Hawk's Bay Herald TUESDAY, APRIL 19, 1870. NATIVE INTELLIGENCE. THE CAMPAIGN UNDER ROPATA.

Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume 14, Issue 1145, 19 April 1870, Page 2

Hawk's Bay Herald TUESDAY, APRIL 19, 1870. NATIVE INTELLIGENCE. THE CAMPAIGN UNDER ROPATA.

Thbeb has been so little parade of the late successful operations in the Urewera country and at Waioeka, that, until, fuller particulars reached us by the Rangatira, we scarcely realized the great importance of thti services which Major Ropata and the Ngatiporou tribe have rendered.. We have taken some pains to obtain information of Ropata's operations, and the following may be depended on as a reliable outline. Our readers are already aware that Ropata's force marched hy way of, Poverty Bay and Ngatapa into the Urewera country, and we now find that the force consisted of .370 men, and that only one European, Mr. Porter, of Poverty Bay, accompanied the expedition. Little worthy of redbrd oc- . curred during the early part of the 'march ; the country the force passed through after leaving Ngatapa was extremely.broken arid difficult, and the progress made necessarily slow. The same track was followed as Te Kooti used at the time of Ngatapa, and here and there on the line of march the remains of human beings shewed to what straits the enemy were reduced, and what an easy task it would have .been -.afc . that time to have followed up and completed Te Kooti's annihilation. The first people come across on the march was on. the Hungarou stream, where a woman and four children of the Ngatikohatu tribe, formerly of Upper Wairoa, were found; the husband was away at the time, and the woman reported herself as having been absent over twelve months from the tribe. The next day two men, two women, and two children of the same tribe were captured by the advanced guard, and some information was obtained as to the whereabouts of the enemy. From these people Ropata heard that the Urewera tribe had, quite recently, formally discussed whether or not they should submit to the Government, and the majority were disposed to do so, but were otherwise influenced by Te Kooti. The force, which had at this time been a fortnight on the march, was now approaching Rakeroa's pa at Maungapowhatu, and two parties of 80 men each were told off to attack and capture the position. The arrangements were so well laid, that the place was surrounded, and the whole of the occupants taken prisoners, before they knew of the presence of an enemy. 40 prisoners were taken at this pah, nearly all of the Ngatikohatu tribe ; the chief Rakeroa was, . unfortunately, abaent with Te Kooti, but among the prisoners were five men who had been engaged with Te Kooti, when he was defeated, a short time previously, at Oliinemuri. From them Ropata learnt that the report of Kereopa having been killed at Ohinemuri was incorrect, and that it had arisen from Te Waru, who was similarly dressed, and somewhat like him in nppe'arance, having been mortally wounded. Te Waru, when last seen, was crawling with a broken leg into the bush, where he is supposed to have perished. The Ngutiporou took another pa near Rakeroa's, but found it deserted. One man was shot here whilst digging potatoes, by a lurking party of the enemy, who were pursued, but not overtaken. From this lime forward the march was uneveatful. Numerous kaingas were visited, but all found deserted, and no hindrance was attempted to check Ropata's march. The party found plenty of food along the line of route, and destroyed all that they could, coming out eventually at Ohiwa, after a month spent, in the Urewera country, during which time all the principal strongholds were visited, and cultivations and settlements destroyed. The absence of any opposition shows the respect paid by the enemy to Ropata'a prowess. Ropata's plans were materially altered on the line of road. He had intended to have proceeded from Maungapowhatu to Waikaremoana, mustering and capturing the Ureweras as he proceeded ; but, from the information he gathered from his prisoners, he learnt that very few people were at Waikaremoana, and that Te Kooti was, with a large force, in quite a different direction, viz., at Waioeka, at the back of Opotiki. The force is said to have been much knocked up with the rugged country they had marched through, the feet of nearly all being much swollen and cut about. However, on reaching Ohiwa, Ropata learnt that Major Kemp and the Wanganuis had left the day before to attack Te Kooti, and he next day moved again with the Ngatiporous to take part in the operations. Having ascertained that Kemp had marched so as to attack the enemy in rear", he calculated when he would arrive th^re, and at once pushed for the enemy's position, which he attacked, and, after a by no means vigorous defence, captured. It appears that Te Kooti bnd received information of the advance ot the Wanganuis, and was. on the look out for them, expecting them to come down the Opotiki river to attack him, and accordingly sent out a party to watch the approaches from that side. When, j therefore, Ropata attacked Waioeka from the front, Kooti was completely surprised, and the bulk of his people, thinking Ropata's force were the Wnnganuis, fled up the bed of the Opotiki, and ran right into the middle of Kemp's men, who were marching down, when they were of course captured. Te Kooti himself seems to have made out who Ropata was, and, with 19 followers, including Kereopa, Rakeroa, and Karanamu, took off into the bush and escaped, leaving all his clothes, correspondence, and everything behind. Nineteen men of Te Kuoti's band were killed, including the noted miscreant Hakaraia, of Waikato celebrity, and one of the most troublesome natives in the country, and 14 Chatham Island prisoners. All the rest of the force, except Te Kooti and the 19 men who escaped with him, were captured. The success was complete in every sense, and the escape of Te Kooti is one of those misfortunes which could not be provided aguinst. A body of Ropata's men started in pursuit as soon as Kooti's escape was known ; but after following his supposed line of flight as far as they could iv the maimed condition they were in, they-re-

turned, and it is believe^ Te Knot! made good lii* retreut to W iikurein'»iih». ' ' |r The whoje furce of Wanganiiii and N<?a^tiporou returned from Waioeka to Opotiki . with the prisoners, and were there met by the Hon. the Defence Minister. \7« understand Mr. M'L'ean ' at orice saw that it was. out of the question for men, in the muimed .. condition . the friendly^ na r tivesj'twere in, to attempt, to follow Te Itooti through the Urewera country, and accordingly sent the whole of the Wanganuis by steamer to Wellington on their way home. With them thirfcy-dne prisoners were sent to "Wellington for trial. They are, we understand, all either Chatham Island prisoners, or other miscreants of Te Rooti's immediate barid, and we Sincerely trust the law will be able to punish them according to their deserts. It is said that Ropata desired to make short Work of these wretches when they were Captured, but that Kemp and Topia objected. From the correspondence found at Waweka, the complicity of the Whakatoheasvis established beyond a doubt, and, among. other things they had done for Te Kooti; was to h&nd over to him their whole supply of powder and bullets. Twenty casks of powder were thus obtained by Te Kooti, and taken away and hidden at Waioeka. It appears Te Kooti had ; all through, intended to. winter- at Waioeka, and- had made the Whakatohea and Urewera tribes plant extensive. cultivations ibr him there, and build him' a church and grand Maori carved house. But a ddy or two before the capture of his pah he 'addressed his people, and told them his God had promised him no enemy should. ever succeed in reaching him there. Since . his defeat, the Whakatoheas, who are represented as entirely crushed, gavo information as to the position of the hidden powder, &c.j all of which has been recovered and taken away to Auckland in the Sturt. ... The remainder of the prisoners, taken, including Te Kooti's women-— the Whaka^ tone as — -and the people captured hy Ropata at Maungapowatu, were given ovec to the charge of the Ngatiporou and William King, a well-known friendly chief, who lives near Opotiki. Ropata took all his prisoners with him to the Ngatiporou settlements, where they now are. The thirty-one sent to Wellington for trial include all against whom it was thought important charges could be sustained. The Ngatiporou have returned with their prisoners to their own settlements, but we understand that Ropata at once set to work to get together a fresh force from his tribe, with which he is believed to be now on the road to entleavour to complete what he has done so much to achieve. He may or may not be successful in capturing Te Kooti, but we may rest satisfied he will do his best ; and, at any rate, what he has effected has completely destroyed Te Kooti's prestige, and the belief the natives were getting of his supernatural powers. We trust we are now at the beginning of the end of our troubles, and thankfully congratulate the Government and the colony on what has been achieved. Of the services of Ropata and his brave banjcl we cannot say too much in praise, and we trust we may yet have to announce the accomplishment of what he has now on hand. The St. Kilda leaves Wellington to-day for Wanganut, with Kemp, Topia; and the Wanganui natives. On her return to Wellington she will proceed to Napier, to be at the disposal of the Government Agent.