History of the massacre. 



FEEJEE GROUP. 



History of the massacre. 



245 



the ten he took with him from the Vincennes 

 remained. 



On landing they found no more than two pigs 

 tied to a tree for sale, instead of the four they had 

 been promised as presents. These the natives 

 declined selling until the chief, who was out upon 

 the reef fishing, should return. A messenger was 

 sent for him, and he soon made his appearance, 

 but conducted himself haughtily, and refused to 

 part with his hogs except for a musket, powder, 

 and ball, which being against orders was refused. 



Lieutenant Alden entertained some uneasiness 

 at the number of natives that had crowded around 

 the Leopard, and proceeded to join her, but was 

 detained near the reef about twenty minutes before 

 the tide would allow the boat to pass over, the first 

 cutter drawing more water than the Leopard. On 

 entering the bay, he found the Leopard at anchor 

 about two thousand feet from the shore, in just 

 sufficient water to enable his boat to get alongside. 

 He was informed by the boat's crew that Lieutenant 

 Underwood had gone on shore, leaving a hostage 

 in the Leopard, whom Lieutenant Alden imme- 

 diately took into his own boat. Lieutenant Under- 

 wood was accompanied to the shore by J. Clark, 

 armed with a rifle and sheath-knife ; J. Dunnock 

 and J. M'Kean, armed with cutlasses ; William 

 Leicester, who had the trade-box, unarmed ; John 

 Sac, interpreter, unarmed ; Jerome Davis and 

 Robert Furman, unarmed. The rest of his men 

 remained in the boat, armed with cutlasses and 

 two rifles. 



Lieutenant Underwood was now seen on the 

 beach, endeavouring to trade with a party of about 

 fifteen natives, whence he sent off Robert Furman, 

 a coloured boy, to Lieutenant Alden, to say that 

 the natives would not trade, except for powder, 

 shot, and muskets. Furman was sent back by 

 Lieutenant Alden to say, that he would not consent 

 to any such exchange while the schooner was 

 within reach ; that they could be supplied by her, 

 and that he must hurry off, as he thought he had 

 been long enough absent (having remained on 

 shore about an hour) to purchase all they required, 

 if the natives were disposed to trade. 



After this, Midshipman Henry asked, and Lieu- 

 tenant Alden gave him permission to land in the 

 canoe, and come off with Lieutenant Underwood. 

 A few moments after, a small canoe came alongside 

 Lieutenant Alden's boat, and exchanged some 

 words with the hostage, who displayed a little 

 anxiety to return with them to the shore. As the 

 canoe shoved off, he attempted to leave .the boat, 

 when Lieutenant Alden took him by . the arm 

 and directed him to sit down, giving him to under- 

 stand that he must keep quiet. Lieutenant Em- 

 mons now joined, and the Leopard was ordered to 

 drop in as near to the party on shore as possible. 

 The tide had by this time risen sufficiently to allow 

 her to go most of the way on the reef. After 

 another half hour had expired, Jerome Davis, one 

 of the boat's crew, came off with a message from 

 Lieutenant Underwood, that with another hatchet 

 he could purchase all he required. 



The hatchet was given to Davis, who was directed 

 to say to Lieutenant Underwood that Lieutenant 

 Alden desired to see him without delay, and that 

 he should come off as soon as possible with what 

 he had. 



While Lieutenant Alden was relating the cir- 



cumstances of the hostage's desire to escape to 

 Lieutenant Emmons, from the starboard side of the 

 boat, the hostage jumped overboard from the lar- 

 board quarter, and made for the shore, in two and 

 a half feet water, looking over his shoulder, so as 

 to dodge at the flash if fired at. He took a direc- 

 tion different from that of the party on the beach, 

 to divide the attention of those in the boats. Lieu- 

 tenant Alden immediately levelled his musket at 

 the hostage, who slackened his pace for a moment, 

 and then continued to retreat. 



Midshipman Clark, who was ready to fire, was 

 directed to fire over his head, which did not stop 

 him. 



J. Clark testifies that Lieutenant Underwood, 

 M'Kean, and himself, were standing near the 

 beach, waiting the return of Davis, when they saw 

 the chief escape from the boat, and heard the re- 

 port of the musket. The old chief, who was 

 standing near, immediately cried out that his son 

 was killed, and ordered the natives to make fight. 

 Upon this two of them seized upon Clark's rifle, 

 and tried to take 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 then ordered 

 the men to keep close together, and they endea- 

 voured to make their way to the boat, facing the 

 natives. Lieutenant Underwood also called upon 

 Midshipman Henry to assist in covering the retreat 

 of the men to the boats, to which Mr. Henry re- 

 plied, that he had just received a blow from the 

 club of a native, and would first have a crack at 

 him. He then pursued the native a few steps, and 

 cut him down with his bowie-knife pistol, and had 

 again reached the water's edge, when he was 

 struck with a short club on the back of the head, 

 just as he fired his pistol and shot a native. The 

 blow stunned him, and he fell with his face in the 

 water, when he was instantly surrounded by the 

 natives, who stripped him. The natives now 

 rushed out from the mangrove-bushes in great 

 numbers, some of them endeavouring to get be- 

 tween Lieutenant Underwood and the water, while 

 others crowded upon his party, throwing their 

 short-handled clubs and using their spears. Lieu- 

 tenant Underwood, having received a spear-wound, 

 fired, and ordered the men to do the same ; and 

 after he had fired his second pistol, was knocked 

 down by the blow of a club. Clark at the same 

 time was struck, and had no farther recollec- 

 tion. 



J. Dunnock says that he was at some distance 

 from Lieutenant Underwood at the time the at- 

 tack was made ; and the first intimation he had of 

 it, was Lieutenant Underwood's order to keep 

 together and go down to the boat. While obeying 

 the order, he saw the natives seize upon Clark's 

 rifle, and strike Lieutenant Underwood ; but after 

 this he had as much as he could do to avoid the 

 clubs and spears hurled at himself. He says that 

 Mr. Henry was near him, and up to his knees in 

 water, when he received the blow from the short 

 club which knocked him down lifeless, with his 

 face in the water. He did not see the hostage 

 escape, nor hear the gun fired. 



M'Kean states that he was standing by the side 

 of Lieutenant Underwood at the time they were 

 awaiting the return of Davis ; that suddenly there t 



