
Forbin cites an example of their intrepidity. One of these fanatics
was making a rush at him and he stopped him by a spear thrust in the
abdomen, but the Macassar, although mortally wounded was still anxious
to have his revenge. He continued to press forward on the spear, so as
to reach Forbin, who, stepping backwards, still holding him off by the
spear with which he had impaled him; gave time for others to come to
his assistance, and slay the Macassar. Especially when they were
subjected to tortures they evinced the greatest firmness of demeanour.
Amongst the prisoners were found four soldiers who had deserted, and
these men were selected to serve as an example of severity. At first
they were tortured. Splinters were thrust under their nails, after
which their fingers were crushed. They were then burnt in the arm and
their heads were compressed between two boards. They suffered all
these torments without a murmur. A missionary thought that, exhausted
by torture, they would be easy subjects for conversion and approached
to lead them to Jesus Christ, but the victims deaf to their entreaties
gave no sign save those of pride in the fact they knew how to die.
After having been tortured in every possible way, they were tied up to
a post with their hands and feet bound in order to be devoured by a
hungry tiger that merely sniffed at them. The executioners goaded on
the tiger until it at last devoured its prey. One of the prisoners
watched it eat his own foot without making any effort to withdraw it.
Another hearing the crunching of his own bones, uttered no sound. A
third, while the animal stood licking the blood which was running down
his face did not even care to glance round. The King of Siam spared
the lives of the two sons of the Macassar Prince. They were sent to
Louvo under the charge of a Christian, from Constantinople, who had
entered the Siamese service, and, later, they went to France where
they served in the navy. Faulcon had the bodies of all the rebels
found armed decapitated and exposed the heads in the then deserted
encampment. The English and French who had shared the dangers and who
had been instrumental in his success were loaded with honours and
presents.