CONQUEST OF SOUTH BALI

They came whitin one hundred feet, then seventy feet, then made a mad rush at the soldiers, waving their krisses and spears. The soldiers the first volley and a few fell, the Radja among them. Frenzied men and women continued to attack, and the soldiers, to avoid being killed, were obliged to fire continually. Someone went among the fallen people with a kris killing the wounded. He was shot down, but immediately another man took his place; he was shot, but an old woman took the kris and continued the bloody task.

The wives of the Radja stabbed themselves over his body, which lay buried under the corpses of the princes and princesses who had dragged themselves over to die upon the body of their king. When the horrified soldiers stopped firing, the women threw handfuls of gold coins, yelling that it was payment for killing them; and if the liberating bullet did not come soon ugh, the maddened women stabbed themselves. When they nearly all been killed, a new group approached, led by the Radjas brother, a twelve-year-old boy who could hardly carry his spear. The interpreters again tried to stop them, but were ignored, and they were all shot down.

The way to the burning palace was now free, except for the hundreds of corpses that covered the road. Everywhere lay broken spears and krisses with gold handles studded with enormous diamonds and rubies in pools of blood. On the side of the Dutch there was only one man killed, a sergeant stabbed by woman.

In the afternoon of the same day the army attacked the palace of the neighbouring Radja of Pemetjutan, but the Balinese met them with artillery-fire that caused some losses among the Dutch. Near the palace another puputan took place: the insane old Radja, dressed in yellow silks and carried in a gold sedan chair, followed by his wives and Pungawas, went out to meet the army setting the palace on fire. Soon all were killed. When the place was taken, the last obstacle to the conquest of Badung, the tired soldiers returned to Den Pasar, but their victory tasted of a terrible moral defeat.

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