A PERILOUS RIDS

Evening Post, Volume CXII, Issue 152, 24 December 1926, Page 8

A PERILOUS RIDS

EftRLY HISTORY RECALLED

THE LATE MAJOR GASCOYNE

PITTED AGAINST T.U KOOTI

Tlie story of a thrilling incident cd! tho early history of Poverty Bay 'is called to mind by the death rceuv&ly of Major Fred J. W. Gascoyne

Major Gascoyue, states a writm1 in the Auckland "Star," came to ,1s Tew Zealand in tho 'fifties, and ttvcklcd most of tho jobs of young pioneer settlers! Ho was just tho sort far frontier work, and when tho war cull came be received a commission in tho Colonial Defence Force Cavalry, aud began in IS6,'! a military career that Jfeistcd till tho abolition of the A.C. Force in 3 885.

Gascoyue, in his day, was si splendid horseman; ho and his frienxl, Captain St. George (who was killed in the attack on Porere Pa, Toiigariro, in 18G|1), wore considered the best uulers in the Kast Coast troops of cavalry. Ho was described by one of his old comrades as "practically tireless."

A particularly plucky adventure of Gascoyno's in the campaign against To Kooti was his long ride with dispatches from near J'overty Bay to Wairoa (Hawkca Bay) and back, in 1868, just after the escape of Te Kooti and his fellow exiloß from Chatham Island in the schooner Rifleman and tlioir landing at Whareongaonga. Major Biggs (killed a little later in the Poverty Bay massacre) was encamped inland with a party of volunteers and some friendly natives, intending, if possible, to cut off Te Kooti's retreat to the Urcwera Country. TO CARRST DISPATCHES. Gascoyne, then a. young lieutenant, had just ridden into camp with some pack-horses Jaden with provisions. Biggs offered £20 to anyone who would carry a dispatch for him to "Wairoa, >to the officer in command there, requesting reinforcements. No one seemed willing to risk it, so Gascoyne, going forward, offered to go, saying, "Of course, I don't want a money reward.

Mounted on a fresh horse, the cavalryman sot off; there was no direct track, but he depended on his knowledge of the country—a terribly rough country it was, too, all hills and gullies and creeks. His horse fell sick; he turned about, rodo back to an outstation of Major Westrup's at To Arai, got a pony of his own, and rode on to Makaraka, found a good horse there, and then' got away at a fast pace for Wairoa. By this time it was midnight.

At sunrise Gascoyne was 20 miles on his solitary ride, when ho heard through the foggy morning the sound of heavy and rapid firing in the direction of Biggs' camp. Te Kooti had attacked the small Government force. As it turned out, he defeated it. Gascoyne turned his horse to ride to the scene of the battle, then recollected that his orders were imperative to get to Wairoa with all speed. By dark that day he had reached the bush at Te Reinga, near the waterfall on tho Upper Wairoa river. It was impossible to get a horse through the bush in the dark, so he tied it up in some manner, and went on until he came to the river opposite the largo native village, Whenuakura.

He could see the gJaro of a fire, but that' was all. An old chief named Bakiroa, who was friendly towards Te j Kooti—and who had, in fact, been supplying/ the Chatham escapees with food, was the head, man of the village. Gaseoyne was very uncertain how he would fare in Wiienuakura, nevertheless he must risk it.' AT THE REVOLVER'S POINT. He called out from the river bank that he wanted a canoe. The hail was answered, and the dispatch carrier .drew his revolver and crept down in the dark- to the water's edge to wait for the canoe. A man with a firestick earner down the bank and , paddled across. It was old Bakiroa himself. He came up the bank with his torch, and Gaseoyne, with a little persuasion —the sight of the revolver clinched it—induced him to guide him through the bush to a track.

On he went, mounted again, through the bitterly cold, wet night, and atnearly daylight, after fording a river, lie found himself in tho camp of a party of volunteers from Wairoa —the lute Captain Preccc, N.Z.G., was one of. them—under Captain Bichardsou. He got a hurried breakfast, rode on to Wairoa, and delivered his dispatch there, after more than 40 hours' riding and walking. THE JOUBNEY BACK. A few hours' rest, and then Gascoyne started back for Poverty Bay at midnight, and overtook Captain Richardson's camp on the Waihau Kange. The weather was intensely cold, with driving rain and sleet. At the camp, Dr. Scott, of the Wairoa, who was with the force as""* volunteer surgeon, joined Gascoyne for the perilous ride to Turanganui. The dispatches from Wairoa were in duplicate. Gascoyne retained one copy and gave the other to Scott.

From the top of the range the young lieutenant poined out the misty gorge through, which Te Kooti probably would come on his way to the TJrewera, no matter what the outcome of his fight with Westrop and Biggs. "Our object will be not to fall in with him," he said, "but there are two other tracks, and it is impossible to judge which is the 'safest way. We'll keep within easy distance of each other but not too close, so that we won't both be hit by the same volley if we're fired on, and we must not. wait for one another under any circumstances if we're flred on. Tho dispatches must get through."

Down tho slippery track the riders went, into the wild gorge-like valley of tie Hangaroa river. It' was- in flood, a swift, dangerous torrent. But they plunged in, for a- moment disappeared, all but their own and their horses' heads, crossed safely, and scaled the opposite bank and rode on rapidly in the direction of Te Arai. THE MAORI WAR PARTY. In the distance they saw a horseman approaching. When they met . him they found he was Paku Brown, a

half-caste, who was carrying dispatches from Coloned "Whitinorc—who had just landed at Poverty Bay—to Captain Eichardson. After a few minutes' talk he pushed on. He told them that Te Kooti had badly beaten "Westrup's and Biggs' force, and was then on the march to the Urewera Country, probably crossing tho track Gascoyne and' Scott had just come.

Half-aii-hour after the half-caste dispatch rider left the two pakehas, ho encountered To Kooti's war party on the very track they had just come. Ho was shot, tomahawked, and his body was hung up a tree; his dog, too, was shot. His iate was discovered by a force which passed along tho trail a few days later.

About the time poor Paku met his fate, Gascoyne and Scott, ignorant of what they had just escaped—heard a loud "eoo-ee" from a clump of knhikatoa bush close to tlio track. They could see no one. Gascoyno thought it might be a Maori trick, .though it was the Australian call. Ho dismounted and scouted through the scrub up i rtq the bush, with, his revolver in. his

hand, while Soott, also dismounting, covered him with his carbine over the ho'rxes' backs.

Presently two loud "coo-ccs" came, n'*d Gascoyno and another pakeha c/merged from (lie bush, laughing. The Stranger was Captain James Wilson, ni gallant officer of Fraser's command; ''lie whs out scouting and had a snug liivounc well hidden in the bush. A litde while later Wilaon with most of his household fell in the Poverty Bay

A tot of brandy and a biscuit, and the dispatch carriers pushed on again, and a few miles' ride now took them down to the settled lands of To Arai, on the Bay ilats. The dispatches wore handed over to Colonel Whitmore by Scott, while. Gascoyne rode to his homo for a greatly needed rest. He had done his voluntary task well; the return ride was a dangerous exploit, for at any hour he and Scott might have ridden into Te Kooti's murderous band. But, as Gascoyno narrated long afterwards, although he had been offered and had declined a reward of £20 for the dispatch-carrying work, lie had some trouble in getting the officer commanding at Poverty Bay to refund him £4 for his expenses incurred on the expedition. Tho O.C. considered the charges "exorbitant!" Which is a little hbit of O.C.s the military world over.