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