TARANAKI.

Hawke's Bay Times, Volume 13, Issue 687, 31 May 1869, Page 3

TARANAKI.

(From the Correspondent of the Taranakl Herald.) PAPATIKI, May 16. On the morning of the 14th of May, a party consisting of thirty Taranaki Bushrangers, under Captain Messenger, and thirty of the Armed Constabulary, under Captain Xuke, and the w..01e commanded by Major Brown, proceeded to Pukearuhe. Carts accompanied the force, to briug back >i supply of potatoes, Sec , for the use of the Waiti and Papaliki Redouble, but the main object of the expedition was to reeounoitre the block lo see whether am Maoris were working about there, as fires had been seen on the previous evening, between Mokau and the White Cliffs. No tracks or other signs of the presence of the enemy were seen until the party had arrived at the old Pukearuhe Uedoubt, when Dv O'Carroll, who accompanied the force, went down the path leading from the redoubt to the YVaurou stream and on which ihe bodies of Milne and Richards were discovered. Dr O'Carroll on arriving at the foot of this path, found the recent footmarks of Maoris on the sand near the stream, and on examination they proved 10 be the trail of a party of ten men, and a boy or ft woman. Alter carefully following up the tracks, which diverged at the stream, the party having scattered (seemingly to elude observation), a main track was found and followed by the 1> shrangers, the Constabulary remaining to escort ihe carts, and watch the YVaurou Oruliy. Alter a pursuit of about 2 hours the rangers came on the rebels, who were comuletely taken by surprise, and rushed off in various directions leaving on the ground nine mats, three kits, a tomahawk, and a cartouche-box with eleven rounds of ammunition. Unfortunately the scrub shielded them from view, and though two shots were fired by the advance guard in the direction in which the rustle of the bushes showed the natives were running, noue of them were hit. This was evidently

a marauding party eentdown from Motau to reconnoitre the district and cut off stragiglers, and their prompt discovery has projbably prevented another murder. The Bushrangers reached camp after a not very agreeablo tramp up hill, down gullies, and through swamps nearly waist deen in some places. Next morning (Saturday 15th) thirty of the Bushrangers, and forty of the Armed Constabulary under the same commanders as the previous day, (Captains Messenger and Tuke), started in the pouring rain, and laid an ambuscade in the VVaurou Gully, hoping to catch the marauders on their ret-nrn, but were unsuccessful. The force came back to the camp at about 10 a in.