IN THE EARLY DAYS.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 477, 8 April 1909, Page 4

IN THE EARLY DAYS.

CAMPAIGNING IN TARANAKI. MEMORIES OF A CIVIL SERVANT. Among the chief departmental officers who retired from the service at tho end of tho financial year is Mr. Thomas Humphries, Surveyor-General, who has an unbroken service of 52 years, if tho regime of Provincial and General Governments bo taken as one public employment. Ho was born in London in 1841, and came to tho colony with his parents when quite a lad, entering the Survey 'Department in Taranaki as a cadet in 1857. In tho same office, Mr. C. W. Hurstlionso, late Chief Engineer for Roads, had begun his career two years previously. Both fought in tho troublous times of 1860, and later, when tho township of New Plymouth was a pallisaded settlemeht, with forts hero and there round a semi-circle, the two points of which ended at low-water mark on the beach. Since then tho two men, who have retained a warm friendship for each oilier, have rim neck and neck through tho long term of public service, and each ended at the head cf his Department. Strenuous indeed must have been the "early days in Taranaki, when none strayed out of sight of tho pallisades that walled in 'tho little pioneering settlement of New ! -Plymouth, straggling along the hillside not far from tho edge of tho primeval forests peopled by % a savago and wily foe. It was compulsory military training in real earnest, as all night Jong sontrics woro posted to cover tho ground between the forts that surrounded the place. / After "Big Jack." Some of the earliest recollections of Messrs. Humphries and Hursthouao arc associated with tho year 1860, when the Maoris were really formidable. , Ono dusky knight of the mere and the club had carried an English officer's head through tho country, preaching war as ho went, and his call to arms fell on willing ears. This was a Maori named Big Jack. Ho was badly "wanted," this lrugo savage, and Atkinson's Biish Party were particularly keen on putting an «nd to his inflammatory and dangerous career. So on a day appointed a party of five scouts went ahead of tho main body—a hundred picked men —to locate tho pa where Big Jack.was assumed to be "at home." As the country was rough, and tho scouts' Knowledge of it very limited, they dragged with them a Maori prisoner, who they hoped would show tho way. The Native resisted Until forcing him along became too cruel a proceeding, and ho was sent to the rear. An Ambuscade. .Tho advance party went on quietly feeling its way through tho dense bush, until suddenly something was heard moving in the gully ahead. An ambush was at once formed,, and-. rifles were cocked. All wan dead still—savo tho sound of advancing footsteps. Could it bo Big Jack? They all hoped so, with a ■ suspense that pained. Nearer and nearer came the stops, until tho panting breath could be heard, and then—an old Maori woman ambled into sight! They pounced upon her quickly, and took means to prevent her calling out. They knew that tho pa could not be far away, and they asked. her where it was. She answered that it was tip the hill, through the bush in a certain direction. Tho party went carefully ahead up tho hill,' and suro enough, across a clearing, the pallisades of a Maori work presently rose into view. Tempting Death In a Pa. . Duty.in its strictest sense told them to retire, and report the location of tho pa, but these young hot-bloods had viows of their own on i this matter. They crept round tlie"dearihg,-'weH out of sight"'"ahd approached the pa from behind, where, finding a hole in the earth, evidently mado in case a sudden retreat becanio necessary, they gamed admittance to the space "between, the ..pallisades.. and tho parapet—tho' inner ahd outer protections of the pa, and there —clear before their eyes was Big Jack, declaiming fiercely to a ring of squatting Natives. Slowly ono of the scouts raised his barrel until .Jack stood between the sights. As he drew trigger, his shoulder was pushed by one of tho others, overmkiom to fill Jack with lead, and the shot .missed. Pell-mell out of ?. PV rusl ! ed tho alarmed Natives, only to bo met by the main b'od'v of Atkinson's jiuih Party, who did some execution before the incident closed. Such w6ro the incidents of the bush which gave a piquancy to lite m Taranaki. in 1860. Tho Midnight Alarm.

Mr. Humphries gave the outlines of the above stories about others. He tells art other m which his friend Mr. Hursthouso figured prominently. They were sontr c between, tiro of tho forts that ringed' Now thiough thei fern and underscrnb to see that no hostile Maori came- too close. On this particular night .young Hursthouso told joung Humphries that ho intended to have a shot at something, but tho latter thought nothing of tho remark at tho time, Both wont on duty, and were keeping a watchful eye on the dim, billowy fern, when Hufsthouso was heard barking tho sharp challenge: ' "Who goes toe?" No answer. Then again through tho night: "Who goes therc-srxak, or I fire!" A silent moment, then a flash and a crack. A■shot at midnight! It was real causo for alarm, and soon every window was alight in tho township, as tho order was, that, on an alarm, all windows should bo illuminated to light tho roads in order that tho troops could bo assembled The military turned out, and ..wi c i ii amo P llo P in S along the lino. "Who fired that shot?" he asked Hum"Hursfliouse, sir!" HufsthotiGo obstinately stuck to the statement that he had seen- something suspicious moving in the fern. A picket was turned out to skirmish through tho fern, and eject all in-truders-if any wore still alive. Amidst excitement tho search was made, and it was gloriously successful-they. found a dead horse. Hursthouse said that it must have been the rise and fall of the horse's head as iKvwas feeding that led him into firing. ■Iho story passed.

Th'e Maori's Little Joke. : Taking tho ' To Arei Pah at tho ttaitara was not child's play. It had to be done systematically, and the troops had to sap up to.it laboriously, digging trenches that overappcd ono another behind ii sap-roller a huge bullet-proof bundle of supplejacks. ■ In ihis manner the approach had been pushed to within 200 yards of the pa, and still the Natives stood firm. It was the practice for tho sappers to return after tho day's Work to tho main redoubt. One nwnvHig they approached their work to find the precious roller that was to afford them protection missing, and looking up, saw that tho Maoris had come down during tho night rolled it up the slopo, and there it was exiilbitcd contemptuously in a prominent place, lhero was nothing for it but to make another roller, which was quickly done, but this time tho officer of the engineers resolved not to bo outwitted again. Ho planted <i shell each night with a lanyard contrivance, which ensured that if anyone stumbled across tho lino tho shell would explode. Not for three of four nights did tho Maoris venture out, then their senso , of humour overcame them,- and they made a dash for the roller Mr. Humphries was aft-erwards told that the Maori who went behind to push tripped over tho line, thero was a blinding crash, and ho was nover seen again. Six Maoris paid the penalty for their temerity that night. Old Soklioxs. "I was going into old soldiers' claims for land in Auckland once," said Mr. Humphries, ."when a man came before, me, and when askod handed over his discharge. I glanced over it, looked at tho man, arid said 'Now, you get out of this as fast as you can!' He lied incontinently, Hinging 'out as he went—'You know too much, you do!' "Tho description on tho discharges-height complexion, colour of eyes and -hair—did "not tally in ono particular with tho applicant. Ho had probably been working on tho gum' fields, and had stolon tho document or taken

it from n dead man, imagining that ;ho examining officer would not kuow too much. How the Fortieth Fled. "Another applicant had been a member of the Fortieth, and was more honest. He handed in his discharge, and commenced to retail the- actions lio had taken part in. 'This and that and so-and-so,' he began. ' Peach Grovo' I supplemented. The man looked up at mo amazed, and was even more astounded when I said: 'Why did you'leave Ramsay to die?' ' Taking pity on his embarrassment, I told him that I was iii the militia that lay in skirmishing order in the grass and fern about a quarter of a mile behind the- line of attack. A section of the Fortieth had been detailed to make- a reconnaisanco, and tho advance had stepped into an ambush. Tho troops became pa'nicstfickon, and just turned and bolted, leaving their guns and everything, which wo got hold of later. I don't know how trub it is, but ■I was told afterwards that there were only 15 Maoris. "Wo had about 1500 troops about tliere. So you can see why a Fortieth man did not care to be reminded of Peach Grove. It was a fine regiment all the same."