Adventurer from Pasuruan

Ernest Douwes Dekker who was of mixed European and Javanese blood grew up in Pasuruan, a small city on the north coast of East Java. The rebellious spirit of the grandson of Eduard Douwes Dekker, author of Max Havelaar, grew stronger during the time he worked on two plantations in that region. When he saw how the native people were oppressed, Setiabudi resigned.At the age of 20, he took up arms against the British in the Transvaal Republic, South Africa. Setiabudi was shot and at one point imprisoned by the British. Later they set him free, calling him a "courageous youngster.Dekker married three times, all to European-Javanese women. He overcame various illnesses. His heart was weak, his lungs ravished by bronchitis. In his final moments he was still able to joke about his body, which had suffered the same fate as the Republic, "Walk 100 meters, stop, get pushed onward.