The War in New Zealand

Auckland Star, Volume XXIII, Issue 156, 2 July 1892, Page 9

The War in New Zealand

ttHE TAUPO CAMPAIGN vOF

iS6()-70.

End of the Maori War.

(BY LIEUTENANT COLONEL M<!DONNEIiIi,)

[ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.]

False Reports About Te Kooti's Move. vjiests. ■■■• '.■ Colonel Morell now arrived with 350 men, and informed me that he knew where Te Kooti was. 'He has been here this morning to breakfast with us, my dear Morell,' I reptiod, much to his astonishment- I despatched Kemp wibh 300 men to hunt up Te Kooti's trail, while I marched off in another direction with 150 to find out whether he had tried to get back to the Urewera Country, but an orderly followed me soon after bringing a note from Mr Preece that Te Kooti was reported to have gone back to Tauranga, so I returned to camp in the afternoon, and found Mr Brannigan had ridden in with the news that Te Kooti was at the Waotu, and that he had a native employed in watching him there. Now, i was perfectly certain that Te Kooti was anywhere but at the Waotu, distant several miles, but thought ib prudent not to disturb Mr Brannigan's ridiculous faith in his supposed spy, who was far more likely to be watching him, in the interests of Te Kooti. So I let him alone, lest a worse thing happen. However, to satisfy ColonelMorell I sent Mr Preece with 30 men to make a half-circle round to see if there were any tracks. On his return he reported there were no signs of any on© having gone in that direction. Mr Brannigan, I bad reason then to believe, was not quite Bane; there is no doubt he was not, and he ended his days in an asylum. On the morning of the 28bh I was on the point of going out with some men, when a Mr Pribchard spurred into camp breathless with the news that he had just left Paparamu, a small post twelve miles off, and soon after he had heard heavy firing and was certain that post had been surprised by Te Kooti, or that the man ordered out by Mr Brannigan to search a piece of bush for Te Kooti had been annihilated. I did not believe this, but countermanded the parade till P sent.Mr Preece to reconnoitre, but now a Mr Bonsoni rode in and said he had lost hia road, and said he feared Te Kooti was close to. It turned out that some of tha men ab Paparamu had discharged some of their rifles in one volley. 1 warned Mr Brannigan never to interfere again, or send men on such abortive' errands to look for Te Kooti without any permission, and that if he did so again he, would have to take the consequences. • A Disheartening Hunt. I now found out that Te Kooti was some" where between the Thames and Tauranga' having an interview with Mr Firth, who was complicating matters by his unwarrantable interference. New Zealand is a young country, but being so young. is, I suppoaejHjha - reason' why such" very, 'extraordinary and curious things have been allowed to pass almosb without comment, unnoticed in fact by our rulers. I at once marched out, hoping to be in time to be present at this remarkable interview, but Te Kooti had returned from his visit to Mr Firth, to whom he had complained of being hunted ! This seemed to me to be so utterly ridiculous I could scarcely believe it, but it was true. We came on to one of Te Kooti's camps, which was quite warm. Here we found some splints and bandages, and a man who had just died from wounds, Te Kooti's flag in its cover, and some ammunition. We followed up sharp in the bush in two directions, when the enemy poured in a volley, and we had a sharp skirmish,' and killed two of them. We again engaged them a mile further on and shot another, and Mr Preece captured a prisoner, who informed us that Te Kooti lost seven killed and four wounded at his attack on our camp ab Tapapa, and it was one of the latter we had found dead. • , I passed over this prisoner to Topia, who ab once enrolled him with, his tribe. Ib seemed to make no difference to him which side he was on. Like the countryman at, the Battle of Preston Pans, who was found behind a hedge firing at random, first at the Pretender's troops,and then at the opposite side ; so with this man, probably he had a grievance, or had heeri retrenched, and went to the wars to ease his feelings. Who knows ? J Astounding News. The next day a messenger came post! haste from camp Tapapa with the astound-' ing news that Lieub. Mail", with the Arawas from Rotorua, had arrived through the bush from Ohinemutu — the Arawa settlement that I had especially ordered to be strictly guarded by every available barrier in that neighbourhood—sol hurried back to camp at once, full speed, as I felt certain that Te Kooti sooner or later, if he escaped us,would make forthatsebtlementtp ■ get through to the Urewera Country, as we were making it too hob for him,' and the King party had refused to shield him, : because Topia had declared againsb him when interviewed by Sir William Fox up the Wa'nganui River. Ib would have been an insult to Topia beyond their power to retrieve had the King tribes done otherwise, and he was then one of their most powerful supporters. ■ I felt terribly anxious about the safety of the women and children at Ohinemutu, as if Te Kooti happened to drop on that ; settlement in the absence of its defenders the women aud children would be butchered by him to a certainty. I inquired ot Lieub. Mair, a very intelligent officer, when I got to camp, why he had marched through the bush from Ohinemutu, thus leaving the women and children without anyone to protect them.- In answer to this he told me he had been instructed to do so by Colonel Fraser, who had told him that his orders were from the Defence Minister, that he was bo leave Ohinemutu and effect a juncture with me at Tapapa, as thab he, Colonel Fraser, had had to retire from Te Kuti, near Tauranga, therefore he, Mair, on arriving in camp, had ab once sent to leb me know the position, so that I could send him hack posb haste. It was enough to drive one wild, but I ordered ', them back at once, and told them, what I indeed thought, thab I feared they would arrive too late if Te Kooti had retreated that way. I forget now how long they took to return the 25 miles they had come through the dense forest, but it was accomplished in an incredibly shorb time, I think under five hours.

Colonel Frasor had received ray orders to march from Tauranga, and meet) one of our columns. He started, bub foil in with To Kooti's advanced guard "of spouts, who infliotod a defeat on him, anj^jhe retired with loss to Tauranga, and thorfl went to Maketu iirthe Government gun boat;;aad on arriving there instead of sending to Lieut. Malr, commanding the Arawa, to -keep an extra look quo, he actually ordered him to

march to Tapapa, thus leaving the only outlet open and unguarded for Te Koofci to ; ■ escape by. and where the helpless women and children of the: Arawas were. Mair and his men arrived none too soon, bub fagged from their extraordinary march. . Kemp, meanwhile, whom I had sent to ■ scout the country- near .Tauranga, had : halted in the bush and consumed the rations thab issued for that expedition. I left camp with 136 native men to hunt through the bush in the direction of Tauranga. We arrived at Kaimai on the Bth of February, and I rode on with three natives to reconnoitre. Between here and Tauranga we came across traces of a fight, and a strong, trail leading to Orope, on the road to Ohinemutu. This I rightly judged to be Te Kooti's line of retreat, but to make certain rode on to Tauranga, where I found ; Kemp and his men enjoying themselves. v I returned the same night after an inter* view with Mr Clarke, the Civil Commis- ' sioner, and determined to march to OhinumutuviaOrope. AnArawachief, WiMaake, - returned with me, to where I had left the force under Major Hay. Maake promised to show us the way, as he knew this part of i the country. The men fell in, but ib was a dark night and my friend Wi Maake, purposely I believe, missed the track, a pre- ■■;. arranged plan with the Wanganuis, and ■_■) we were forced to go to Tauranga. . Te Kooti's Attack on Ohinemutu— ; * : Gallant. Defence. ' , .'., .:." Ib turned oubthab after Te Koobi had defeated Colonel Fraser, killing three of hia column, he went straight for Ohinemutu ab ' Rotorua, his scouts having informed him *' thab all the Arawa were away ab Tapapa, wibh Mair, bub in this he made a mistake. He attempted to surprise the pa and / village, bub was unexpectedly encountered by Mair and his men, some 20—th»-.rest were too fagged to do anything bub > man their defences — and after a ' sharp skirmish Te Kooti rotreated and struck out for the Urewera Country. Lieub. Mair and his men behaved most) ■ bravely. After Te Kooti's besb man and . bugler had been shot by Mair, they turned and fled, and the chase was kepfe. up till dark. The plucky white band had had nothing to cab for twelve hours. To Kooti lost twelve of his besb men. For this gallant service I bad the pleasure to recommend Mr Mair for his promotion, and he received his captaincy, and many v years afterwards the New Zealand Cross for valour. Lieutenant Preece also gob his promotion, and wibh ib the much-prized' Cross. A Plucky Deed. . Te Kooti continued his retreat after the-;,'.. chase had been abandoned. And now for a plucky deed, that sbands by itself. An Arawa, one of Nga te Manawa, named Tiwha-te-Rangi-Kaheke, and his wife, Hora Peka, who had been left in charge of a small settlement not far from Roboma- ■ hana, saw Te Koobi and his force, some sixty men, riding and streaming along the road in their direction, making for the1 village. They had no knowledge that there had been a fight. Nothing daunted, and disdaining to retreat, Tiwha told hia ; wife to bring one of bis guns with her, and arming himself with the other they both started off over the ridge of low. hills to meet the enemy, and when within range commenced to blaze '{' into them as rapidly as they both could; They turned the head of the column, and then peppered away ab their flank, until they had gone pasty and i then-harassed their rear until they had seen them clear put of the district, when they returned to their village, apparently unconscious * that they had done anything worbhy of note. 'It made me very savage,', he said, 'when I saw that fellow ' coming to destroy my place, so I said to my wife, "We will fight him for St," and A we won the battle.' And 80 he did, bravely supported by bis wife. Now^had such an e^nbhappened; say; in France—thab mosb chivalrous ;of nations—or in England," I , wonder what honours would have been shown to those two ?—but, alas ! in New Zealand those who fought had no glorious v past, and no bright future to look forward to. To grow the biggest and fattesb bullock,' and produce the heaviest fleece, is apparently the only road to honour and fame ! The man entitled to such is he who has the most tallow and the fattest hegs !

{To fie Continued.)