282 MALOLO. 



losing other valuable lives. The two chief vessels of my squadron 

 were at a distance, and I knew that the natives of Malolo were not 

 only guarded in their towns by fortifications, impregnable in their 

 own mode of warfare, but were furnished with fire-arms and ammu- 

 nition. To burn the dwellings in these fastnesses, as I had done at 

 Tye, if an adequate punishment for mere thefts, would have been no 

 sufficient penalty for the present heinous offence, nor would it have 

 served to deter the people of Malolo from similar acts for the future. 



The passions of all around me were excited to the highest pitch, 

 and although the most severely injured of any, it became my task to 

 restrain the desire of revenge within the bounds of prudent action in 

 the conduct of retaliatory measures, as it became afterwards my 

 endeavour to prevent a just and salutary punishment from becoming 

 a vindictive and indiscriminate massacre. 



My first duty was to receive the report of the officer in command of 

 the boats,* and to make such further inquiry into the circumstances 

 of the transaction, as should satisfy me that the bloody deed had not 

 been provoked on the part of the victims. The results of this inquiry 

 were as follows. 



On the 22d July, the first cutter of the Vincennes, Lieutenant 

 Alden and Midshipman Henry, and the Leopard, Lieutenant Under- 

 wood, left, as has been stated, the station at Eld Island, and proceeded 

 along the right side of Waia, for the purpose of fulfilling my orders 

 to survey the small islands lying north of Malolo. This done, they 

 had instructions to join the tender or Porpoise on the western side of 

 that island, and survey such islands as they might fall in with on the 

 way. After passing Waia, the boats anchored for the night under 

 one of the small islands. 



The next day, they were employed in the survey of the small 

 islands, and in the evening anchored in the bay on the east side of 

 Malolo, formed by it and Malolo-lai-lai, or Little Malolo. 



On reaching this place, Lieutenant Alden, being desirous of ascer- 

 taining if the Porpoise was at the anchorage on the west side, directed 

 Lieutenant Underwood to land near the south end of Malolo, and to 

 ascend a small eminence to get a view of that anchorage. Lieutenant 

 Alden, it appears, cautioned Lieutenant Underwood to go well armed 

 and to be on his guard with the natives, as on his former visit, about 

 six weeks before, he had been led to doubt their friendly disposition, 



* See Appendix XIV. 



