THE FIGHTING IN SAMOA.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XXVI, Issue 8508, 4 May 1899, Page 4

THE FIGHTING IN SAMOA.

WHAT IT IS LIKE. GAUNT AND HIS BRAVE MEN. Ib Malcolm Ross, the Christchurch Press correspondent at Samoa, thus describes one of the typical incidents of the present war :— A HOT FIGHT AT MANOAIA. On Saturday, 15th April, the hottest engagement in which the natives have as yet taken part took place at Mangaia, 15 miles to the eastward of Apia. The Porpoise, having nothing particular to do on that day, left at 3 o'clock in the morning, after taking on board Gaunt and a hundred of his men. The ship steamed up to Lulomoenga, and a shell was sent in from one of the 6-inch guns. A trader put off in a canoe, and some of the rebels beckoned to him to return. As he refused and paddled off hurriedly, six of the white caps came down to the beach, and shot at him, resting their rifles against cocoanut trees, and' taking deliberate > aim. The trader, however, got off to his boat, set sail, and escaped to the ship. He Baid that three.fourths of Mataafa's army were closing inshore ; it was too hot for him, and he was glad to escape. Gaunt had 100 of his men in three boats, and he was supported by an armed cutter from the ship, in charge of Lieutenan t Parker. Gaunt ana his friendlies landed and occupied the stone wall at the London Mission Station, from which we had been attacked about two weeks ago. The native missionaries implored Gaunt to go away, au all rouud the Romun Catholic Churoh and for 180 yards inland the Mataafa men were thick in the scrub. Gaunt asked his men if they would go on. They replied, " Whatever your orders are we will obey them. Wherever yon go we will go, but we will have a lot killed." One or two boats were burned, and the friendlies then withdrew, the ship covering with Bhell fire. The expedition then moved on to Fasitonas, pulling slowly in shallow water along the shore. Gaunt and his men again landed, and burned three more boats, one of which was a very large one. Then they burned the village of Mangaia, and while they were doing this the rebels came down on them from the bush, pouring past Cornwall's house in hundreds. They opened a hot fire on the red-caps, and the boat replied with the Nordenfeldt, while Allen, the pilot, and some of the men who were not rowing fired into the crowd as the rebels passed in front of a copra shed near the house. This made the rebels less daring, awl they sought cover, and crawled along all the time towards Gaunt.'s men. The latter were retired to the shelving beach, and replied to the enemy's fire, which, owing to the beach forming a natural trench, either did not reach them or went over tbeir heads. The Mataafa men fired from behind the burning village. Their line was now about 600 yards long, and they seemed to be in force of 2000, with plenty of ammunition. A CRITICAL MOMENT. The bullets began to fly thick and fast, and Gaunt's ammunition began to run low, so he and his men swam off to the boats, under heavy fire. Then occurred one of the mosl during tilings I have seen or heard of in Samoan warfare. Muliangi and about a dozen of his men refused to retire, and they were now seen charging into the square on the village, with tho rebels runing in scores before them, It seemed a miracle they were not all shot. The ship put in a heavy fire of shell, six meters and three-pounders, and Gaunt and his men again went ott' lo the assißtuucp of Muliangi and his fearless comrades. By this time tho rebels were in retreat, and Oauntaud his men again etvairi off to the boats, Muliangi And his company this time joining in the ueu-eat. Meantime, the Nordenfeldt in the gutter had been pumping lead all she feuew, but as most of the rebels were by this time under cover, the firs was probably not very effective. However, every round of ammunition was pumped away. While the firing was at its hottest, one of the rebels came out of the bush and waved hia arms and made other insulting gestures to the British. Allen and one of the men from the Porpoise cutter got their rifles ;m.l fired at him at 600 yds range. 7'lio Ibulletsfellii little short, and the rebel stood itlicrc in a defiant attitude, never shifting Biin ground. The bights were put up to lssOy<te, mid ho leaped into the nir and dropped. Ho was not seen again. Only two or three of the enemy were seen to fall, the bush was so thick, but nc learned afterwards that ej^ht were killed and w.veral wounded. Four of Giuinl's men were wounded, none of them badly ; but ;ill had a most miraculous escape. One man had two bullets through the buttock, ■another had liisepinc grazed, and the third 2iad a close shave past his .skull. The cutter was also under fire, and one bullet struck the brnsswork of the rowlock, and sent the brass into the ribs ot" the bluejacket who Wius rowing, He thought, he w*3 hurt, but tlie injury was slight, and all reached the ship with their lives. It ,vas n wonderful escape from a hot corner, especially when you remember that there were about two thousand men against a hundred. Why half of (jaunt's men were mot killed is a mystery. It e;in only be .attributed to the fact that the shelving Ijeach formed a natural trench, in which only their heads were exposed to the enemy, for the rebels on this occasion did not lire high— indeed, their lire was for the most part too low, for the bullets often hit up the dust in front of our lines.