The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1889-02-05
THE SAMOAN QUESTION.
Continued from page 1.

brought 1ldlQed. Ile secretary 10 d.
masese, who had been the deposed
King Malietoa's secretary. In the
evening Mamea wrote a secret letter
to his wife, divulging the whole plan
of the Germans. Sailors from their
three ships were to make joint at
tack with Tamasese's men at night
upon the native village of Matafaga-
tele. Neutral territory in Apia was
to be no longer recognized, Tama-
sese's men being told they We're at
liberty to shoot Mataafa's men within
the neutral bounds or wherever they
met them. It was the intention to
kill as many Of the men as possible.
and capture the women and
children for hostages. If it was
found impracticable to attack Mata,
fagatele, the Germans were to con
tinue on to Waililii, the site of a Ger
man plantation, where the Germans
would erect a fortifcation. 1t was
calculated that the natives would be
afraid to fight 1.-The rebels" because
the latter would be under the protec-
ton of German troops. Mamea's
wife. in pursuance of the Samoan
custom of warning friends on the OPP
posing side of an attack, informed
some of her friends among the Mata-
afa people of the contemplated at
tack on Matafagatele.
GOING FORTH TO MEET THE FOE.
The correspondent describes the
summoning to arms at IL o'clock at
night, to defend the threatened
village. Concerning himself the fol-
lowing statement is interesting after
the celebrity lie has attained on both
hemispheres for his presence in the
conflict: Il dressed hastily and,
taking weapons with me, started
with the natives up the main road
toward Matafagatele, solely in my
capacity as special correspondent of
the Examiner"
Shortly before 2 o'clock in the
morning word was given that boats
had left the German ships. The
correspondent ran back to the Brit
ish Consulate to give information of
what was going ON, and found that
Consul Coetlogon had hoisted red
signal lamp on the flag staff, the
understood warning of danger to
Capt. Hand of the Royalist. From
the Consulate three boats were
plainly seen in the moonlight pull
ing past in the direction of Matafa
gatele.
HOW THE BATTLE BEGAN.
The boats kept pulling up the
coast, getting nearer the beach all
the time. Mataafa's men were fol
lowing them up in ambush on shore.
Two of the boats were seen to be
filled with men in naval suits, but
the longest boat only showed five or
six dark figures padding. Klein, at
the request of one of the chiefs,
hailed the boats to tell them that
Mataafa's men were present and de-
sired no trouble, but if the Germans
persisted in trying to land they
would be fired upon. He called
" Boat ahoy!" three times, and after
the first hail the boats ceased rowing,
while conversation in low tones was
heard from the Germans. Klein
sung out the chiefs message a second
time, as the boats were still coming
nearer. At this second warning two
Of the boats pulled away directly off
land, but the largest went on up the
coast about one hundred yards from
shore. It was afterward learned that
the two boats went to Waililii to
await the arrival of the, third. Ten
men with one chief and the CORES
pondent ran round the shore of the
bay for a mile and half, for the
of being present when the
large boat landed so as to ascertain,
# possible, the intentions of its oc-
cupants. They had approached
within four hundred yards Of the
BOAT, which was $50 yards from the
shore, when three men came out of
5he bush on horseback and signaled
with lanterns to the boats. Immedi-
ately upon the signal being given a
of men in white and dark
suits sprang up from the bottom of
he boat and waded ashore when the
BOAT had come closer to the beach.
Several of the natives approached
nearer to the boat and were watch
ng the movements of it closely,
when they were fired at by the sailors
n the boat. Immediately a fire was
opened on the Mataafa men from a
'ock and brush breastwork, which
lad been constructed on the beach
ust opposite to where the boat
anded."
The correspondent here tells of |
he South Sea Island plantation la
,orers who assisted the Germans in
he fight, and proceeds : The lat |
er Mataafa men returned the fire,
when the sailors to the number of |
orty or fifty, who had in the mean
ime all landed, began to shoot at |
hem. Within one minute the Ger
mans had fired probably 200 shots at
he few Mataafa soldiers in the vici-
lity, and bullets few about us in a
most unpleasant way. Refuge was
AIKEN behind cocoanut trees until
he shots decreased. The Tuna
aga men, finding themselves heav-
ly handicapped, naturally retreated |
or reinforcements, and together we
rev back about one-quarter of a