246 



History of the massacre. 



FEEJEE GROUP. 



Burial of the slain. Preparations for 

 an attack on Malolo. 



was a movement among the natives, and the cause 

 of it was discovered to be the escape of the 

 hostage. Mr. Underwood, anticipating trouble, 

 immediately ordered the men to assemble and 

 make for the boat. 



John Sac's story corroborates that of M'Kean. 

 He says, that upon hearing the gun, and seeing 

 the hostage escaping, the chief cried out that his 

 son was killed, and gave the war-cry. 



On seeing the attack, Lieutenants Emmons and 

 Alden pushed for the shore, with both boats. The 

 former had already started to endeavour to retake 

 the hostage. The boats commenced firing as they 

 sailed in on some natives who appeared to be 

 wading out to meet them. As soon as the boats 

 took the bottom, all jumped out except two boat- 

 keepers, and waded in, occasionally firing at the 

 natives, who now retreated, carrying off their dead 

 and wounded, and soon disappeared among the 

 mangrove-bushes. 



Before reaching the beach, J. G. Clark was met 

 badly wounded, and was taken at once to the boats. 

 On the beach lay Lieutenant Underwood, partly 

 stripped, and Midshipman Henry, quite naked, with 

 a native close by the latter, badly wounded, who 

 was at once despatched. 



The party, picking up the bodies, bore them to 

 the boats. On the first inspection, some faint 

 hopes were entertained that Midshipman Henry 

 was not dead; but a second examination dissipated 

 this idea. 



The boats now hauled off, and made sail to join 

 the tender, where they had seen her in the morn- 

 ing at anchor. 



Every attention was paid to the wounded and 

 dead by the officers that affection and regard could 

 dictate; and I could not but feel a melancholy 

 satisfaction in having it in my power to pay them 

 the last sad duties, and that their bodies had been 

 rescued from the shambles of these odious canni- 

 bals. Yet, when I thought that even the grave 

 might not be held sacred from their hellish appe- 

 tites, I felt much concern relative to the disposition 

 of the bodies. I thought of committing them to 

 the open sea; but one of the secluded sand-islands 

 we had passed the day before occurred to me as a 

 place far enough removed from these condor-eyed 

 savages to permit them to be entombed in the 

 earth, without risk of exhumation, although there 

 was no doubt that our movements were closely 

 watched from the highest peaks. On consultation 

 with the officers, they concurred with my views on 

 this point. 



There being no doubt, from the reports of all 

 parties present, that this outrage was entirely un- 

 provoked, 1 had no hesitation in determining to 

 inflict the punishment it merited, and this, not by 

 the burning of the towns alone, but in the blood of 

 the plotters and actors in the massaci-e. 



The two first cutters of the Vincennes and Pea- 

 cock were therefore directed to take up stations to 

 prevent the escape of any persons from the island, 

 and before daylight Passed-Midshipman Eld was 

 despatched on the same service with the Leopard. 



The tender got under way at the same time, and 

 proceeded towards the spot I had chosen for the 

 place of burial. 



The sun rose clearly, and nothing could look 

 more beautiful and peaceful than did the little 

 group of islands, as we passed them in succession 



on our melancholy errand. At the last and largest, 

 about ten miles from Malolo, we came to anchor. 

 Dr. Fox and Mr. Agate went on shore to select a 

 place, and dig a common grave for both the vic- 

 tims. About nine o'clock they came off, and re- 

 ported to me that all was ready. The bodies were 

 now placed in my gig, side by side, wrapped in 

 their country's flag, and I pulled on shore, fol- 

 lowed by Mr. Sinclair and the officers in the 

 tender's boat. 



Only twenty sailors, (all dressed in white,) with 

 myself and officers, landed to pay this last mark of 

 affection and respect to those who had gone through 

 so many toils, and shared so many dangers with us, 

 and of whom we had been so suddenly bereaved. 

 The quiet of the scene, the solemnity of the occa- 

 sion, and the smallness of the number who assisted, 

 were all calculated to produce an unbroken silence. 

 The bodies were quietly taken up and borne along 

 to the centre of the island, where stood a grove of 

 ficus trees, whose limbs were entwined in all direc- 

 tions by running vines. It was a lonely and suitable 

 spot that had been chosen, in a shade so dense that 

 scarce a ray of the sun could penetrate it. 



The grave was dug deep in the pure white sand, 

 and sufficiently wide for the two corpses. Mr. Agate 

 read the funeral service so calmly and yet with 

 such feeling, that none who were present will for- 

 get the impression of that sad half hour. After the 

 bodies had been closed in, three volleys were fired 

 over the grave. We then used every precaution 

 to erase all marks that might indicate where these 

 unfortunate gentlemen were interred. I felt as if 

 to refrain from marking the spot where they were 

 laid, deprived us of one of the consolations that 

 alleviate the loss of a relative and friend, but was 

 relieved when it occurred to me to fix a more en- 

 during mark on that place, by naming the island 

 after my nephew, " Henry," and the px-etty cluster 

 of which it forms one, " Underwood Group." 



Places remote from the grave were now more 

 disturbed by footsteps and digging than the grave 

 itself, and our tracks were obliterated from the 

 sand, leaves being thrown about to obscure all indi- 

 cations that might lead the wary savage to the 

 resting-place of the dead. 



We wandered about the beach a short time, 

 after which we embarked and weighed our anchor 

 to return to Malolo. Shortly after, we discovered 

 the Porpoise entering the Malolo Passage, with 

 whom we soon joined company, and anchored 

 again in the bay on the east side of Malolo be- 

 fore dark. 



Preparations were now actively commenced to 

 punish the actors in this foul deed; the arms were 

 prepared, and the parties duly organized in the 

 course of the night. 



Upon the island of Malolo there are two towns, 

 Sualib and Arro. The former was on the south- 

 west side, and the residence of the principal actors 

 in the massacre. Upon this I intended to inflict 

 the heaviest blow. The latter, whose inhabitants 

 had also taken a part in the tragedy, and whose 

 unprovoked hostility had been exhibited by their 

 firing upon the boats from the mangrove-bushes, 

 I determined to burn to the ground. It was also 

 necessary to be prepared upon the water to prevent 

 any attempt at escape, or the more desperate effort 

 to capture the vessels, necessarily left under a 

 feeble guard. The two latter objects were con- 



