The San Francisco call., 1899-05-06
d in all likelihood losing men them

and in all likelihood losing men them
selves.
treat precipitately and are now back in
the neighborhood of those lines they held
this morning before the fight The bonn
bardment this afternoon was for the pur-
pose of again attempting to DESTROY the
fQruncatlons. AS they are concealed from
view and protected by a dense tropical
trees are five feet through, it is a very
dlfhcult matter TO make the least impress
sion by the use of shells Hundreds of
these costly missiles have been hurled at
the Mataafa people by the finest guns and
the most expert crews in the world but
up to the present there is no record OF a
single person having been killed, outside
OF the marine who was hurt at the United
states Consulate on the first day of the
fighting and of which / have already writ
ten. The poor fellow has since died of his
injuries.
On the first day of this present month
the most serious fight of the war took
place at Vailele, on the very same ground
on which was formerly fought the noted
engagement between the forces of Mataa-
ia and the German warships some ten
years ago. and again three of the fallen
sailors Were deCapitated according to Sa-
moan custom, and but for the timely as
party would have been annihilated. Again
the decapitated heads were sent back to
the friends just in time for interment
with the bodies
On Sunday. the POD of April. the coffins
containing the remains of these gallant
seamen were landed at Mulinuu, large
detachments from all the ships being
present This now makes twelve whites
who have perished in this quarrel and
have been laid to rest alongside CT
the German victims of the Vaiele fight,
which occurred ten years ago.
At 1:S0 o'clock on the LIST of April the
Royalist moved out of the harbor to the
eastward. where some of the Mataafa
forces were known to be located At 2:30
p. m. sixty British sailors and forty
Americans, taking with them a Colt au-
tomato gun, proceeded along the beach
toward Vailee Following them in a dis
orderly way We're about 200 Tanu men.
This party was unmolested until 1t had
nearly crossed the Vailele plantation At
Captain Hufnagel's drying works they
met the well-known manager and asked
if he had seen any Mataafa men about
and he assured the officer in charge that
he had not. The party then started 10
return. taking a route which led them
little more inland. They had descended
into a small ravine. which was filled with
long grass, and were about to ascend the
other side Of it when from all quarters
they were met by a shower of bullets
several being hit, and among the number
Lieutenant Lansdale OF the Philadelphia
was struck badly in the knee.
A charge was made down the rayine
and up its far side, the wounded being
carried along, and Lansdale. being
scratched his face. An attempt was made
to drive off the natives with the automat-
iC gun from this position and ii is con-
tended that this might have been done
If the machine had not got jammed and
useless. From all sides bullets were COM
ing, but very few natives were to be seen,
as they availed themselves of every sort
of shelter. While attending one Of the
wounded the commander Of the British