Attack on Malolo. 



FEEJEE GROUP. 



Attack on Malolo. 



247 



nected, and for this purpose I kept under my own 

 immediate command, my gig, the first cutters of 

 the Vincennes and Peacock, under Lieutenants 

 Alden and Emmons, and the tender's boat, under 

 Midshipman Clark. 



The party which was to land and attack Sualib, 

 was placed under the orders of Lieutenant-Com- 

 mandant Ringgold. It was composed of seventy 

 officers and men, of the crews of the Porpoise and 

 tender, with a few men from the boats, and was 

 arranged in three divisions, under Lieutenant- 

 Commandant Ringgold himself, Lieutenants John- 

 son and Maury. To the party were also attached 

 Lieutenant North, Passed-Midshipmen Sinclair 

 and Eld, with Assistant-Surgeon Holmes and 

 Mr. Agate. 



The party had orders after landing to move 

 upon Sualib, destroying all the plantations they 

 should meet on their way, sparing none except 

 women and children. They were then to march 

 across the island to Arro, and join me for the pur- 

 pose of re-embarking. Acting-Master Totten, 

 who was too unwell to assist in active operations 

 on shore, was left in charge of the brig, with such 

 of the crew as were on the sick-list, and had orders 

 to prevent the natives escaping across the channel 

 to Malolo- lai-lai. 



Nine o'clock in the morning was the hour ap- 

 pointed for landing Lieutenant-Commandant Ring- 

 gold's force, which was effected in good order, and 

 the party being arranged in its three divisions, 

 marched off. Before the disembarkation was 

 effected, two natives endeavoured to pass over to 

 Malolo-lai-lai, but a well-directed shot from Mr. 

 Totten compelled them to return. 



As soon as Lieutenant-Commandant Ringgold's 

 party had moved off, two canoes were seen turn- 

 ing the point of Malolo-lai-lai. I gave immediate 

 orders to chase and intercept them, when, if they 

 were from any other island, they were to be 

 directed to return on their course, but if belonging 

 to Malolo, they were to be captured. All the 

 boats pulled out, and Lieutenant Emmons, who 

 took the lead, succeeded in cutting them off from 

 the shore. Through Oahu Sam, his interpreter, 

 he found that they belonged to Malolo, and the 

 men in Lieutenant Emmons's boat were so much 

 excited that they at once fired several muskets 

 into the canoes, by which some of the persons in 

 them were struck; the rest immediately jumped 

 overboard, and swam in various directions. By 

 this time I had approached near enough to order 

 the firing to cease, and quarter to be given. The 

 swimmers were then picked up. Among them 

 were found one of the chiefs of Arro, the town we 

 were about to attack, with a woman, a girl, and an 

 infant. I directed the three last to be set on 

 shore and liberated, telling them we did not war 

 against women and children. The men I sent on 

 board the brig, to be put in irons, and had the 

 canoes towed alongside of her. 



As soon as we reached the town of Arro, per- 

 ceiving no natives to oppose us, I despatched 

 Lieutenant Emmons to pull towards the approach- 

 ing canoes and intercept them, while with the rest 

 of the boats' crews the town of Arro was burnt. 

 In doing this we met with no hindrance, for al- 

 though the place was large, evidently populous, 

 and well fortified with a ditch and fence, it was 

 found deserted. Many of the male inhabitants, as 



I afterwards learned, had gone to Sualib, to aid in 

 the defence of that town, while others had accom- 

 panied the women and children to the mountains, 

 whither all their moveable property had also been 

 carried. 



Having completed the destruction of Arro, I 

 proceeded in the gig towards the north-west point 

 of the island, for the purpose of joining Lieutenant 

 Emmons, on rounding which, I observed the smoke 

 of the burning of Sualib. As I pulled around the 

 island, I saw many of the natives on the highest 

 peaks, whither they had retreated for safety, and 

 others upon the beach, who, on seeing the boat, 

 fled towards the mountains. In pursuit of these, 

 the " fiery spirits " were frequently sent, to their 

 great alarm. When I had proceeded far enough 

 to get a view of the bay in front of Sualib, neither 

 bbat nor canoes were in sight, and I turned back, 

 to rejoin the other boats off Arro. 



On reaching them, Lieutenant Alden reported 

 that he had executed the orders, and had, at high 

 water, towed off or destroyed all the canoes. 

 During my absence, an old man had ventured 

 down to the beach, with two others in his com- 

 pany, and made signs that he wished to speak with 

 them. They held a parley with him, through the 

 interpreter, and learned that he was the chief of 

 Arro. He told them that he was houseless, had 

 lost his property, his son, and many of his people; 

 he declared that his village had nothing to do with 

 the killing of the Papalangis, and offering pigs, &c., 

 as presents, begged that we would not punish him 

 any farther. 



Lieutenant -Commandant Ringgold-, with his 

 party, reached Arro just at sunset. His three 

 divisions were separated immediately after they 

 landed, in order to cover more space, and more 

 effectually to destroy the plantations. The division 

 under Lieutenant Maury was the first to approach 

 Sualib. As soon as the natives got sight of it, 

 they set up shouts of defiance. No signs of fear 

 were exhibited, but, on the contrary, every proof 

 of a determination to resist. 



Lieutenant-Commandant Ringgold in a short 

 time came up with his division, and on examining 

 the defences of the town, thought it expedient to 

 await the arrival of Lieutenant Johnson. Upon 

 the latter officer coming up, which was shortly 

 after, the three parties descended the hill, and 

 approached the ditch of the town. The natives 

 boldly sallied out to meet them, with a discharge 

 of arrows, and exhibited the utmost confidence. 

 They in truth believed their town to be impregna- 

 ble, for it had hitherto withstood every attack 

 made by Feejee warriors. Its defences evinced 

 no little skill in engineering: a ditch twelve feet 

 wide and full of mud and water, surrounded the 

 whole; next came a strong palisade, built of cocoa- 

 nut trunks, placed four or five feet apart, among 

 which was here and there a living tree; this pali- 

 sade was united by a fence of wicker-work, about 

 ten feet high, so strong and dense as to defy all 

 attempts to penetrate or even see through it; 

 inside of the palisade was a second ditch, recently 

 excavated, the earth thrown up from which formed 

 a parapet about four feet in thickness, and as many 

 in height. In the ditch the defenders sheltered 

 themselves, and only exposed their heads when 

 they rose to shoot through the loopholes left in the 

 palisade. As the whole party continued to ap- 



