The Marunda’s Champion

The Legend from Old Jakarta or Batavia

Retold by Satoto Kusasi

The story happened at the year of Dutch Colony in Indonesia.    The Capital city of the Government Colony was Batavia, now Jakarta.     You could imagine what Batavian did at that time by listening the legend about some one who calls “Champion” or in jargon language is “Jagoan”.

Sheriff Ruiz was not happy that day since the robbery had been reported at Kemayoran district, his job territory.     He went to the case site; that was Yong’s house, a Chinese merchant who was robbed last night.   Saepan, the village chief of Kemayoran along with his staff as well as some officers followed Sheriff to investigate the house and the victim.   

After investigated Ruiz concluded that the doer must be Asni, a young man who lived at Kemayoran.   “Catch him and do investigate, he must be suspected of doing this case”, Ruiz said.

Some officers came to Asni’s home then caught and brought him to the police office.

“Please believe me, I am not a robber; no evident at all since I was at home last night with my mother and my brother; so you caught the wrong man” said Asni.

“Right, but I know that at least you knew the robber who robbed Mr. Yong’s house. So I will release you but with one condition that you must catch the robber; if you fail you must go to jail, do you understand?” said Sheriff Ruiz.

That was the way Sheriff Ruiz does his duty as usual and of course no lawyer for Mr. Sani since he was “inlanders” or native people then he must do some efforts by himself other wise he must go to jail.     But Asni was a Champion in his place that everybody knew him very well as Master of Silat or self-defense of Art.

“Right then I will assist you to catch the robber, but frankly I don’t know who did robbery of Yong’s house” said Asni.     He released that day and go off from police office.

On the next day Asni made investigation alone to Marunda, a district at edge of Batavia.

When he reached at the border of Marunda village, some one stopped his way for security purpose; that man was not an officer but a guard man.

“Hi you stranger, who are you?” some one yell from the guardhouse.

“Why are you suspicious about me in the daytime?” said Asni.

“How dare you, I asked you, don’t ask back me,” the guard looked angry and he got up from his chair then kicked Asni.    Asni evaded the attack then he gave a punch right to guard’s head then the guard was unconscious.    The other guard came with stick in his hand then he hit Asni with his stick.   Asni paralyzed him with easy way.

The guard ran away and reported to his Boss, Bang Bodong.  “Boss, there is a drunk man making trouble; we failed to catch him” said the guard.

“Where is he?” said Bang Bodong.

Asni was in front of him suddenly.    “I am not drunk and I never make any trouble to you” said Asni; Asni tried to explain what the mater was but it was useless since Bang Bodong suddenly moved to attack Asni.  Bang Bodong was an old master silat at Marunda; he also had plenty of bodyguards.

Bang Bodong fought with silat step movement of his mainstay.  Asni was occupied by his attack; he always evades Bodong’s attack but he never responds to make re attack.   Asni jumped and ran then by this way made Bang Bodong lose more of his energy.   Bang Bodong became fatigue then at last he surrendered.

“Remember, I come to your village with peaceful purpose and I am not a trouble maker” said Asni.

When Asni would continue his explanation, he was hit by Mirah, Bodong’s daughter who also Master of silat.  So the fighting continued and now against Mirah even though Asni want to make a peace.   Mirah used a stick to attack and this time made Sani was really occupied since Mirah was still fresh and Asni was fatigue.  But her stick never hit Asni, even Asni was able to catch her stick then Asni pulled it making Mirah fall down into gutter. 

Mirah got muddy dirt on her face.   She crept from gutter and now she was really mad.  She unsheathed her sword and again made an attack.    Now Asni realized that Mirah was mad so he must well prepare to receive her attack without weapon; so Asni stepped with sawhorse position.    Asni evaded her whip of sword and then he gave back attack her by giving a punch on her face, caught her sword and her body, threw her body up on a tree.

Mirah screamed and fell down from the tree into the ground.   But at the same time Asni was already below her and caught her successfully in his arm.

Some one clapped and saying “very good Champion, good luck, you are the winner and we are the loser; and you Mirah, your marriage partner is on your side now because you want to marry with some one who could defeat you as you said” said Bang Bodong.

Asni hold Mirah up against his chest, seemed he was happy since Mirah was really pretty girl and even his father agreed if his daughter become marriage partner of him.   

“Hi, release me!!” Mirah screamed.

Asni release her to the ground.    The girl’s face flushed because of shame.

“Mirah you must marry to this man to keep your promise” said Bang Bodong.   His bodyguards yelled hurray sign of agreed for the marriage.     And then Asni entered the Bodong’s family as would be son in law. 

Asni told his problem to Bang Bodong and his gang and asked them to assist catching the robber other wise he must go to jail.

Mirah told that she knew that Tirta and his gang should be suspected.   Tirta stay at Kerawang, a town that site eastern of Batavia.    “Yes I agree that he was suspect of the robbery but we must collect the evidence” said Bang Bodong.

They were busy to discuss how to prove Tirta as robber of case’s Yong the merchant.  At last Bang Bodong decided, “We will make a wedding party of you, Mirah and Asni and then I will invite Tirta.   If Tirta has never done the robbery then he would come.   Then I will call Sheriff Ruiz and his staff to attend the wedding party after Tirta has come”.

The wedding party of Mirah and Asni was gone on with merry; plenty of guest came including Tirta.   Tirta smiled to every body seemed that he was not guilty; if he had been guilty then he wouldn’t come, no evident that Tirta was a robber. 

 But at last Tirta saw Saepan, “Bek” or Village chief of Kemayoran, he became frightened, why did Saepan came in this party?    When Tirta turned his head he saw too many officers over there and seemed that they paid attention to him.    He couldn’t keep his frightened emotion when he also saw Sheriff Ruiz at the distance place even though that guy not paid attention to him.  

Suddenly Tirta hold his pistol gun and aimed his gun at Saepan, Bek (village chief) of Kemayoran.     “Every body freeze!!!” Tirta shouted then his pistol gun exploded made every body screamed then ran away in chaos.   Saepan was frightened but he couldn’t run since the gun was directed to his head.    At the critical moment Bang Bodong came to clear the problem of his very important guest.    But the pistol gun barked again for the second time and now it hit Bang Bodong, right to his arm and made Bang Bodong fall down unconscious.

Tirta ran away with gun in his hand, run after by plenty of officers at behind.    No body could catch Tirta since he ran fast, but suddenly some one jumped from the bush to catch Tirta’s leg.  That was Mirah who ran after Tirta but she used the other way.   The two was struggled to snatch the gun away.   Mirah was successful to snatch the gun away but its trigger still been hold by Tirta; Tirta triggered it then the gun exploded for the third time it hit Tirta’s body himself.   Tirta was going to die since the bullet hit right to his chest.

“Before I die, please take my present for you and for your husband Asni” Tirta said, then he gave a golden ornate belt buckle.

 Mirah was almost forgot that Tirta was an honor guest of her, not a bandit.  Mirah was also shy to do some thing not respectful to his guest like this happening because this job was not hers but an officer’s.

Tirta continued his saying, “thank you for your wedding invitation and I want to inform you that Asni is my brother from other mother.   My mother from Karawang and Asni’s mother from Banten but we have the same father.     Don’t forget to inform your husband about that because he never knows”.    Tirta’s face became more and more pale because of blood lost, at last he die.

Asni and Mirah were so sad that they cried for the dead of Tirta, Asni’s brother.

Bang Bodong had a serious wound in the upper arm of his left hand.    Some body put bandage to stop the bleeding and then transported to the CBZ Hospital at Cikini.   But he had treatment properly and he was going well.

At the end, Asni and Mirah were living happily until they grew old at Kemayoran.   Kemayoran was peaceful because of guarding the two “Jagoan” or the two Champion.

The owner of this story didn’t mention about Sheriff Ruiz whether he was grateful to those jagoan or not for the peaceful of Kemayoran.