Travels in India (Tavernier) 155.9

155.9

Thus the poor Dutch always remained as slaves, and the Javanese died of poverty at Batavia, although, through policy, they were assisted sometimes stealthily, so that the King of Japara coming to know of it, through his spies, it might cause him to treat the Dutch prisoners less harshly. The Javanese are very good soldiers. While Batavia was besieged by the King of Bantam in the year 1659, a Dutch soldier being in ambuscade in a marsh, a Javanese advanced to see what the enemy were doing, not thinking any of them were so close. The Dutchman thrust a pike into his body, and the Javanese feeling himself wounded, instead of withdrawing the pike, pushed it into his body up to the hilt, where the Dutchman held it, in order to be able to get near him, and give him two stabs with his dagger in the stomach, of which the Dutchman died.