158 MASSACRE OF LIEUTENANT UNDERWOOD 



immediately leveled his gun at him, and ordered him to stop ; 

 he slackened his pace for a moment, and then continued to 

 retreat, upon which a ball was fired over his head, but none 

 at his body, lest it might provoke an attack on Lieutenant 

 Underwood. The escape of the hostage was evidently the 

 preconcerted signal for an attack on the shore-party. The 

 chief immediately gave orders to make fight, by the cry of 

 " Turanga," " Turanga." Mr. Underwood was at this mo- 

 ment knocked down and wounded in the shoulder with a 

 spear, but he recovered from the stunning effects of the blow, 

 and killed the native who threw the spear. At the same time 

 two other natives seized the musket of a sailor, named Clark, 

 and tried to wrest it from him. One of these he stabbed 

 in the breast with his sheath-knife, the other Mr. Underwood 

 struck on the head with the butt-end of his pistol, upon which 

 both relinquished their hold. Lieutenant Underwood now 

 ordered the crew to lose no time in regaining the boat, while 

 he and Mr. Henry covered their retreat. In this effort he 

 killed a native with one of his pistols, and was in the act of 

 drawing the second from his belt, when a blow which he re- 

 ceived on the head, brought him to the ground almost sense- 

 less. Recovering himself he renewed the contest, and killed 

 another native, but at length received a cut across the fore- 

 head with a pole-axe, which terminated his valuable life. 



In the meantime Mr. Henry had shot one of the natives 

 with his pistol-knife, and cut another down with the same 

 weapon, but seeing Lieutenant Underwood dead, was hastening 

 to the boat, when a missile struck him on the back of the head 

 and brought him to the ground. Clark, after shooting the 

 man who killed Mr. Underwood, succeeded in regaining the 

 boat, but was severely wounded. 



On seeing the attack, Lieutenants Alden and Emmons 



- 



