78 TUTUILA, 



and while on shore, a number of canoes belonging to the island of 

 Upolu (to which Tutuila was at the time subject), went from the shore, 

 and proceeded directly to the vessels. When these canoes were 

 alongside, a young man in one of them laid his hand on an iron bolt 

 in some part of the ships, with the intention, it is supposed, of stealing 

 it. He was fired upon by the French. The ball passed through his 

 shoulders, and mortally wounded him. The natives, on seeing the 

 effect of the shot on one of their number, were greatly enraged, and 

 immediately left the vessels, and hastened to the shore, where they 

 found the boats that had gone to get water. On reaching them, they 

 began the attack, which resulted in the massacre of M. De Langle, 

 and of those who were with him on shore. When the natives began 

 this attack, the great body of the French were absent from their 

 boats ; some were in the bushes gathering plants, and others talking 

 to the females. On the commencement of the disturbance, they all 

 rushed towards their boats, and the confusion became general. 

 The minute circumstances of the affray, farther than the above, 

 cannot now be ascertained from the natives. They are, however, 

 very clear in reference to the cause, and to those who were the actors 

 in it, viz., the natives of Upolu. The Tutuilians maintain that they 

 endeavoured to save the lives of the French, and on the following 

 day, as soon as they dared to venture from the mountains, whither 

 they had fled during the massacre, they collected the bodies, which 

 they found in a state of nudity, dressed them in native cloth, and 

 buried them in the beach, as they were accustomed to bury their own 

 chiefs. The actors in the massacre proceeded at once to Upolu, 

 which will account for their having been afterwards seen there, and 

 recognised by the French. Our inquiries relative to the spot where 

 they had buried the bodies, were not satisfactorily answered. How 

 the carpenter's son escaped is not known. He is said to be still 

 living at a village on the eastern part of the island. There appears 

 to be mention made of a boy among the missing, in La Perouse's 

 account. Levasii, a chief of the district of Faleletai, was at the 

 massacre of the party of La Perouse. He was then a boy of thirteen 

 years of age. He remembered the occurrence, and that three of the 

 Papalangi were killed. 



The perpetrators of the deed were some young chiefs from the 

 district, who were on a " Malanga" to Tutuila, At that time Aana 

 district had the rule, or. was the " Malo" party, and domineered over 

 the inhabitants of the other islands and districts. 



