Although the death of Soerapati of the Company gave a sigh of relief, it was still a long way off before the war had ended. At Batavia the general Govert Knol was blamed for ordering his troops to return to Surabaya instead of having them advance to Pasoeroean; but even greater was the indignation against Depati Surabaya, whose double role was now clearly seen, but whose treachery at least for the time being could not be punished.
The three brothers began to quarrel violently immediately after the father’s death, while the Prince of Balembangan, who had willingly left the rule of his country to Radhen Wiro Negoro, whose majority he acknowledged, now took the reins of rule into his own hands; the Balinese gathered around him, while the Javanese Mahometans gathered round the sons of Soerapati.
Radhen Gusik succeeded in restoring peace among the brothers through Sheik Abdulah; she went with them to Kediri and persuaded them to apparently submit to Sunan Mas; the latter took their homage and endowed Pengantin with his father’s succession, as if he had ever recognized the Emperor as a liege lord; the other sons also received a portion of the land under their territory.
By this ceremony the moral strength of the young men was not a little increased. Sheik Abdulah inflamed the religious passions of the people even more and with full[ 249 ]The whole eastern coast of Java now confidently awaited the new campaign which was undertaken against them in the following year (1707).
This, however, was not under the command of Govert Knol but under that of Herman de Wilde, who, still unsatisfied by the death of his enemy, burned with the desire to destroy his empire.
The 18 den However Juli began the campaign of in Karta-Sura, the Solo River and Brantas to Kediri, which was already cleared by the heroic Adhipatti Anoem and then on to Tjarit where delivered the decisive blow and driven the enemy to flight became.
Meanwhile the army detachment from Surabaya under Captain Sergeant had also marched and united with the main force; together they now advanced to Pasoeroean, which was taken without a fight.
Robert had rendered great services in this expedition; he knew the country through and through, knew many details that Surapati himself had communicated to him, and used them to inform the commanders. His bravery did not go unnoticed either; before the victorious troops entered Pasuruan, however, he became seriously ill from neglected wounds and had to return to Surabaya; so he did not witness the ignoble revenge which the Savage took on his father’s grave.
Herman de Wilde had Soerapati’s bones exhumed and burned on the aloen-aloen.
With folded arms and a smile of self-satisfaction on his pale lips, he gazed at the flames that consumed the skeleton of the man he so vehemently hated and so dearly hated. [ 250 ]fervently envied, and when the body, once animated by such a powerful breath, was left with nothing but a heap of ashes, he bade this also be scattered into the waters of the sea.
Now that everything that reminded him of his enemy had disappeared from the face of the earth, he thought his life’s task ended; there was nothing left for him to do, his goal had been accomplished, his vengeance carried out.
Quickly he carried out the order of the subject countries, ordered the regents to submit to Paku Buwana the emperor, and also prosecute Adipati Anum to death. However, the regent of Kediri was no longer there; he returned to Bali shortly before the campaign began, as he could not forgive his son-in-law for throwing himself into the arms of the Mahometans. His daughter, Lembono’s wife, he took with him; perhaps he retired to the mountains to live the life of a hermit.
Sunan Mas, however, joined the sons of Surapati, who had hid in the Malang Mountains and waited but an opportune moment to resume hostilities.
As soon as everything was settled in Pasuruan, the Savage left Surabaya for Samarang. He was ill and weary; he still had many things to accomplish, and for this it was necessary that he should speak to the Susuhunan, but he was too weak to go to Karta-Sura, and so the Emperor came to Samarang; still dying he led the negotiations which confirmed the power of the Company, defined the rights and obligations of the Emperor, and thus put an end to the tense situation which had prevailed in Java for so many years.[ 251 ]
He returned to Batavia after the conclusion of the contract, and soon died there, about a year after the slave he had so bitterly hated.
