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第20章

a footnote to history-第20章

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brought them water。  The young sappers worked crouching; from the 

outside only an occasional head; or a hand emptying a shell of 

earth; was visible; and their enemies looked on inert from the line 

of the opposing forts。  The lists were not yet prepared; the 

tournament was not yet open; and the attacking force was suffered 

to throw up works under the silent guns of the defence。  But there 

is an end even to the delay of islanders。  As the white men stood 

and looked; the Tamasese line thundered into a volley; it was 

answered; the crowd of silent workers broke forth in laughter and 

cheers; and the battle had begun。



Thenceforward; all day and most of the next night; volley followed 

volley; and pounds of lead and pounds sterling of money continued 

to be blown into the air without cessation and almost without 

result。  Colonel de Coetlogon; an old soldier; described the noise 

as deafening。  The harbour was all struck with shots; a man was 

knocked over on the German war…ship; half Apia was under fire; and 

a house was pierced beyond the Mulivai。  All along the two lines of 

breastwork; the entrenched enemies exchanged this hail of balls; 

and away on the east of the battle the fusillade was maintained; 

with equal spirit; across the narrow barrier of the Fuisa。  The 

whole rear of the Tamaseses was enfiladed by this flank fire; and I 

have seen a house there; by the river brink; that was riddled with 

bullets like a piece of worm…eaten wreck…wood。  At this point of 

the field befell a trait of Samoan warfare worth recording。  Taiese 

(brother to Siteoni already mentioned) shot a Tamasese man。  He saw 

him fall; and; inflamed with the lust of glory; passed the river 

single…handed in that storm of missiles to secure the head。  On the 

farther bank; as was but natural; he fell himself; he who had gone 

to take a trophy remained to afford one; and the Mataafas; who had 

looked on exulting in the prospect of a triumph; saw themselves 

exposed instead to a disgrace。  Then rose one Vingi; passed the 

deadly water; swung the body of Taiese on his back; and returned 

unscathed to his own side; the head saved; the corpse filled with 

useless bullets。



At this rate of practice; the ammunition soon began to run low; and 

from an early hour of the afternoon; the Malietoa stores were 

visited by customers in search of more。  An elderly man came 

leaping and cheering; his gun in one hand; a basket of three heads 

in the other。  A fellow came shot through the forearm。  〃It doesn't 

hurt now;〃 he said; as he bought his cartridges; 〃but it will hurt 

to…morrow; and I want to fight while I can。〃  A third followed; a 

mere boy; with the end of his nose shot off: 〃Have you any 

painkiller? give it me quick; so that I can get back to fight。〃  On 

either side; there was the same delight in sound and smoke and 

schoolboy cheering; the same unsophisticated ardour of battle; and 

the misdirected skirmish proceeded with a din; and was illustrated 

with traits of bravery that would have fitted a Waterloo or a 

Sedan。



I have said how little I regard the alleged plan of battle。  At 

least it was now all gone to water。  The whole forces of Mataafa 

had leaked out; man by man; village by village; on the so…called 

false attack。  They were all pounding for their lives on the front 


and the left flank of Matautu。  About half…past three they 

enveloped the right flank also。  The defenders were driven back 

along the beach road as far as the pilot station at the turn of the 

land。  From this also they were dislodged; stubbornly fighting。  

One; it Is told; retreated to his middle in the lagoon; stood 

there; loading and firing; till he fell; and his body was found on 

the morrow pierced with four mortal wounds。  The Tamasese force was 

now enveloped on three sides; it was besides almost cut off from 

the sea; and across its whole rear and only way of retreat a fire 

of hostile bullets crossed from east and west; in the midst of 

which men were surprised to observe the birds continuing to sing; 

and a cow grazed all afternoon unhurt。  Doubtless here was the 

defence in a poor way; but then the attack was in irons。  For the 

Mataafas about the pilot house could scarcely advance beyond 

without coming under the fire of their own men from the other side 

of the Fuisa; and there was not enough organisation; perhaps not 

enough authority; to divert or to arrest that fire。



The progress of the fight along the beach road was visible from 

Mulinuu; and Brandeis despatched ten boats of reinforcements。  They 

crossed the harbour; paused for a while beside the ADLER … it is 

supposed for ammunition … and drew near the Matautu shore。  The 

Mataafa men lay close among the shore…side bushes; expecting their 

arrival; when a silly lad; in mere lightness of heart; fired a shot 

in the air。  My native friend; Mrs。 Mary Hamilton; ran out of her 

house and gave the culprit a good shaking:  an episode in the midst 

of battle as incongruous as the grazing cow。  But his sillier 

comrades followed his example; a harmless volley warned the boats 

what they might expect; and they drew back and passed outside the 

reef for the passage of the Fuisa。  Here they came under the fire 

of the right wing of the Mataafas on the river…bank。  The beach; 

raked east and west; appeared to them no place to land on。  And 

they hung off in the deep water of the lagoon inside the barrier 

reef; feebly fusillading the pilot house。



Between four and five; the Fabeata regiment (or folk of that 

village) on the Mataafa left; which had been under arms all day; 

fell to be withdrawn for rest and food; the Siumu regiment; which 

should have relieved it; was not ready or not notified in time; and 

the Tamaseses; gallantly profiting by the mismanagement; recovered 

the most of the ground in their proper right。  It was not for long。  

They lost it again; yard by yard and from house to house; till the 

pilot station was once more in the hands of the Mataafas。  This is 

the last definite incident in the battle。  The vicissitudes along 

the line of the entrenchments remain concealed from us under the 

cover of the forest。  Some part of the Tamasese position there 

appears to have been carried; but what part; or at what hour; or 

whether the advantage was maintained; I have never learned。  Night 

and rain; but not silence; closed upon the field。  The trenches 

were deep in mud; but the younger folk wrecked the houses in the 

neighbourhood; carried the roofs to the front; and lay under them; 

men and women together; through a long night of furious squalls and 

furious and useless volleys。  Meanwhile the older folk trailed back 

into Apia in the rain; they talked as they went of who had fallen 

and what heads had been taken upon either side … they seemed to 

know by name the losses upon both; and drenched with wet and broken 

with excitement and fatigue; they crawled into the verandahs of the 

town to eat and sleep。  The morrow broke grey and drizzly; but as 

so often happens in the islands; cleared up into a glorious day。  

During the night; the majority of the defenders had taken advantage 

of the rain and darkness and stolen from their forts unobserved。  

The rallying sign of the Tamaseses had been a white handkerchief。  

With the dawn; the de Coetlogons from the English consulate beheld 

the ground strewn with these badges discarded; and close by the 

house; a belated turncoat was still changing white for red。  

Matautu was lost; Tamasese was confined to Mulinuu; and by nine 

o'clock two Mataafa villages paraded the streets of Apia; taking 

possession。  The cost of this respectable success in ammunition 

must have been enormous; in life it was but small。  Some compute 

forty killed on either side; others forty on both; three or four 

being women and one a white man; master of a schooner from Fiji。  

Nor was the number even of the wounded at 

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