History of the Kingdom of Siam and of the revolutions that have caused the overthrow of the empire, up to A.D. 1770Turpin, F. H. (François Henri)
History
History of the Kingdom of Siam and of the revolutions that have caused the overthrow of the empire, up to A.D. 1770
Turpin, F. H. (François Henri)
Thailand -- Description and travel; Thailand -- History
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.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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