ABOUT PEOPLE.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXXIII, Issue 16034, 14 September 1912, Page 8

ABOUT PEOPLE.

SOME PERSONAL NOTES. STORIES OF CELEBRITIES. A telegram front Auckland a few days ago chronicled the death of the venerable Maori chief Mori Ngatai, the head of the Ngai-te-Rangi tribe, of Tauranga, Bay «f Plenty. But the message omitted to chronicle the most interesting point in the old man s career—tho fact that ho was one oi the very fow survivors of the garrison who hold the celebrated Gate Pa in 1304 against a very much stronger force of British soldiers and bluejackets. Hori was a very fine specimen of tho Maori chief and fighting man of the past generation. He was tall and straight, and even in ,his old age he looked an athlete, without superfluous flesh on his bones. 110 had been a very active man in his time, and he and his two hundred and fifty oomradeo who held the famous pa on tho Pukehinahina ridge must have been tho very flower of the Maori nation. Ho had a fine, clear-cut, intelligent face; ho was tattooed on cheeks and chin, and a short- white beard lent something of a benevolent air to his features. Not only was old Hori a man of proven courage and resource in war time, but be was also an industrious and. energetic farmer. Ho set a worthy example to tho tribe ol which lie was tho head man by cultivating his beautiful level lands at Wharoroa, on tho shores of Tauranga Harbour, with skill and success. Many years ago Hori was tho largest wheat-grower in the Tauranga district. He had many friends amongst the Europeans; one of his old acquaintances was MajorGeneral Itobley, now living in London, llobley who wrote “Moke,” tho wellknown monograph on the art oi tattooing, and who was in Tauranga in the war of tho sixties as a lieutenant in an Imperial regiment. A few years ago Hori had one of his grandsons christened “ General Robloy ’ alter Ins old soldier friend.

Some years ago Hori Ngatai tokl a Pressman the story of his thrilling^experiences in tho defence of tho Gate Pa in April. 18(11, and ho also gave an excellent account of that unforgettable engagement to his old friend, Captain Gilbert Mair, a New Zealand Cross hero. The following are some of tlio most interesting points in tho veteran warrior’s story of the fight.--- “ I was a young man of about twenty-five years of ago when wo fought the pakeha at the Gate la. I had already seen some service with my tenant (double-barrelled gun). When the Waikato war began 1 ana some of mv people went to assist our countrymen, and joined the Knigites at Metemere, on the A\ aikato Riv on . 10 T® we exchanged many shots uith the British gunboats on the river, and stood both rifle and shell lire. My second engagement was as Otau, Y.,iroa South, where we had a lively little skirmish with a force o so'diev.s. My friend Titipa was shot dead at Otau Mv third battle was tho Gate Pa, and then came our repulse at the rifle-pits' If To Rairta, where over a hundred of, iiecnlc’wer© killed by the imperial J redcoats and the colonial soldiers who 1 ,1 0 „ r position at the point of art&s .>„»«? *** • «•* dav for Ngni-te-dangi.

“ Tn tho year 1864 most of our people had over to the Waikato to as- ‘ M „ a tives there. We were waitJ t) h e attacked by the imperial i ll -" 4. „ T n>c Tiki <> to lhmgarangi, betv eo-,r Cambridge and Maungatantar. when news came that soldiers had h ee ii landed at To 1 apa, Tauianga, so we hurried buck across country to defend our homes- At r Wairoa wc drew up a challenge ui Jic form of 'letter to the British general, mvit _ fij him to meet us and light it out. This letter was sent l> a herald to Hio pakeha- camp, J e Papa, on the shores * of Taurauga harbour, and we lav in our position waiting for a reply. Everything 'vas excitement m our

cpnl p_the clansmen word busily proparing for tlio fray, making cartridges, sharpening tomahawks, cleaning guns and so forth, and getting the food supplies. Martial councils were held, and great war dances took placo daily, to put our young men in form apd enable them to vent their warlike spirits. Our leaders also drew up a code of regulations for the conduct of the fighting. ’ft was resolved that the barbarous customs of our forefnthors should not be practised by us; that the wounded should be spared, and that the dead should not be mutilated. Wo resolved, too, that we would not harm non-combatants or unarmed persons—in short, to fight fairly and squarely on the same linos as those followed by the pakeha. These regulations were put in writing by Rawiri; the document was lost by us in the Gato pa and found by the Europeans after the fight.”

“ For some time wo waited for a reply to our challenge, but none came. We considered it very discourteous of the English that they did not even acknowledge the receipt of our letter. At last we resolved to occupy and fortify a position on the ridge known as Pukchinahina, about a mile from the present, town of Tauranga. This place was called “The Gate” by the Europeans, because a ditcli and bank had been made across the narrow ridge which lay between the swamps that ran up from the two arms of Tauranga harbour, Waimapu and Waikareao. In the evening we set nut for this place, each person carrying bundles of flax, small manuka and tupakibi poles, and sticks for use in building our red iulit—you know how scarce timber is at Tauranga. We reached the position about midnight, and started at once to build two pas. One, the smaller one, was built by the Piri-rakan (“Stack to the- Bush”) and other hepus and the Koheriki people. Heta and thirty to thirty-five men garrisoned it. The large pa on the eastern side of the ridge was birilt and garrisoned by about 200 men of Ngai-te-Kan<ri. Our women were with us, working ns hard as the men, carrying backloads of material for the defences and fond for the warriors. We sent thorn away safely before the fighting began. We were very short of wood for the stockade, so next night n number of us went down towards the township, quite close to the quarters of tlio soldiers, and \pulled down Mr Samuel Clarke’s fences and collected all the timber wo could. Wo demolished a stockyard and hauled the strong posts and rails up to oiyi position ; they came in handy for the pas. With the material so obtained we built a low fence enclosing the two redoubts. Besides tbo fences, there were parapets and ditches and rifle-pits, and within the redoubts shelters were dug out for tlio protection of the garrison. Men went to Pukereia to collect timber to roof over our rifle-pits and covered ways.”

“ Presently wo saw great ships of war entering the harbour and discharging big guns and landing soldiers. Then we knew why the pakeha chief had not sent a reply to our challenge. It was because the Europeans were waiting far reinforcements from Auckland, and now they had come, so wo girded ourselves for the fight and in a lew days the troops came at us. The British column advanced to within five or six hundred yards of our front. Then most of the. soldiers turned to their right, on to Pukereia Hill, where they mounted their guns and pitched tents. One of the cannon (a 110pounder Armstrong) was planted in the middle of the road, right opposite our pa. This was on April 28. Soon there was a flash and a roar, and a shell from a big gun flew whistling like a ‘ kehua ’ of the air over our heads. One portion of tho force, under cover of darkness, took up a position in our rear. So the next morning the whites were in. front of ns, on our left flank and in rear of us, and then the fight began in earnest. The big; guns poured shot an' l shell into our position, and the rifle-balls whistled round us.”

‘•’One of the most remarkable things that happoYied in the siege,” continued oid Hon, "was the killing of both our tohungas. Wo had two men of prayer in our camp. One was a Christian minister named Tliaka (Isaac), who fortified us with the rites of the pakolia religion. The other was a heathen priest, one Tc Waro, who performed the war-rites of our forefathers and recited the olden knrakias for victory in the tight. So we were making things right with both sides. The cannonade that morning began just as we were about to oat our meal of potatoes. Our Christian kai-ksrakia, Ihaka, was standing up in n conspicuous position invoking a. blessing. Just as he uttered the* words, ‘ May the Grace of Our Lord Jesus Christ and the love of——’ a shell struck him in the waist, and bursting, scattered his body in fragments all over the place. What a sight! Pauepaue, one of our old men, a. tattooed veteran, had leaned his gun against the earthwork while he joined in.the p-ayers. After the bursting of the shell, he went to pick up his gun. when to his astonishment lie found some e.f the dead minister’s entrails were wrapped round and round the barrel. And a grim joke, even at the cannon’s mouth, did the old warrior utter. 'See!’ he cried, ‘ the white men even load their big guns with human fat and fire it at us!’ A few hours later, our other kai-karakia, was killed in a precisely similar manner. To Waro was standing up in an elevated position, exhorting us and reciting olden incantations, when a cannonshot cut him in two.”

"The cannonade became heavier. An awful lire was concentrated on our redoubt. Eighteen big guns were hurling their projectiles at us, and shells were bursting all around us. Our fences and frail parapets crumbled away under the heavy artillery fire, and splinters and earth were continually flying through the air. We were every now and then smothered with, the dirt thrown by the exploding shells, and this the rain, which .set in soon, converted into mud. Our position now seemed desperate. Our defences above ground were demolished arid levelled flat, while as we took shelter in om rifle-pits wo were all more or less covered with mud and quite drenched with the rain. Our leaders —Rawiri Tuaia, Hakaraia Maluku, Timoti and I’ohipi—showed, a valiant front, and directed affairs with courage and coolness. They ordered us not to utter a word and to be careful of our lire. In the afternoon a party of our people tried to break away through the troops on the rear. They were met by the 63th Regiment and tired on heavily. Some men were killed, while several were badly wounded. Te Ninihi and Poniare managed 1q get through, and escaped to the Wairoa. All of the others who could ran back and rejoined us in the pa,, who were now resisting the pakeha storming party."

"The storniing-party, soldiers and sailors (in all about 600 officers and men) rushed gallantly to the attack. Then we loosed our fire on them—still they charged on. with fixed bayonets and swords waving, cheering as they came I Through and over the breached 'walls they rushed; they entered the ruins of the larger pa ; most of it was ill their possession. But all at once the tide of war was changed. Up charged our men who hud been forced back by the 68th Regiment in the rear, and then began a deadly hand-to-hand fight. The defenders ot the smaller pa held their position and raked the pakeha with a very heavy fire. Tomahawk met cutlass and bayonet—tupara met rifle and revolver! Skulls wove cloven —Maoris wore bayoneted. The place was soon full of dying and dead pakeha and Maori. We in the eastern portion of the large pa stood firm, and held our position. It was terrible

work, but soon'over. The pakehas were jof an adverse wind. As a military airdriven clean out cf the pa; tlwv ran, 'min ho took part in last year’s"mauour >men firing on them as they re- ( oeuvres and received the decoration of treated. They fell back on their main * the Legion of Honour. Latham was a body below our work, leaving scores of distant relative of Herr von Beththeir killed and wounded strewn on mann-Hollweg, the Chancellor of tho the battle-ground. Wo Maoris, al- j German Empire. though victorious, had Buffered so- J . . verely. Mv old relative Raeweti fell 1 Dr Griffith John, the pioneer missionwitli seven gunshot wounds. Te Kou ary. died in London a few weeks ago. was bayoneted to death, and many Dr John returned to England in. Janothers received bayonet wounds. It u'a-y J a.st, this being his first visit since was almost dark at the time of the 18f'<2. , He had spent fifty-six years in melee, and it was difficult to distinguish missionary work in China. During the from foe. TNi troops suffered whole of the time since, in 1800, lie most from getting into a cross-fire be- j first went to Shanghai, he had been tween the two pas, but particularly out of China only four years, and only that fyom the small one. The soldiers ■ twice had he been home on furlough, and sailors were all mixed up to- Dr John was born at Swansea in 1831. gethcr, and were equally fearless.” a »d before he had reached the age of fourteen he was known as the Boy Preacher, his sermons, mostly in Welsh, drawing crowded congregations from all parts of South Wales. In 1855 he w; 5 sent to Shanghai ’by the London Missionary Society, and six years later set out- as a pioneer evangelist'in Central China. He had narrow escapes on many occasions when travelling, and at times was subjected to hostile demonstrations. With tho assistance of his colleagues, he established in one province alone upwards of a hundred missions, and founded scores of churches. In the Yangtse Valley he was the pioneer and founder of Christian missions. It was here that lie started, a few years ago, a theological college for native preachers, which boars his name. He founded tho Central China Religious Tract Society m 18/8, and its operations have so extended that at the present time its yearly output is nearly three million publications.

“ I was amused.” said Hori, "at the coolness of ono of our old warriors in the thickest of the hand-to-hand fight. He was a deeply tattooed old man. of the past generation of toao. Ho had six or seven bullets in his body, and being shot through the thighs was quite helpless. Ho sat leaning up against the remains of tho parapet, and had taken out his pipe for a consoling smoke, but couldn't find a match. So ho kept calling out, 'Give me a light, give mo a light!’ but no one heeded him when everyone was fighting for his life. Amidst the din of war he could be heard calling out for a. match, then his excitement would overmaster him and ho would cry, ‘ Fight on ! Fight on! Give it to them! Give it to them!’ With one breath ho would ask for a light, then witli the next he would urge us on. Such queer things are but the ways of war.”

" We adhered strictly to tho terms of tho battle covenant,” said the old warrior, in concluding his narrative. " Wo harmed not the wounded nor interfered with the bodies of tho dead. The British colonel (Booth) fell, mortally wounded, ,iust inside the gateway and there he lay all night. In lhe hours of darkness his voice could be hoard calling for water. One of our men went and got some and gave him to drink, and placed a rolled-up blanket under bis head. Another wounded officer left behind after his men fled had dropped his sword a little distance away. A Maori picked it up and went to restore it to the officer. Tho pakeha squared liimsolf up to meet as well as he could what he expected to ho his death-blow, but to his surprise tho Maori turned the hilt toward him (tho officer) and placed the weapon in his enemy’s hands. In the night we collected arms, accoutrements and ammunition from the British dead. Then, recognising that our defences no longer existed, we abandoned the ruined pa. under cover of the darkness, retiring in good order and good spirits. We e7 - ept quietly through the lines of the 68th Regiment at the rear. The soldiers kept firing cn us, but none of .us were lulled, only a few wounded. I helieve some of the Europeans were accidentally killed by their own comrades. We retired to the Wnoku Pa, and then dispersed to our various stations along the edge of the forest* Our firearms were only light double-barrelled and single-bar-relled fowling pieces and some flint muskets, and most of our uowder was wet with rain or expended in the fight. Our loss in the battle was about twentyfive men killed. Our leader Rawiri was killed at Te ilantra, where we were defeated a few weeks afterwards. At tho Gate Pa the whites lost over thirty killed and eighty wounded. Ah, it was a good fight, a very fine fight indeed.”

Sir Percy Girouard, whose resignation of an African Governorship to take up a directorship in the famous Elswick engineering firm has just been announced. is one of those men around whose personality stories grow. Ono of these springs out of the making of the Khartoum railway. “How’s this?” said Kitchener to the maker, Lieutenant Girouard. "work suspended 1 \ou must go on ; that line has to be finished as soon as mortal man ran finish it.” " Sorry, sir, I can’t. The Government hasn’t sent on tho sleepers.” “ I have no use for a man who says ‘can’t,’ ” replied Kitchener: “you had better go back to Cairo.” "Very good, sir, I will.” The lieutenant went, only to bo wired for in a week to come back. Kitchener had found his Girouard.

For some years after the Mikado adopted the Western mode of living his meals were prepared by Frenchmen. He was determined, however, that in cookery, as in other branches of knowledge, tlio Japanese should become independent of the services of foreign adopts. The best of his native cooks was sent to Franco and carefully trained in all the refinements., Like most of his race, Oyagni proved an apt pupil. On his return be assumed command of tho Imperial kitchen, and trained a sufficient number of Ins countrymen to displace all the foreigners- It must have been hard for the Mikado to become so thoroughly Europeanised, for tho ways of his countrymen aro in many instances directly opposed to white men’s ideas. As Mr Basil Hall Chamberlain points out, "Japanese books begin at tho end, the word ‘ Finis ’ comes where wo put tho title-page. Tho foot-notes are printed at the top of the page, and the reader puts in his marker at the bottom. A Japanese mounts his hor.se on the right side .... Boats are hauled up on the beach stem first. The Japanese do not say north-east or south-west, but east-north or westsouth. They address a letter ill the reverse way to us, putting the name last, and instead of writing Mr John Smith they put Smith, -John. Mr. In keeping -accounts they write the figures first, the items corresponding to them next.”

Lord Portman, who has largo estates in London and whose Dorset seat is at Bryan stone, has just completed his eighty-third year, and still rides with the hounds and takes an active interest in political and municipal matters. He entered Parliament in 1852, at the age of twenty-three, as member for Shaftesbury, and sat and voted with the Liberal party. Shaftesbury was a "family interest” borough with about GOO electors, and Lord Portman was not called upon to contest it. When he represented Dorset he had one fight*. " 'The three elected candidates,” sayn Lord Portman. "had oach to put on a cocked hat and a sword, and after the declaration of the poll wo had to ride down the streets of Dorchester to the town pump and back again.” This was his last and only contested election.

Widespread sorrow was aroused by the announcement of the death of tbe famous aviator, Hubert Latham. The news hud come from the French Congo, where Latham was on a hunting expedition. He was killed on Juno 7 by a buffalo, which lie had tracked down and wounded some thirty miles from Fort Archatnba.uk, at the junction of the rivers I)ahr-Salamet and Sliari. Hubert Latham was one of tho youngest and most intrepid of the French airmen. He was born in Paris thirty years ago. of wealthy parents. After the customary course at a French Tyree, he completed his education at Oxford, and during-his stay at the English University he developed that ardent love of sport which was to remain with him to the end of his days. Latham gave one the impression of being an" invalid. Indeed, it is said that his foolhardiness in the air was deliberate. Suffering, as has been hinted, from an incurable disease, and knowing that, he was doomed to a premature 0 death, Latham, when piloting his Antoinette machine, did tilings that made men shudder.

i Latham had always been fond of ad--1 venture and travel. Twice he had gone I round the world, and he was no stranger to the African big game preserves. In March. .1900 he was first heard of l as an aeronaut, when he made a bai--1 loon trip from London to Paris. On this occasion ho was accompanied bv his . I cousin, J acques Faure, who, einp-ularly . enough, was killed last year while big- [ gome hunting in the Congo. Shortly I afterwards Latham devoted himsolf ex- ' ! clusively to the study of aviation. Ho i fixed liis choice upon an Antoinette > . monoplano, and speedily leapt into fame by reason of his splendid aerial flights. His ambition was to be the first aviator to cross the Channel, but another Frenchman, Bleriot. stole a < march on him. Undaunted by the euci ! cess of his rival, Latham persevered, and a few days later, after a flight from near Calais, came down in the sea very dose to the English shore. At tho Rheims meeting of 1909, he secured tho record for altitude. Tem- ‘ prstuous weather never deterred, him, and Latliam would launch his air-craft i and soar into cloud-land in tho teeth.