Ulong Dagger

Whatever is theirs, destroy it!!

Singung Serbanyaman, North Sumatra 1895

It was past midnight, it was quite dark. The crescent moonlight could barely illuminate the existence of several all-black clothed body figures hiding among the thickets as high as an adult's waist.

The figures were silent as if waiting or observing something.

At a distance of about 100 meters in front of the figures hiding, seen dozens of simple buildings made of tepas and nipah, lined up regularly about three meters away from each other.

The buildings were lit by several torches around them. The wind blew many times the bright yellow torch fire so that the radiance of the light swayed the shadow of the objects it struck.

Before long, another figure was seen running around coming from the back of the building in the south, the figure skirting the dark parts towards some figures hiding in the bushes.

"Srek srek" heard a shrub blistering and then some broken twigs stepped on causing a crackling sound.

"There are only two people standing guard in front of the northernmost hut, both indigenous" said the man who had just arrived half-whispering. Then the Son of the name of the man who had just come explained the details of his observation to the six others who were waiting. After that they set up a strategy by whispering to each other.

"Good, the weather is also supportive, there are no signs of rain, let's move" said a burly man in his 24s, this man named Ulong Jagat or better known as Ulong dagger, because of his skill using a dagger.

His name is quite famous in this region because of his ingenuity in attacking and ravaging Dutch army posts and plantations around Sei Semayang.

So the 50 guilders prize was offered by the Dutch plantation airline for his head.

After Ulong hinted to move to the seven people immediately moved quickly almost without sound and then scattered in the darkness.

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In the northernmost building, in a dim torchlight some distance away, two people were standing leaning against the wall of the building.

"Why are your cheeks so red as to sting a wasp?" while rolling the tobacco leaves Parman asked his friend Paijo. After the tobacco leaves in the parman rolls put on the lips and light it.

"But because of the spit earlier" complained Paijo while stroking his cheek.

"Kok can also spit so like that, did you spit on demit?" joked Parman, then solemnly smoked a cigarette that just rolled. He turned a little lips and let out smoke so that smoke rolled out of his mouth to form the letter O.

Paijo grimaced and replied "so this morning I was sitting on a couch cleaning a roll of sandy tobacco leaves, patting the sand down from the leaf roll. Eh suddenly the wind blew, the sand flew to the face, some into the mouth and some into my eyes".

"Keep the sand in your mouth and get hit?" parman asked while watching the cigarette in his hand.

"Well that's the problem, my eyes also enter the dust so I can't see, so I spit it out to the side of the sand in my mouth, Fuih fuih fuih.. as soon as I could open my eyes it turned out that my spit fell right on master kebon's shoes which happened to pass by. The foreman and two company soldiers who were with him immediately slapped me, fortunately the bodyguard of Meneer Jan (the master kebon) was only the foreman and the two soldiers, do not imagine if there was a company of soldiers at that time " answer Paijo.

" Why also the master kebon watch over the workers until bring the army one company" Parman chuckled displaying his teeth uneven

Paijo continued, "Even almost got hit with a rifle butt because they thought I hated it and deliberately spit on Mr. Kebon's shoes".

"I'm sorry so many times and I said accidentally because my eyes entered the sand so that I didn't know anyone was standing next to me, I was finally just punished for making patrols tonight. But it's okay to be told to patrol, the important thing is that I am still healthy and able to breathe, rather than I am possessed by modar" Paijo continued.

Parman just glanced, without daring to say anything, wanting to laugh at Paijo's misfortune but fearing sin.

Paijo and Parman were people who brought plantation airlines from the island of Java, unpaid laborers, only given shelter and food. They were forced to work on the plantation serabutan on the orders of the lord kebon and his abominable native temples.

To escape was impossible considering so far away the distance to return to the hometown. What else they are blind, since childhood living in the village never go anywhere. Not to mention that if you escape and get caught, it will end in terrible torture.

There are thousands perhaps tens of thousands who are like them, and they are still among the luckier than most others because of being employed on the plantations. In other fields of work many die from heavier work without adequate clothing and food, such as workers to build roads, bridges, railroads, etc.

"Don't it smell burnt?" ask Paijo to the parman while sniffing, "Son once smelled, did master kebon make a roasting event?" ask again. Parman noticed the behavior of the paijo and then fanned with his hands so that the smoke from his cigarette and began to follow sniffing. A moment later Parman was stunned to the front "It smells of smoke burning ****" he said and then patted Paijo's eel.

In front of them on the back row of the tobacco drying ward was a bright yellow light, initially a little but then the light was enlarged.

"Wire, fire jo" said parman panicked. Without anyone giving orders they ran towards the fire with the intention of extinguishing, but it turned out that the fire did not only arrive there. Tobacco storage and drying huts on the left right also caught fire at about the same time. The fire was so fast growing high.

Meanwhile in the distance towards the foreman's house kebon heard the sound of a fart at the hit many times, it seems like the people who were standing guard there have seen this fire.

Parman stared around, the fire that devoured almost the entire building on the outermost row quickly creeping into the inner row. "Death to us jo" said Parman with a trembling voice, he could imagine the punishment they would receive as a result of this incident. Mr. Jan the kebon as the representative of the plantation airline will certainly not tolerate the losses experienced by the company, and will blame them both who are nobody for what happened.

Paijo immediately understood the meaning of Parman's words, so that in the light and heat of the fire he actually broke out in cold sweat, his eyes also glazed so scared.

They stood glued with their bodies trembling without knowing what to do. Suddenly a shadow flashed and a kick hit Paijo's shoulder, the paijo's flattened body thrown down onto the dusty ground, Parman

rushed to help but a machete was taped to his neck. Parman held his breath because it felt cold and sharp edges of the cleaver attached.

"aa..Sir, please don't hurt us" Parman pleaded. He saw there were 3 men armed with machetes and holding torches surrounded them. And he also immediately suspected that these people were the cause of the fire here.

At almost the same time from different directions between the burning buildings four more people ran towards them.

The assailants used a scabbard to cover their faces like ninjas. One of the newly arrived people approached and watched Parman and Paijo closely. "Who are you?" tanyakanya.

Stammered Parman replied "Ka.we are just college work rods, happened to be told to guard the ward, we are not bi. can refuse to keep watch" , Paijo nodded confirming. The man who was Ulong noticed the two people before him, their shabby appearance, skinny body wearing only a shirt of rough cloth, his face

also looks innocent in contrast to the appearance of a centeng that is violent and cruel beyond the company.

He pulled the arm of his friend who pointed the machete at Parman's neck. "Have left them, they are suffering just as much as we are" Ulong said.

At that moment in the distance at a distance of about three hundred meters they saw a group of people carrying torches were heading towards them. It seemed that the group was the people of the master kebon and the company's army, because that place was indeed not far from the master kebon's house.

The seven figures immediately turned around and rushed about to leave. "Tu. wait for the master" said Parman, the people dressed in black stopped and turned their heads. Parman ventured, already here we too will die he thought, then with a vibrating voice he said "to.please take us with you", please", Paijo who was cleaning dusty clothes looked in wonder at Parman.

"If we stay here, it's likely that we will be tortured and killed by Mr Kebon's men, for failing in our duty of guard" Parman said.

The seven black-clothed men turned to each other, "or at least take us out of here" this time Paijo who spoke after gathering courage earlier. Ulong nodded to his friends, "Come" said wrongly

someone who was with him.

Parman and Paijo followed to seven

that person ran towards the forest while occasionally looking back timidly.

In the dark without lighting they ran up to about a kilometer through a thick bush interspersed with large and small trees here. Countless number of scratches on the bodies of Parman and Paijo due to twigs and thorny plants. Moreover, both of them were only wearing singlets and barefoot trousers. Facilitate thistles and thorns to incise wounds.

Finally they arrived at the edge of a long swamp stretching for many kilometers. A few tens of meters across the swamp was a forest, invisible on a dark night like this. In some places like here this swamp is only a few tens of meters wide, but in others there are up to a kilometer, so it is not possible to be crossed.

Starting to feel muddy here, although there are still grass and bushes scattered to the middle of the swamp. The sound of frogs occasionally began to be heard chiming in the sound of crickets that continued to sound. Parman and Paijo were confused and afraid to stare at the dark marshes before them, the crescent moonlight reflecting above the watery swamp was not enough lighting for those who wanted to pass.

Some parts of the swamp may be deep enough and not too muddy so it can be bathed, as well as it should be done by those who are really experts and memorize this area, Parman thought. Or maybe these people were so powerful that they ran this way he thought again. Parman and Paijo waited expectantly for what the actions of the people they were following were.

Ulong and his friends had opened the scabbard that covered the face, they put it on the neck. Surprisingly, two of them were women with attractive faces, one was yellow, while the other was tanned, both were around the age of twenty. Unlike the men, they use a veil of hair cover behind a glove that was used to cover the face.

A faint smile appeared on Ulong's handsome face looking at Parman and Paijo's expressions, without saying anything he took a piece of rope lying on the ground and pulled it.

Once in the pull of the rope that is in the swamp stiffened and lifted to the waist. The rope had been tied by Ulong and his friends to long milestones in several places in the swamp, so just follow the rope groove they can cross the swamp without the need for any lighting assistance exactly like the dark night. This rope was made of straw, about thirty meters long and stopped at a safe part where there was another rope that was more or less the same length, there were two more string threads besides this one to follow before reaching the forest.

As for the footing across the swamp, Ulong and his friends used some banana tree trunks arranged side by side and then stabbed with wood and tied up. There were three rafts on the edge of the swamp that they rode on as they headed here, all three tied up on the edge of the swamp and disguised by putting grass on it.

Parman finally understood why these people could come and attack the plantation without being noticed, apparently they crossed the swamps to reach the plantation where he lived. Really clever strategy.

One week, Ulong and his friends set up the plot, which included studying the location of the attack, the escape route, and examining the swamp. Many times they traverse the swamp using a raft of banana stems and long wood as a means to direct the movement of the raft. Then from the top of the raft look for a place that is not too deep to install a milestone place to bend the rope. Because if the rope is not tied to the milestones as a possible barrier in the course of the raft will be carried by the flow of water in the swamp and difficult to control its direction.

On the edge of the swamp Ulong ordered his men to run to and fro to blur the trail. Feeling that the crew members Parman and Paijo also participated in doing the same thing.

"Hey don't go there, you'll be immersed" said one of the women followers of ulong, but late, Paijo too eager to step around until finally mired "brussh.." Paijo fell into a deep swamp. Again Parman can only sigh, want to laugh but they are still far from safety to be able to just laugh.

Together with others he immediately helped pull the paijo that had been immersed into the mud up to the neck. "Oah Jo..Jo " said Parman. The women who saw the incident laughed.

It is not difficult to pull a flattened paijo especially assisted by Ulong's people who are trained and powerful. But if there was no one else then the story would have been different, because in many locations the mud marshes here are not measurable in it.

Once in the second year of Parman and Paijo here, there are women workers who just arrived desperate to run to this swamp because they avoid some tiles who want to rape him.

The newly arrived woman did not know the situation here so ran towards the swamp. Although the roof tiles and other company soldiers had chased but they were late, because once they arrived at the swamp the woman had set. Only a small part of the woman's head and long hair was visible in the mud before slowly sinking away.

In addition to the story, this place according to the locals has also been very haunted since time immemorial. They say there is a legend of a giant snake guarding these swamps (although no one knows for sure where this giant snake guards in swamps this wide).

There is also a story about the kingdom of subtle creatures here with its inhabitants in the form of humans but legged like horses with the soles of the feet pointing backwards. In addition, various ghosts are also often seen appearing in this swamp even during the day. Not to mention the number of venomous animals and many other spooky stories that

make the people around always avoid this swamp.

"The mud stinks" said Paijo snorting after coming out of the mud and immediately clean the body with water there.

After that small incident they immediately split up as they had agreed in the beginning.

Ulong orders his two friends Siti and Laksmi to cross the swamp into the forest carrying Parman and Paijo with the help of a rope and two rafts of banana stems.

After the two rafts carrying Parman and Paijo left Ulong and two friends turned to the right, the remaining two men, Putra and Alam, turned left to burn tobacco farms or whatever company assets they encountered.

Ulong and two friends ran to the right about a few hundred meters through the thickets until they arrived at a group of forest palanquin trees that were dozens of meters high, then turned again to the left, turning again, the destination was the residence of the lord kebon. About twenty minutes running from where they split up earlier then they arrived at the master kebon's house.

Just as he expected, there were only two company soldiers standing guard on the terrace when they arrived there. The courtyard of the house was quite bright, the two soldiers were standing on the terrace chatting.

They certainly did not expect to be attacked here. Ulong and friends took a step closer and stopped at the bonsai hedges, then Ulong moved towards the back of the house in the darkness avoiding the light.

As soon as he approached the stables he jumped over the hedges that were only waist-high.

The soldiers did not see because their position was against Ulong. Ulong walked slowly then, pulled a dagger from the waist and threw the dagger towards the nape of the furthest soldier, the knife immediately stuck and the soldier immediately collapsed.

His shocked friend directly aimed the rifle at the ulong, but the ulong distance was already too close, he easily moved forward while tilting his body avoiding the barrel of the weapon.

The eruption of the weapon sounded so loud fired because the barrel was right in front of the chest of the ulong who dodged sideways, Ulong's ears buzzed for a moment.

Ulong turned his body quickly towards the back to narrow the distance and he arrived behind the soldier. A dagger he pulled again from the waist and plug it into the soldier's neck.

Hearing the commotion of several people coming out from inside the house, two indigenous women and one man who were all middle-aged. The women screamed in fear seeing the blood and corpses of soldiers on the terrace. The two friends of Ulong, Ahmad and Lukman came out of the darkness, they took the bedil belonging to the fallen soldiers and pointed it at the people and told them to be quiet.

A Dutch woman who may be the wife of Meneer Jan was seen running down the stairs with a little girl, it seems her daughter, Ahmad immediately chased and detained them.

Ulong and his friends took the six men to the yard, tied them all except for the Dutch princess who was about 5 years old, they let the little girl hold her mother in fear.

After that, Ulong's two friends entered the house to take whatever they could carry. While Ulong himself stood watching the people they tied up in the courtyard.

From that page the fire flames they created earlier still clearly look blazing has not been extinguished. The yellow light was seen extending upwards licking the sky, the smoke was white because what was burning was the dried tobacco collected in the wards.

"The result of the soil and sweat of our country's children, let it burn rather than just benefit the invaders" said Ulong.

The war has been running for 23 years between the Kingdom of Singung Serbanyaman and the Dutch Company assisted by Sultan Deli's forces.

Ulong's father was one of them

the retainer of Datuk Muhammad Kecil Surbakti's army is the uncle of Datuk Badiuzzaman Surbakti king Sunggal Serbanyaman today, the king who unites the resistance of the Malays, Karo, Aceh, and others, and Gayo against land grabbing by Dutch plantation airlines in his kingdom. Ulong's father was killed along with many other soldiers in a battle against the Dutch in 1872, when he was only 1 year old.

"Not a few victims who fell on both sides, blood and tears flooded everywhere during 23 years of conflict, the most disadvantaged is our people. For Dutch plantation airlines this may be just a business fight, and for their soldiers this is just a job. Every soldier killed will be replaced by another who needs a job.

But for us this is our existence and our pride as owners of this land.

If only this battlefield was not in our country it might not be as bitter as it feels" Ulong said in his heart.

Before long Ahmad and Lukman came out of the house with various goods. "It's long" said Lukman who lifted a box quite large. Ahmad was carrying a cloth package. They put the innards in the yard. "Burn whatever it is that cannot be carried" he ordered to his two friends, and then turned to the frightened captives

"Tell your Lord Kebon, Ulong Dagger and his friends to demand the right to our ancestral lands that your company has seized, so long as our rights are not granted, then we will fight. Better to die bone-white than to live with bleached eyes, better to die in war than to live in colonization".

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Houses, stables, sheds have all been in the deserter of the red whiz, brightly rivaling fires in tobacco wards that have not been extinguished, dark nights become bright. The captives tied up in the courtyard could only see Ulong and his two companions pass before them with five horses they had found in the stable. Two horses that were not ridden were used to carry various loot items and several guns.

"Hiyaaa.hiya.." they drove the horse eastward leaving a cloud of dust behind it.