Evening journal. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1888-1932, 1889-02-01

mans nave DECIDED 10 put III cnu W tue
trouble by landing their. own men there
and massacring all the rebels" in a
night surprise. The wife proved to be a
sympathizer with Mataafa, and at once
sent him full details of the plot. AS to
what followed there are two fatty con-
Trajectory accounts. The Germans say
that Klein hastened to the rebel camp
with ammunition, and virtually took
command; that under his advice Mataafa
posted his men in ambush and when the
Germans arrived, "merely TO look after
the safety of German property at the vii
lage and plantations, they were treach-
erously murdered. Klein's story is very
different indeed, being briefly as fol-
lows:
About / AS a. m. guard ran in with
the information that the boats had
started. fastened to Mataa-
fa's men, and by that time the German
boats were almost abreast of them, but
about one-quarter of a mile from shore,
evidently standing well out from shore,
through a desire not to be observed. The
boats kept pulling up the coast, at the
same time heading slightly towards
shore. as though intending to land as
soon as the incoming tide would give
Aem favorable opportunity to do SO.
The soldiers of the king kept following
them up, however, crouching in the rifle
pits scattered along tks shore, made by
Mataafa's men in the battle of Matautu
last September.
when at the mouth of what is known
here as the first river, about three
fourths of a mile beyond the British con-
sulate the German boats had approached
within fifty yards of shore and were
evidently about TO land. The white suits
of the men-of-war sailors could easily be
distinguished, and the fact was also dis
cernible that they were in boats belong
ing to one Of the German men-of-war in
the harbor The rowlocks of the boats
were mufiled. The men could be heard
conversing in German in low tones. In
the largest boat, which was darker in
appearance than the other two. could be
seen only five or six dark forms, re-
sembling natives.
behind the rifle pits on shore, among
the brush and cocoanut trees and about
twenty-five yards from the waters edge,
were the $50 Mataafa men, each ready
to repel the attack if the Germans began
hostilities. Several chiefs were present.
Only few natives could speak English,
and these imperfectly. / was. therefore,
asked by one of the chiefs to call out to
the boats IN English and warn them not
TO land, it being the desire of Mataafa's
men not to fire upon the occupants if
they proved to be Germans unless abso-
lutely compelled to do so.
Il therefore called out in English.
Boat ahoyr repeating this three times.
AT the first hail the Germans could be
heard talking among themselves in low
tones Of surprise that they had been dis
covered. No answer was returned to
the succeeding hailing cries, although
the boats kept constantly coming closer
to the shore. ] then called out:
81 am told to tell you not to try to
land; if you do you will be fired upon
The boats still paid no attention to the
warning, and again / called to them:
DO not come closer. If you come
ashore your blood will be on your own
heads
'At this time the Germans were not
more than fifty yards from the breech-
loading guns Of the Mataafa men. Had
the latter been anxious to shoot or desir-
GUS of bringing on a conflict, probably
not one Of the occupants of the boats,
who numbered perhaps one hundred and
fifty, could have escaped. The Mataafa
men, notwithstanding the countless
wrongs they had suffered from the Ger