SCENES OF THE NEW ZEALAND WAR.

Press, Volume XLVIII, Issue 7779, 5 February 1891, Page 2

SCENES OF THE NEW ZEALAND WAR.

Weekly Press.

The first morning of the new year broke dark and lowering. The men on the look out above the pah reported that all night long there had been great excitement amongst the Maoris. Many canoes had been seen poling up the river, heavily laden with goods and men. Few, if any, women or children were to be seen -amongst them. Lights were burning all night, and singing and barking in their Hau-hau fashion had been going on continually. We will descend the hill and take a nearer view of these fanatics. Waharoa* (largebr long mouth) hadbeen told the day before that the time had come, and he must at once obtain the things necessary for the removal of the tapu, as he had been previously instructed. This led the chief, in scanty clothing, with a long-handled tomahawk, to hide and skulk around the edges of the forest. He saw a man he did not know enter the road leading to the big rata. He followed at a distance. The man, after looking about, sat down on one side of the tree and lit his pipe. The savage skulked through the bush to the other side of the tree, then rushed silently and lightly through the comparatively clear space below its spreading , branches. The tomahawk gleamed, the blow was struck. The white man s form lay quivering, senseless, on the mosey ground. . The wild eyes of the Maori gleamed in triumphant hatred. He slashed the poor upturned face again, across and across, muttering curses with each repeated blow. Then, with savage exultation, he forced his strong thumbs behind the fallen man's eyeballs, wrenching, or scooping, them both out. Next, he took a black bottle from a shawl in which it had been wrapped and tied around his loins. The bleeding eyeballs were thrust into the folds from which he had just taken the bottle. The sheath knife at his back was drawn, and thrust into the man's still palpitating left breast, and the bottle more than half-filled from that crimson life-tide that flowed. He stooped and raised the body to do this, as seen by the Captain. Suddenly the white Captain's form met his eye ; less than a chain separated them. Whether he would have tried for another "victim or not. I cannot cay ; if the approaching white had been unarmed he might. As it was* his rapid glance caught sight of the dreaded revolver, as it was swung to the front. Then Captain Leighton had a reputation, a reputation wide as the colony amongst both races, far wider amongst his fellow countrymen. The revolver was too much. Waharoa rushed off, taking his tomahawk from the side of the tree as he passed, using the great trunk as a screen to his movements, and so by a devious bush track to the pah. Lest the reader should credit mc with drawing upon a vivid imagination for these facts, and those that follow, I will here explain how the particulars became known. A few miles below the redoubt, some five by land, and twelve by the river, on the land enclosed by the great sweeping bend to the north, which the river here made—as described in the earlier part of this story—a small branch, or hapu, of Wakanui s tribe dwelt. They were so completely at the mercy of the whites, their lands being a large reserve, that they elected to remain neutral In the coming, vs they had doneJn the past, struggles. Cbjecte of euspicion to both parties, they w«re closely watched. Their position was nor- an enviable one. Determined that his secret resolves should riot get wind through this channel, for it. was, they weJA knew, impossible to keepV>h'eir secrets from any members of the tribe, the chief and the priest resolved to take tie whole party prisoners. Fpr this purpose a taua, or war party, 100 strong, started down the river soon after dusk oil Ibe evening of the Major's party. They surrounded the little village, captured every soul in it before they were well awako,- put them into canoes, and poled back *o their pah before daylight. The pah stood upon an 'elbow of the river, m a .bend, where two branches of equal size mvt. One of these branches turned to the right, or south, sweeping through the forest some miles behind the European settlement. The other, at this part, ran straight toland\ ■ ■ Some three hundred armed men- had reached the pah .''from the interior, to attend the feasl—a feast of blood. Members of their own tribe had arrived from branches living down the riyer.and to the north. Those from the interior "had hutted themselves, o&fc of sight, behind a bend and spur of the Jef t branch of the river. T*ey crossed the right branch in canoes, and were continually in communication'with the pah. They tod brought news of more warriors on Che road, and, imieedy parties of ten and twenty were continually arriving to add to their forces. It -wasi, a* the reader will remember, New Soon after dark the King's flag was hoisted on the flagstaff! On the top of this pole, which stood in the middle of the large open, space, which is left Iα all pahs —the. bead of the murdered white man would have been stuck, had the victim, the Mataika, or first person killed, which like first blood, brings luck to the killers— been a toe* warrior or gentleman. The flagstaff would then - have been more important, with a head " morungaed " on

it. ' ■■*'*, The prisoners, some twenty in number men, women, and: children—were placed arqund the foot of the staff. .They stooped their heads forward as they squatted around the pole, drawing a blanket or shawl well over their heads, and. awaited, with Maori stolidity, their fate. They were to be tried for their lives, that night. The warriors from all quarters assembled, and squatted in a half circle around the prisoners. The priest, or prophet. Torea, and the chief of fche tribe, stood under the flag. jJow the priest addressed the tribe*. He was listened to with profound respect, deep '"ayes" -alone responding to hie eloquence. He worked them up to fever heat; they groaned, With horrible, hollow sighing, war dance groans, as they became more and more frenJeied. Sure, no other animals ever uttered such heart-quaking, soul-sinking, sickening sounds of dread andhorror. . ...... At a sign they threw off every shred of clothing and began to gallop round the pole, the chiefs and prisoners, tin allfoure like dogs. The priest began a "pal Mariri* hymn, and a chorus of dreadful hau haus was barked from the hollow, resounding, drum-like chests of all those barking dogs,, beasts, and any* thine you like but From these awful barking chants, sung as described, the fanatics got their name of hau hau. When the circle round the pole bad been once completed, at a signal all stopped and stood upright. Then the priest, Tjy the light of flaring pine torches, produced the two eyes of the murdered man. With mummeries and grimaces, ridiculous, perhaps, at any other time, in any other scene, bat terribly real and impressive to his audience, he handed one of the blood-stained eyes to Waharoa, the other he solemnly swallowed—whole. Waharoa followed his example. Then the twelve were called to the front as soon as the murmurs of admiration at this beastly act had ceased. Each of the twelve was muttered over in seeming prayer or incantation, and sprinkled with a few drops of blood from the bottle which the priest had held Iα his band during the whole ceremony. This, he said, took off the old.tapu Srotn theee men, but they must now be reconsecrated for the new work.

The ksnh&n circle was re-formed, and again, on all fours, the naked ignorant wretches began to gallop rou<id. This time the priest stood on the inner edge of the circle, which was widened out to give room. As each bare-backed savage passed Tozia'e finger was dipped in the bottle of blood, the man ncze to him remained still for a moment, while the blood-stained anger drew between his •boulders a figure like a "g" with two foils. A low Incantation was going on all the time, the men in the circle beating time and going through the movements of

galloping, without coverinof any ground, as each was marked and made bulletproof. That's the way our dear Maoris be« hayed before declaring war. Other, and more elaborate ceremonies, were cone through, to connecrate " The Twelve." When this performance was finiehed, all the chief warriors and men of mark: re* paired with the prisoners to the warl runanga, or parliament house, to try them. Long and earnest were their deliberations. Waharoa and nearly all his people were for instant execution. He would, be said, gladly kill every man, woman, and child in the hapu with his mere, if the council gave the word. Some few of these poor peoples' relatives and near friends hesitated, bub the warriors from the interior, led by their chief, were to a man opposed to extreme measures. It would, they said, have a very bad effect upon the inland tribes, the Waikatos especially. They could not afford to alienate the sympathies of their friends. No, let them live, let them be kept in confinement, till open war broke out, then they might; be released and their food saved for the fighters. Then they could do no harm. The danger lay in their divulging such tribal secrets as had come to their knowledge before actual war was declared; thus, putting the whites on their guard. Unwillingly and sullenly enough their tribe gave way; the thirst for blood, of some kind was held in restraint for the time being. Soon after, when war was actually raging in this unfortunate district, the prisoners were released. It was then that the story of their experiences, sufferings, and anxieties were made known to the writer aud others. The affairs of the prisoners having been settled, the priest ordered the twelve to go out, separately, at dawn of day, as "' torotoros," or " tuteis" (spies and scouts). They were to be followed in a few hours by small " torokes," or secret war parties. All their doing* were to be quiet and secret, no shot was to be fired, i except in extremity ; no building was to be burnt, as many lives were to be taken, as might be, before the whites had time to arm, alarm, or organise. Then, when concealment was no longer possible, Major Stewart's was to be the first house burned, as soon as the tapu had been removed. All whites caught were to be killed, driven into the sea, or otherwise exterminated.

My little attempt to describe the doings of these people is I know a failure. No pen ever did, or ever will, produce more thcin a faint idea of the horrid reality. No painter ever pictured, or ever will, picture it. The awful sounds, the fiendUh hell-like brutality of the tortured features it is impossible to convey; yet these are the things which give the living reality to the unutterable whole. (To be continued).