THE WAIMATE PLAINS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XVII, Issue 5694, 17 February 1880, Page 5

THE WAIMATE PLAINS.

THE LIFE OF KIMBALL BENT. FIFTEEN YEARS AMOXG3T THS MAORIS. [BY TELTORAI'H, FROM OUR SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT.] Nop.iia.n-ey, Monday. Referring to my telegram of yesterday, in which I announced the discovery and identification of Kimball Bent, I may say that sincc I first mentioned the rumour that Bent was still alive, Lieutenant Gudg-on, author of the " Reminiscences of the War in New Zealand," has written to the New Zealand Herald, calling in question the correctness of the information, and claiming t'nathi3 (Mr. Gulgeon's) account of Bsnt'a death i 3 corrcct.

After overcoming some preliminary difficulties, the negotiations for an interview reached a stage at which the alleged Bent promised to meet m°, on condition that neither the time nor place of the interview should be disclosed. I may say, however, that he travelled several miles from his usual place of conccalmeut to meet me, and that the meeting took place in the bush within ten miles of Normanby.

Before setting out, I had obtained from a former comrade of Beat's a deßcriptien of certain birth marks, and also of tattoo and other marks duly registered when Bent was sentenced to imprisonment for stealing a watch, in order to enable me to identify him. When my guide and I arrived at the spot we found a young native girl and an old man, the father of Bent's wife. Tho girl started off to tell Bent of our arrival, and the old man conducted us to where some mats were spread in the shade of a tree, and on which several Maoris, one of whom was of veiyhigh rank, were lying. These all welcomed us. In about half an-hour an extraordinary figure, reminding me forcibly of the old pictures of Robinson Crusoe, made bis appearance, shook hands, and lay down without i-aying a word. lie was dressed in dilapidated odds anl ends of European clothing, a cap adorned with military buttons covering a bead of unkempt hair, dark, sharp, and anxious eyes, promiueut hooked nose that had evidently met with some injury, a firm mouth and ohin; in repose, a terribly haggard exprtssion, but in conversation excitable, and at times aim st hysterical. His features generally bear strong indications of his descent from the North American Indians, his father, a well-known ship-builder of Eastport, Maine, having married a halfI caste Indian. His action, movements, and gestures are all more Maori than European, and he speaks Maori much more fluently than English, many words of which he uses without understanding their meaning. For instance, in referring to a sum of money he called it "summons." After a period of silence, one of the chiefs intimated that the korero had better commence. At this stage my guide went away, and I remained alone for the remainder of the day with Bent and the Maoris. The conversation, a long and interesting one, which will be more fully detailed to you by letter, commenced outside on the mats, and was afterwards continued in a whare, wh( re Maori food was abuudantly served. Briefly, the following is an outline of Bent's life: — He was born at Eastport, Maine, aud after his school days learned the trade of a watchmaker, but seems never to have followed it, and I suspect has always b-en more or less in trouble. About the year 1860 he was in Liverpool, with a considerable sum of money, which he dissipated in the course of a few weeks, and then enlisted in the 57th, and was sent to the depot at Cork. Here he deserted, and w>nt to Ardrossan, in Scotland, where he was arrested and sent back to Cork, courtmartialled, and branded with the letter on the left side, and sentenced to eighty-four days in irons. From this period he seems to have been inspired with a desire for revenge. He accompanied his regiment to Ind'a, thence to New Zealand, and about March, 1562, was in Wanganui. In that year be was tried before Judge Johnston, and sentenced to three years' imprisonment in Wellington gaol for stealing a watch. Bent, of course, declared to me that he found the watch. On his release he was sent back to his regiment, a soured and desperate man. In March, ISGS, he received a flogging of 25 lashes for disobeying an order to cut firewood on a wet day, and merely waited for his back to heal before deserting to the enemy. At this time ha tells me he was in No. S Company, aud his number on the Regimental Books was 429. What his life has been since then must be left to be described by letter. At present he is anxious to return to America, but dreads that if the natives, amongst whom he is little else than a slave, suspect him of intending to escape, they will kill him, and that if he fall into the hands of the colonists they will either lynch him or put him on his trial for his life. As a matter of course, he denies having committed any capital offences, and when I directly charged him with certain matters that are laid at his door, his invariable answer was " That is all nonsense ; it is not proper to say so." When I told him that Air. Gudgeon in his book described minutely the manner of his death, he seemed much annoyed, exclaiming "That is not proper, that was King,"—another deserter. Indeed, I obtained from Bent evidence of the murd-r, by the natives, of both King and Humphrey Murphy. The fate of another deserter named John Hennessy he professed himself ignorant of. Mr. Gudgeon has made the mistake of supposing that the deserter known amongst the Maoris as " Kingi," was Bent, and says—"No sooner was Kingi dead than they wanted to serve the other pakeha in the same manner, but Tifcokowaru refused, saying, ' He is too useful. Who will make the cartridges when he is dead ?' The other pakeha was best known to the natives as Tinui A moha, and there is no doubt he was employed in making cartridges and repairing firearms. I crosa-questioned Bent minutely as to his knowledge of places in America and Europe which he said he had visited, and with which I am familiar, and found that on these points he spoke truthfully. On the whole, I believe his account of his career to be truthful, always excepting matters on which he could not be expected to criminatn himself. The only book he ha 3 had all these years is a pocket ready-reckoner, and his acquirements in mental arithmetic and mensuration are really wonderful. He has also imparted considerable knowledge of arithmetic to the younger natives about him, some of whom he examined in my presence. His knowledge of recent historical events is extremely meagre, and he eagerly asked questions, more particularly with reepect to American affairs, carefully taking a note of the name of the President of the United States. On the subject of possible hostilities between Europeans and Maoris abont Waimate Plains he was reticent and evasive, and an expression of suspicion and cunning crept into his face when I spoke of it. His reply was frequently repeated, " On no, it is not proper it should be so." The word " proper " seems to stand with him for anything eigni-

fying " right," or "good/ 1 or (< desifaole.' I am inclined to think that to a certain extent Bent's miad has been affected by his long alienation from the society of his own race K and that he is now almost unfitted for civilised society. As to whether he would form a dangerous factor in the event of a rupture between the races, I am not prepared to say, but am inclined to thiuk the Mantis would either compel him to he of service to them or would kill him. They would never allow him to go over to the Europeans with his intimate knowledge of the resources and intentions of the Maoris.

In my own journeying about the bush, I am daily more and more convinced that the authorities, and the general body of f-ettlers, greatly under - estimate the numerical strength of the Maoris ; and it is also worth mentioning that at every native village are to be found vieifcors from Waikato and other parts of the island. An old settler assures me he is convinced thafc between the Wan* ganui .River and the White Cliifs, 30U0 natives capable of bearing arms could be gathered at 48 hours' notice. Some articles are appearing in the Wcingnnxti Herald purporting to he written in the yt-ar 1950, and giviug an account of Maori pucceaaes over Kuropeans in the campaign of 18S0. Many settlers strongly condemn them, as really pointing out to the natives how thev nny successfully attack the Constabulary and the settlements. The writer exhibits an intimate knowledge of the country, and of the resources and capabilitits of both Europeans and Maoris.