266 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 of 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 follow. 
On the 22d July, the first cutter of the Vincennes, Lieutenant Alden 
and Midshipman Henry, and the Leopard, Lieutenant Underwood, 
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, and, 
in consequence, had avoided having any communication with them. 
He also directed Lieutenant Underwood to return before sunset. 
* See Appendix XIV. 
